Juror #2’s Ending Explained

Warning: This post contains major spoilers for Juror #2

Juror #2 ends on a cliffhanger that leaves questions unanswered. The film, directed by Clint Eastwood from a script by Jonathan A. Abrams, sees Nicholas Hoult’s character Justin Kemp called to the jury, only to realize he was at the bar the night Jason Michael Sythe allegedly killed his girlfriend. girlfriend Kendall. Justin’s memory begins to show the audience that he may not have hit a deer as previously believed, but rather Kendall herself. Justin is wracked with guilt throughout Eastwood’s film, and he struggles to ensure he is not implicated in the murder while trying to prove Jason’s innocence.

After the jury decides on a guilty verdict, the judge sentences James to life in prison. Faith Killebrew, now the district attorney, is also there and raised her suspicions about the case after a disagreement with Harold. Suspecting that Justin has more to hide than initially believed, Faith confronts him outside the courtroom. Justin indirectly implies that the night he may have hit Kendall was an accident and that he and Faith had people they needed to protect. Justin suggests that Faith would lose her job and be hounded by the press. Shortly after, however, Faith shows up at Justin’s door.

What happens to Justin Kemp at the end of Juror #2

Faith pays him a suspicious visit

Justin had just sold the car he allegedly ran over Kendall with a year earlier, and after James’ sentencing, he believed himself free of the case, although he apparently still felt guilty. But Justin may not be living the happily ever after life he imagined for himself and his family. Faith’s arrival is ambiguous, as she says nothing to Justin when she arrives at his house.but Juror #2The ending of suggests that the case is far from over. Faith, true to her name, was having a crisis of faith after realizing that Kendall’s death may have been caused by a hit-and-run.

She may have been there to convince Justin to turn himself in or to tell him that he is now a suspect in the case. This will reopen the investigation. She could have recorded the conversation to pressure him into revealing the truth of that night. Faith doesn’t appear to have taken Justin’s underhanded warnings about her work lightly. Either way, he is in a vulnerable position. Ultimately, Justin sees himself as a good man in a difficult situation and who chooses to protect his family. The presence of faith in your home can change your mind about doing something.

Faith may also have to force him because now she knows that Jason may not have murdered Kendall after all. Justin will likely have to deal directly with the consequences of his actions. At the same time, the fact that Faith hasn’t shown up to the police indicates that Justin isn’t in jail yet. Regardless of the outcome, Faith probably won’t let Justin off the hook that easily. She could have walked away and closed the door on the case forever, but she didn’t and Justin will, one way or another, have to deal with what he did.

James’ Guilty Verdict and Juror #2’s Sentence Explained

James does not emerge from the trial unscathed

James was found guilty of intentional homicidewhich is considered the most serious form of homicide in Georgia, where Juror #2 it happens. The judge sentenced James to life in prison with no option for parole. This result was a relief for Justin because it meant he was out of danger. With the case closed and a verdict made, James will likely not be able to be tried again for the same crime under the double jeopardy law. However, if there is significant evidence pointing to James’ innocence and a new suspect in Justin, it is possible that James’ conviction could lead to a new trial.

But the new evidence must point so strongly to Justin as a suspect that it would cast reasonable doubt on James as the killer and undermine his original judgment. The fact that Justin was at the bar and could even be considered a witness while serving on the jury that was meant to decide James’ fate may be enough to cast doubt about James being Kendall’s killer. Still, the guilty verdict and James’ sentence could prolong the journey toward a new trial and appeal, making things more complicated and distressing for both parties involved.

Did Justin really hit Kendall with his car?

The film builds a case for reasonable doubt

Juror #2 keeps the details of the night Kendall died vague enough that the audience has reasonable doubts about what occurred. Justin has flashbacks to that night – of him at the bar, holding a drink in his hand but not drinking, of getting in his car and seeing the deer’s license plate after obviously hitting something with his car. But The fact that the film never confirms that Justin hit Kendall, or that James did anything after following his girlfriend on the road, suggests doubts and gaps in the truth to keep viewers guessing.

Are Justin’s memories correct? Was he lying about not drinking? These questions do not provide clear answers and, fabricated or not, one of the Juror #2James’ final flashbacks show James turning his car onto Quarry Road before Justin passes by. This also leads to questions about whether James was telling the truth about not following Kendall down the road in his car. At the same time, the courtroom drama doesn’t detail Justin seeing Kendall’s body on the rocks below, even though he seems certain he hit her throughout the film. All said, the evidence is inconclusive and open to interpretation.

Why Justin Stopped Trying to Convince the Jury of James Sythe’s Innocence

Justin was at a crossroads at the end of the film

Justin wanted James to be released because of his own guilt. He couldn’t bear the idea of ​​a man serving prison time and being convicted as a murderer when there is a possibility that James may not have committed the crime he is accused of. However, Justin realized that if the jury didn’t make a decision, it would lead to a mistrial and James would have to go through this again or the prosecution would look for another suspect. That suspect would likely be Justin, especially after the hit-and-run theory began to gain traction among the other jurors.

Justin stopped trying to convince the jury of James Sythe’s innocence because he would resist losing so much more if he didn’t – his family, his life, his credibility. The trial became more complicated than Justin had anticipated when he discovered he could have hit Kendall that fateful night. Among the jury is a former detective — played by JK Simmons, who is among Juror #2With the star-studded cast – and Faith no longer being 100 percent on board with James being blamed, Justin had a lot going against him and he was continually being cornered throughout the film.

The True Meaning of Juror #2

Eastwood’s potentially final film is essentially a moral and ethical dilemma, as it considers what it means to be a good man who does the right thing, the small actions that lead to larger consequences, prejudices and guilt. Justin, genuinely believing he hit a deer the night Kendall died, thought he was helping to absolve James. It was wrong and selfish, but Juror #2 asks the audience, which in its own way is the jury, to think about the moral implications that Justin’s actions – and inaction, in certain cases – have.

The film is also a light criticism of the flawed legal system. At various points in the film, characters discuss confirmation bias, the police’s hatred of paperwork and refusal to investigate other suspects in the case, as well as the jury’s reluctance (at least at first) to think about the arguments they heard while throughout the film. the case before making your decision. The legal system, and everyone in it, was determining James’ fate, and the fact that he went to prison as a potentially innocent man highlights the system’s imperfections.