94-year-old Clint Eastwood knows that every new movie he directs could be his last. This puts “Juror #2” in a difficult situation. Although this indictment of a broken justice system is his last cinematic venture, it’s hardly his best, as Jonathan Abrams’ original script is full of holes that expand exponentially with each scene.

Still, the taut, terrific legal thriller that Eastwood and his standout cast craft from thin material is a masterful provocation that’s certainly worth your time and attention, as it fervently explores the ethical quagmire that drags many of its characters down.

As Dirty Harry and in the “Man with No Name” horse operas, Eastwood would kill without breaking a sweat. However, after the 1994 Western film Unforgiven, which earned him his first directorial and best picture Oscars, Eastwood developed a conscience that turned to moral issues.

The same goes for “Juror #2,” Eastwood’s 40th film as director. The incredibly terrific Nicholas Hoult (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “The Menu”) stars as magazine writer Justin Kemp, who finds himself covering for jury duty while preferring to be home to support his pregnant wife Ally (Zoey Deutch). , wasted), suffered a miscarriage in her last attempts at parenthood.

Yet patriotic duty compels Justin to serve in a Georgia courtroom in Savannah; Most potential jurors here are dying to put an end to this damn business. Justin, a recovering alcoholic, feels a connection with defendant James Sythe (Gabriel Basso), a hothead drug addict on trial for the murder of his girlfriend Kendall (Francesca Eastwood, Clint’s real-life daughter).

In flashbacks, Eastwood describes scenes in which Kendall got into a bar fight with abusive James and stormed home alone in the heavy rain, only to find her body covered in blood the next morning. In prosecutor Faith Killebrew’s (the great Toni Collette) mind, all the evidence points to James; He, too, thinks jailing James would strengthen his campaign for district attorney.

Problems continue to mount as public defender Eric Resnick (Chris Resnick) realizes he faces a losing battle. Justin remembers one of the scenarios the movie keeps getting stuck on, when he realizes he was at the same bar on the same rainy night and his car hit what he thought was a deer, even though he hadn’t been drinking.

Could James have accidentally hit and killed Kendall? Eager to confess, his lawyer and AA sponsor, Larry Lasker (Kiefer Sutherland), tells him that no jury will believe he was sober that night, leaving him facing life in prison without parole.

In a copycat move from “12 Angry Men,” Justin’s next move is to become a defense against his fellow jurors who want James convicted – Justin is joined only by ex-cop Harold (the always excellent JK Simmons) on the jury. about voting not guilty. But the case seems stacked against them.

Trust Eastwood to never shy away from a tough challenge; favor the complex gray area between heroism and villainy to challenge himself and his audience.

At this level, “Juror 2” works like gangsters. No movie buff should miss it. So Eastwood helped his studio, Warner Bros., survive for decades by reducing the number of theaters in which its latest film was released. A legend deserves better. Check out “Juror #2” and make his day.