Diksha Sundriyal
Clint Eastwood’s ‘Juror #2’ poses a moral dilemma in the form of a man who has to decide between saving himself and letting an innocent man pay for his crimes. The focus is on Justin Kemp, a journalist and an expectant father, who is called for jury duty. As soon as the case is introduced, Justin realizes that he is the one who killed the victim and not the man who is on the stand. The case takes him back to the bar where it all started, Rowdy’s Hideaway. The place becomes an important location in the movie as the investigators return to it again and again to get to the bottom of the truth. SPOILERS AHEAD
The Fictional Rowdy’s Hideaway is Brought to Life by a Real Restaurant
The events in ‘Juror #2’ take place in Savannah, Georgia, which is also where the movie was majorly filmed. Rowdy’s Hideaway is where the victim, Kendall, is seen fighting her boyfriend, James, who is accused of her murder. But no one knows that Justin was there that night as well. To film these important scenes, the crew turned towards VFW Post 660’s William A. Reed Memorial Post’s Canteen & Grill at 5115 Ogeechee Road, Savannah, and transformed it into the fictional Rowdy’s Hideaway. Established in 1932, VFW Post 660 is a community of war veterans that has hundreds of members.
The Canteen and Grill serve as an important part of the post, and while it had been functional before, it was given a makeover in 2021 with the arrival of a new chef. The place is open to all customers and even rents out space for all sorts of functions and parties. To keep things fun, it hosts a variety of programs like karaoke and game nights while also conducting food drives and blood donation programs. It also works towards giving back to the community, especially helping veterans in need. They always come out in support of the local businesses run by veterans. They also run a program that tries to fulfill the wishlist of veterans who are spending their holidays in nursing homes.
While the staff of the place was happy to welcome Eastwood and his crew to film on their premises, this is not the first time they have had a Hollywood production with a big name attached coming to their doorstep. Tyler Perry’s ‘Divorce in the Black,’ Shia LaBeouf’s ‘The Peanut Butter Falcon,’ Jamie Lee Curtis’ ‘Halloween Ends,’ and Adam Sandler’s ‘The Do-Over,’ have also been filmed here. VFW Post 660’s Canteen & Grill wasn’t the only restaurant that hosted the cast and crew of ‘Juror #2.’ La Scala Ristorante was also used to film several scenes of the movie. In fact, Eastwood seemed to like the place so much that a day after filming, he returned there to have dinner. As often happens, the movie changes the names of these restaurants into fictional ones to serve the purpose of the plot. However, the scenes filmed at the Fitzroy did not feature a change in the name.
Read More: Is Juror #2 Based on a True Story? Are Justin Kemp and James Sythe Based on Real People?
