12 Angry Men

Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E.G. Marshall, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Joseph Sweeney, George Voskovec, Robert Webber
Genre: Drama 1957
Running time: 96 mins.
Rating:★★★★

Eleven jurors are convinced that the defendant is guilty of murder. The twelfth has no doubt of his innocence. How can this one man steer the others toward the same conclusion? It's a case of seemingly overwhelming evidence against a teenager accused of killing his father.

We know nothing about what happened during the trial. The evidence, the witnesses, nor the testimonies. What we do know is that the defendant is accused of murder and the life of this boy rests on the decision made from the twelve jurors. What we know about the case or what happened during the trial comes from the individual points of view from the jurors.

Eleven of the twelve men could care less about the accused boy. To them its a closed case, they just care about themselves and want to go home to enjoy their lives. Being on the jury makes them feel like gods or being able to watch gladiators fight. No real humanity in them, especially on an extremely hot day and being stuck in one room. Only one (Henry Fonda) has any compassion.

The film being in black and white beautifully sets the attitude of the majority of the jurors feel about the case. It also allows the audience to accept at first that the case is closed, but as Henry Fonda's character challenges the group of the possibility of the witnesses were mistaken. As the discussion continues, their cockiness are broken down with their insecurities and prejudices beginning to be revealed. Lastly, it didn't matter that you didn't know the names of the jurors for they could have represented any person put that position or dealing with similar psychological issues that lead to prejudice. It only takes one person to challenge the group and make those individuals look inside themselves and question why.