12 Angry Men (1957)

Posted : 6 months, 2 weeks ago at Dec 16 17:37

''It's always difficult to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this. And wherever you run into it, prejudice always obscures the truth. I don't really know what the truth is. I don't suppose anybody will ever really know. Nine of us now seem to feel that the defendant is innocent, but we're just gambling on probabilities - we may be wrong. We may be trying to let a guilty man go free, I don't know. Nobody really can. But we have a reasonable doubt, and that's something that's very valuable in our system. No jury can declare a man guilty unless it's SURE. We nine can't understand how you three are still so sure. Maybe you can tell us.'' A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court. Henr...Read more

Rating : 10/10

Posted : 8 months, 2 weeks ago at Oct 24 3:07

"It's always difficult to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this. And wherever you run into it, prejudice always obscures the truth. I don't really know what the truth is. I don't suppose anybody will ever really know. Nine of us now seem to feel that the defendant is innocent, but we're just gambling on probabilities - we may be wrong. We may be trying to let a guilty man go free, I don't know. Nobody really can. But we have a reasonable doubt, and that's something that's very valuable in our system. No jury can declare a man guilty unless it's SURE. We nine can't understand how you three are still so sure. Maybe you can tell us." Based on a teleplay by Reginald Rose, 12 Angry Men marks Sidney Lumet's magnificent film debut. This masterpiece is a dynamic, intense, searing, sp...Read more

Posted : 11 months, 1 week ago at Jul 30 13:25

"12 Angry Men" is a compelling jury room drama with an outstanding cast. A boy of 18 is on trial for murder and Juror No. 8 (Henry Fonda) is the only one in the room to declare a verdict of "not guilty" while all the other 11 jurors vote "guilty". Fonda then has the unenviable task of trying to persuade the rest of the jurors to reconsider their verdicts. They go over the evidence carefully and Fonda points out some discrepancies in the prosecution case but will he get support from any of the others? Juror No. 3 (Lee J. Cobb) and Juror No. 10 (Ed Begley) are determined to see that the boy is found guilty and they do not intend to give in easily to Fonda's assessment of the case. This is a marvellous film with an impressive list of players. Just take a look at the cast for this film:- Henry...Read more

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago at Mar 25 18:33

I saw this film two hours before this review was posted and i've never been in such a hurry to write one. The plot revovles around twelve jurors who are uncomfortably brought together to debate about a seemingly open and shut murder case. The unanimous decison appears in sight except for juror No. 8 (Fonda), a citizen with a conscience who insists on establishing reasonable doubt. The film some thought was a courtroom drama is quite the opposite, we see hardly any of the courtroom or the trial, we are instead drawn to the hot atmospheric examination room afterward where cigerttes are smoked, 'facts' are discussed and voices are raised. The ingeniuity of 12 Angry Men is not the review of the trial or the evidence, but the dissection of the jurors. Everyone has a range of diversifie...Read more

Rating : 9/10

Posted : 2 years ago at Jun 20 14:16

An incredible film that left a lasting impression.

I first had to watch this film in a psychology lesson and thus it was approached with a great deal of cynicism. The theme of the lesson was minority influence, and that essentially is the plot. I was pleasantly surprised as it turned out to be one of my favourite films of all time. Maybe it's a bit old, but there's still a great deal of suspense and good humour in it. It seems to get more claustrophobic as the film goes on, great stuff. It's now a firm favourite of me and my best buddy. I could watch this film in the coldest and darkest day of winter, but still feel the sweltering heat and tension of that jury room!

Rating : 10/10

Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago at Feb 19 13:27

One of my all time favourite films.

A black and white classic, there's no action, no change of scenery, no real plot. Just twelve angry anonymous jurors locked in a jury room who must argue the fate of a young boy accused of murdering his father. No action....plenty of drama.

Henry Fonda, the lone juror who wants to vote not guilty slowly works his arguments, persuading, convincing, badgering and inspiring people to his point of view.

This film is actually used at the University of Bath in management courses to show how group dynamics can work. But don't let that put you off...it's so entertaining that last time I was there half the year gatecrashed the lecture to watch it.

Rating : 9/10