Year of Release: 1957
Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenplay: Reginald Rose
Starring: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E. G. Marshall, Jack Warden
Running Time: 96 minutes
Genre: Courtroom drama
In a New York City courthouse, a young Puerto Rican man is on trial for the murder of his father. As the all-male jury retire to consider their verdict it appears to be an open and shut case. However one of the jurors (Fonda) is not so sure, and believes that there may be room for reasonable doubt.
Originally produced as a television play, this is one of the classic courtroom dramas, even though the trial itself is never actually shown. Aside from some brief scenes at the beginning and end of the film, the entire story takes place in the cramped, claustrophobic confines of the jury room and, aside from a brief dialogue exchange at the film's conclusion, none of the characters are named. The film brings up themes of racism and classism which are sadly still relevant today, as the characters' preconceptions and prejudices are revealed. It's about men who are complete strangers to each other, who are forced together and have to reach an agreement, and we get the group dynamics, some characters are more dominant and some more passive, and alliances are formed and break apart. The film is set during a swelteringly hot day, and there is a real sense of claustrophobia, heightened by the fact that the camera movies from wide angle images at the beginning of the film to increasingly tight close-ups in on the individuals as the story progresses. It features some powerful performances from a talented, if not particularly diverse, cast. Henry Fonda is fantastic in the lead role, as the reasonable juror who just wants his fellow jurors to discuss the case and not just immediately vote to convict. The film has been referenced and parodied countless times since its release, and was remade in 1997.
12 Angry Men
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