12 ANGRY MEN (1957)
Genre : Drama
My Rating : 9/10
*Spoiler Alert*
(You should have seen it by now!)
(You should have seen it by now!)
I would like to lay my hands on this classic before any other Contributor does.This isn't just a movie but a potpourri of human prejudices, doubts, arguments, emotions, rationality and the cognitive process of reaching a decision. The movie, shot in a a single room(apart from 3 min scenes shot at and courtroom and lavatory) presents us with a wonderful example wherein without any exotic location, bond gizmos and magniloquent script, one of the best movies as of yet could be produced.Directed by Sydney Lumet ,and produced by Henry Fonda and Reginald Rose, there is no doubt why 56 years after its release 12 Angry Men still stands out as one of the best ever. It is a trial movie wherein 12 Jurors are left to deliberate and come to a conclusion to decide whether convict is guilty or not for charges of murder.An eighteen-year-old boy from a slum background is accused of stabbing his father to death and faces the electric chair if convicted. Eleven of the men believe the boy to be guilty; only one (Henry Fonda) has doubts. Could he manage to convince others?
As the movie progresses the the day hots up, with viewers sweating it out with the other characters of the plot alike as the intensity of arguments grows. Every juror tries to solve this jigsaw puzzle, from the experiences of his own life. The jurors represent people from different backgrounds having diverse views on the issue. Henry Fonda, Juror 8 comes forward with the loopholes of the prosecutor's evidence, which are quite believable. Juror 10 comes up with his prejudices against the slum dwellers when he says, "they kill for no good reason". There is observant old man (Joseph Sweeney), Juror 9 who finds discrepancy in the testimony of the woman across the track. Then there is the Salesman, Juror 7 who is more worried about his ball game, Juror 5, who himself has managed to make it out of the slums, comes up with an explanation as to how to exactly use a switchblade, therefore contradicting the claim of prosecution .These arguments raise enough doubt amongst the Jurors. The vote shifts from 11 to 1, to 9 to 3, to 6 to 6, to eventually 11 to 1, Juror 3 being the exception, hard, aggressive, and a vindictive avenger who is reduced to breaking down when forced to confront the failure of his relationship with his own son.
As the movie progresses the the day hots up, with viewers sweating it out with the other characters of the plot alike as the intensity of arguments grows. Every juror tries to solve this jigsaw puzzle, from the experiences of his own life. The jurors represent people from different backgrounds having diverse views on the issue. Henry Fonda, Juror 8 comes forward with the loopholes of the prosecutor's evidence, which are quite believable. Juror 10 comes up with his prejudices against the slum dwellers when he says, "they kill for no good reason". There is observant old man (Joseph Sweeney), Juror 9 who finds discrepancy in the testimony of the woman across the track. Then there is the Salesman, Juror 7 who is more worried about his ball game, Juror 5, who himself has managed to make it out of the slums, comes up with an explanation as to how to exactly use a switchblade, therefore contradicting the claim of prosecution .These arguments raise enough doubt amongst the Jurors. The vote shifts from 11 to 1, to 9 to 3, to 6 to 6, to eventually 11 to 1, Juror 3 being the exception, hard, aggressive, and a vindictive avenger who is reduced to breaking down when forced to confront the failure of his relationship with his own son.
The movie concludes with all deciding the convict not guilty. No names are used in the whole except at the end when Jurors 8(Henry Fonda)and 9(Joseph Sweeney) exchange names. 12 Angry Men explores many techniques of consensus-building, and the difficulties encountered in the process ,with no edge of the seat drama but still captures your imagination. A must watch for all movie buffs.
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