12 ANGRY MEN
dir: Sidney Lumet
I'm not trying to change your mind. It's just that we're talking about somebody's life here. We can't decide it in five minutes. - Juror #8
Brief Synopsis
A single member of a jury must persuade the other 11 men to see that the murder trial is not as black and white as presented in court.
Why It's Here
A film that takes place in a single room (besides brief glimpses outside at the beginning and end) is a testament to the masterful talent of director Sidney Lumet who not only made an entire film about juror's in one room, but with a group of twelve characters that have no names. No names are spoken until the end, not even referring to characters not seen from the trial. This unusual angle taken by Reginald Rose who wrote both the screenplay and the play on which this film is based helps the film make an identity of it's own. With such mystery surrounding the characters, it makes it difficult to relate to them. Making each of them strangers to the audience mirrors how each character is a stranger to each other. As strangers to the audiences, we only know bits and pieces of their personality to understand what drives their reasoning in their position on the trial. It acts as a mystery unfolding as the film progresses, more about the character's nature than about the trial itself.
This is a great early example of brilliant mystery writing where simple facts are shown to initially get the audience to believe one thing, then spin it and pick it apart to reveal the truth. Interestingly intelligent, "12 Angry Men" unfolds in ways that are impossible to see coming, while much of this is due to the talent of the professionals at work, it is also misleading and unfair at times. At some points, additional facts are brought up about the case that the audience was not previously aware of to explain the reasoning in favour of Fonda's character. This makes for an easy job for writer Reginald Rose who can make up anything and have it fit in the favour of the protagonist. Despite this, how the facts are implemented into this surprisingly complex murder-trial mystery is told with excellent execution by director Lumet in the top of his form.
This is a great early example of brilliant mystery writing where simple facts are shown to initially get the audience to believe one thing, then spin it and pick it apart to reveal the truth. Interestingly intelligent, "12 Angry Men" unfolds in ways that are impossible to see coming, while much of this is due to the talent of the professionals at work, it is also misleading and unfair at times. At some points, additional facts are brought up about the case that the audience was not previously aware of to explain the reasoning in favour of Fonda's character. This makes for an easy job for writer Reginald Rose who can make up anything and have it fit in the favour of the protagonist. Despite this, how the facts are implemented into this surprisingly complex murder-trial mystery is told with excellent execution by director Lumet in the top of his form.