41. 12 Angry Men

Sidney Lumet, 1957

Twelve. That’s a lot of angry men. It also happens to be the number of men who sit on a jury, which happens to be what this movie is about. The film begins with a jury returning to their room to deliberate a murder case. It all seems cut and dry and, so, an initial vote is taken. Eleven vote guilty. One votes not guilty. This is Juror #8, played by the great Henry Fonda. Every one is ready to send this young convicted murderer to his death, except for old Henry. This isn’t to say that Henry doesn’t think the man is guilty; he just wants to take a good, hard look at the case before sending a man to his death. So it goes. The jurors, many of the reluctant and/or eager to get home or to the baseball game, take a long look at the case and slowly begin to see it’s many holes, like in the dynamic bit where Fonda stabs a switchblade knife into the conference table, a knife identical to the supposedly rare knife found at the murder scene.

12 Angry Men is an extraordinarily compelling film about standing up for what you believe in in the face of great pressure. That pressure, by the way, is brilliantly realized by setting the film only in the deliberation room. We do not see the trial. There is only a brief scene of the judge instructing the jury at the beginning and a brief epilogue on the courthouse steps. Otherwise, the film is shot entirely within a room just big enough for twelve. Tempers quickly run high and subtle, but undeniable feeling of claustrophobia permeates the film. Director Sidney Lumet even changed the focal length over the course of the film to make it seem as though the walls were closing in on the actors.

Another tactic Lumet used here was to rehearse his actors constantly in linear run throughs, as if rehearsing for a play instead of a film. I believe the film was also largely shot in order, letting emotions and tempers rise more naturally. Of course, this would be impossible without a great cast and 12 Angry Men certainly has one of the finest casts ever assembled. All twelve are great actors and, while some are men I’ve never really heard of, we’ve got a real who’s who of greats here, which won’t be topped, well, until we look at tomorrow’s film. Still, along with Fonda, you have Martin Balsam, Lee J. Cobb, E. G. Marshall, a young Jack Klugman, and the original Ed Begley. Each man is perfect in his role and the way each adds to the interpersonal dynamics which drive the film is brilliant.

Honestly, I don’t have much more to say here. It really is a brilliant and thoroughly compelling film. I think, if you put it in, you’ll find yourself immediately drawn into the personal drama and the ongoing courtroom goings ons. The hour and a half absolutely flies by. Great stuff.