Movie: 12 Angry Men

Year of Release: 1957

Genre: Drama

This movie is about a jury. So basically its twelve men in a locked room, talking, for the entire movie. Sound boring? On the contrary, it’s quite cool. In fact, it may sound boring at first, but in actual fact it has been for many people one of the most exciting movies there is. It just could be one of the most important, maybe even best movies out there.

The first thing this movie made me think of was Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope, which is reminiscent in the sense that the entire film takes place in one room, and the primary way the story moves is through dialogue.

Contrary to what many people have said, it is not my opinion that this is movie actually a courtroom drama. However, many elements of said genre are present. At the film’s beginning all we know is a teenage boy has been tried for murder, and twelve men, the jury, must decide by vote whether the boy is guilty, or not guilty. But here’s the real premise: the law is that all twelve men must agree on the verdict. As the meeting begins, everyone cries guilty except for one man. This man(Henry Fonda) begins laying out his reasons for believing the boy may not be guilty. No one can leave until a verdict is reached, so they talk, and eventually argue.

Over the course of watching many conversations and arguments, you steadily discover more details about the case; the defendant, who the eyewitnesses are, and the evidence that was brought forward. The creators did a great job of giving us all the information we need to know, when we need to know it. They did this through the characters’ dialogue instead of dragging us through the actual case.

12 Angry Men boasts an all-star cast, which makes for a very gripping story. The characters are interesting to see interact with each other, mostly because they’re so very different. As the protagonist discusses more issues with everyone, we learn more about each person’s character, and their ideals. We think things like, “Oh, no. He’s never gonna convince these guys the kid’s not guilty. How could these guys ever change their minds?” But slowly, they start do. However, it’s a slow and suspenseful process. We, the audience, begin to realize that a possibly innocent boy’s life truly is at stake.

This movie is a careful mixture of humor, drama, and suspense. You’d be surprised all the things that can happen in one room. In fact, there are a couple thrilling moments that, just when you least expect it, will almost make you jump out of your seat and yell, “No way!” Which is cool because that’s exactly what the characters on screen do.

This may not be the kind of thing that everyone’s necessarily into, but it’s hard to imagine that someone could watch this movie and not find at least one thing they really liked. A timeless classic.

95% Incredible