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Last night I watched 12 Angry Men.  Filmed in 1957, 12 Angry Men is the story of a jury asked to decide the fate of an 18 year old, but more concerned about getting on with their day.  The film stars Henry Fonda, playing the one juror who seeks the truth.

12 Angry Men is ultimately a judgment upon the legal system, noticeable from one of the very first scene as the judge shows absolute apathy during his speech to the jury.  The majority of the scenes take place in just one room, the jury room.  Twelve men discuss, shout, and bicker amongst themselves as they determine if the defendant is guilty and confront their own prejudices and selfish ambitions.

If there is going to be a film shown in a law class this should be the one.  The film is masterful at portraying the value of and the dangers within the jury system.  The impact human nature has upon verdicts is illustrated fantastically in 12 Angry Men.  Henry Fonda serves the film well as both character and conscience.

There is no doubt why 12 Angry Men is listed on both AFI’s 100 Most Heart-Pounding Movies list and AFI’s 100 Most Inspiring Movies list.  This is truly a classic and a must-see.

Tags: 12 Angry Men, Movies, Reviews

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 at 3:26 am and is filed under Film, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.