12 Angry Men

A few weeks back, one of my cousins told me to watch 12 Angry Men. I hadn't heard of this movie and I totally forgot. Yesterday, my brother had watched this movie and asked me to watch it. He said the whole movie was shot in a single room. I got curious and today, I googled and downloaded the movie(Thanks! to Rapidshare).

This movie released in 1957 is about a jury of 12 men [only men, no women in the movie too :-( ], whose verdict will decide the future of a boy who has been accused of murdering his father. The judge requests the jury to provide a unanimous verdict(all 12 men should give the same vote). If the jury gives a guilty verdict then the boy will be given a mandatory death sentence (the electric chair).

The 12 men leave the courtroom and assemble inside the jury room where they are locked on an extremely hot day with a fan that isn’t working. An initial vote is taken and the 11 jurors vote guilty. The Protagonist, Henry Fonda votes not guilty and tries to convince the rest of them. The movie becomes very interesting when all the jurors gradually join him and vote not guilty. Only one of the jurors remains adamant and votes guilty. And finally the last juror after a long confrontation breaks down after glancing at and furiously tearing up a picture of him and his son. It is understood that this juror has not seen his son in two years, and his rage had made him to vote guilty. The final vote is unanimous for acquittal. All jurors leave and the defendant is found not guilty off-screen.

It seems the filming was completed after a short but rigorous rehearsal schedule in less than three weeks on a budget of about $350,000. Though the movie is not a suspense thriller, it needs appreciation for holding all the audience in a single room for 96 minutes.