003/100 - #087 12 Angry Men

My husband offers us the male perspective on our next classic film, 12 Angry Men.

There were twelve. They were angry. They were men. Reginald Rose’s drama about jury deliberations in a death penalty case follows the ups and downs of their struggle as they decide the fate of young man on trial for the murder of  his father with a knife. It begins with the judge instructing them that if he is found guilty, he will be executed, and the verdict has to be unanimous. The judge speaks flatly as if he has somewhere else he would rather be. This sets the tone for the jurors, aware that a man’s life is as stake and that the jurors would all rather be somewhere else.

This ensemble drama includes many fine actors—Henry Fonda, Jack Klugman, Jack Warner, E G Marshall, and Lee J Cobb. It’s fun to watch Fonda in his prime—the voice of reason, looking unflinchingly into the souls of his fellow jurors, and Klugman as a young man from the tenements. The film was made in the 1950s and even at its most confrontational, they are more polite than they would be today. As they leave, Fonda helps Cobb put on his blazer. If it took place today, there were be numerous fistfights and they would walk out missing teeth.

What first appears to be an unquestionable case of guilt becomes less certain as they deliberate. Doubt creeps in the room until it fills each juror. The reliability of witnesses, the timeline, the uniqueness of the weapon all fade into uncertainty. This drama does a wonderful job of illustrating reasonable doubt as it might work with our jury system still. The claustrophobic room and the stifling heat ratchet up the tension. While this drama holds up, it’s not without its faults. Fonda brings another knife into the jury room to illustrate a point. If a lawyer or judge found out, it would likely be considered jury misconduct and grounds for a mistrial. Also, jurors discuss things such as the finer points of knife fights, which weren’t introduced at the trial. And finally, Cobb’s overacting at the climax lessens its impact. However, this movie is worth watching--well written and for the most part, very well acted.

I rate it 4 out of 5 stars at Netflix and 8 out of 10 at IMDB.