12 Angry Men (1957) * * * *

Directed by:  Sidney Lumet

Starring:  Henry Fonda, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, Lee J. Cobb, Robert Webber, George Voskovec, Jack Klugman, Ed Begley

12 Angry Men contains most of its action within the constricting confines of one room, where a jury of twelve men determine the fate of a teen accused of killing his father.     The race of the accused teen isn't spelled out, but he looks to be of Hispanic descent.     He seems guilty if the evidence is approached at face value.     An elderly neighbor claims to have the boy say, "I'll kill you" and then fleeing from the scene shortly after.     A woman from across the street swears she saw the boy stab his father.     His alibi is shaky, mostly because he was unable to remember the name of the movie he saw the night of the murder.    The murder weapon, a switchblade, was found a few blocks from the scene.   With the exception of the opening scene in which the trial judge gives instructions to the jury, the rest of the evidence and witness' statements are dissected in the deliberation room during a hot, stormy, intense day.   

An initial vote is taken and it is 11-1 in favor of conviction, which carries a death penalty for the boy.     The lone holdout is known as Juror 8 (Fonda), who doesn't think it's fair to send the accused off to the electric chair without at least considering the evidence first.     This annoys one juror (Warden), a wiseguy who has tickets to a baseball game burning a hole in his pocket.     He votes whichever way would get him to the game the fastest.    The jurors have names of course, but they aren't revealed here.    They are differentiated by their personalities and their quirks.     The ringleader of the jurors eager to convict is Juror Number 3 (Cobb), a hothead whose judgment is clouded by personal issues.    

The film wisely never attempts to prove a case that the accused is innocent, but whether the evidence provides enough of a reasonable doubt to convict him.    That's the burden of proof the prosecution must fulfill.     There has been public outrage over recent acquittals of Casey Anthony and George Zimmerman.     I'm certain the jury deliberations went a lot like this one, but ultimately twelve people voted unanimously to acquit.      12 Angry Men focuses on the group dynamic in which the men choose sides and stake their ground.     Loyalties switch back and forth as the evidence is probed and contested.     Fonda demonstrates how a stroke victim with a dragging leg couldn't possibly have walked to the door in 15 seconds to see the boy flee the scene like he testified.     Another juror questions why someone would use a switchblade to awkwardly stab downward into a taller person.  
As the hours go by and the jurors sweat, the accused's guilt is no longer a foregone conclusion.  

Lumet also wisely focuses on the role personal issues play in such settings.     Racial bias is an issue.  One juror begins an ignorant monologue against "people like that" which forces the other eleven men to distance themselves physically and emotionally from his hate.     I especially noticed the reaction of Juror 3 when he reveals his prejudice by ripping up a picture of he and his son.    He says, "Whoa" as if he had (or was about to) make the biggest mistake of his life but was saved from it at the last second.     His reaction is of someone who nearly falls over the edge of a cliff but regains his footing in time.     He then breaks down in a moment of powerful honesty which leaves the others speechless.

Lumet fills the room with established character actors whose names aren't known (except for two jurors who introduce themselves at the end), but they create unique personalities.     Fonda has an everyman quality he displays in many of his films, which allows us to identify with his plight more sympathetically.     He's one man against eleven others.    He takes an unpopular stand, but holds his ground because he believes, somehow, that something isn't right about the case.     He doesn't believe anyone should be sentenced to die so frivolously and without a proper examination.   

Besides the performances and the built-in suspense of the conflicts between the men, the film also takes on a claustrophobic quality in the room itself.     The cigarette smoke and rising tensions make it seem as if the walls are closing in and according to Lumet, he shot the film in just that way.    It adds to the already palpable tension.      Sidney Lumet has made films about one man vs. a corrupt police department with Serpico, one man vs. a greedy corporation in Network, and one man vs. a large legal team and powerful hospital in The Verdict.     No doubt Lumet appreciated this idea and its intrinsic drama.     He is among the best directors in movie history and 12 Angry Men is another example of his brilliance.     And thank goodness Juror 8 decided not to go along with the crowd.