12 Angry Men (1957)

12 Angry Men is the most probing, incisive, and penetrating look into the hearts and minds of a jury that has ever been filmed.

Sidney Lumet made his film directing debut with this sensitive and absorbing 1957 classic, shot in just 20 days.

A young Puerto Rican slum kid is on trial for murdering his father. If he is found guilty, he will be sentenced to death.

Eleven of the white male jurors are ready to pronounce him guilty. Only one of the jurors – juror number eight  (Henry Fonda) – stands against a rush to judgment.

What initially appears to be a relatively clear-cut case of premeditated murder slowly becomes more complicated, and the discussion turns into a heated deliberation over the absolute certainty that the defendant is guilty.

Fonda gave one of the most forceful performances of his distinguished career as the open-minded juror whose logical reasoning changes the verdict.

Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E.G. Marshall, Martin Balsam, Jack Klugman, and Jack Warden are just a few of the jurors whose lives, prejudices, strengths, and weaknesses are revealed in the confines of the locked jury room – the setting for almost the entire film.

It’s not as claustrophobic as it sounds; this movie has such powerful and perceptive acting, writing, direction and camera work, it will keep you as spellbound as the defendant on trial.

Juror #8
Henry Fonda
Juror #3
Lee J Cobb
Juror #10
Ed Begley
Juror #4
E G Marshall
Juror #7
Jack Warden
Juror #1
Martin Balsam
Juror #2
John Fiedler
Juror #5
Jack Klugman
Juror #6
Edward Binns
Juror #9
Joseph Sweeney
Juror #11
George Voskovec
Juror #12
Robert Webber
Judge
Rudy Bond
Guard
James A Kelly
Court clerk
Bill Nelson
Defendant
John Savoca

Director
Sidney Lumet

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