97. 12 ANGRY MEN

ONE BY ONE

By Darin Skaggs

     If you ask mostly anyone what makes a movie exciting and thrilling the answer would have something to do with the hero running from an explosion or hanging from a cliff.  Others would answer that monster movies where people are hiding in the dark ready to jump out and scare the characters would be the most exciting.  Rarely would the answer have to do with people discussing and debating.  Sidney Lumet’s directorial debut 12 Angry Men is a film full of dialogue and ends up being one of the most thrilling and intriguing movies of all time.

     The film opens with a trail of a young boy for the murder of his abusive father.   While the trial is happening the camera pans past the jury, these are the people who we will get to know for the next hour and a half.  The next scene is all of the jurors going into the office where we will spend the rest of the film.  As every character is quickly introduced the scene ends on Henry Fonda, our protagonist of the film.  The jury takes a vote, all proclaiming that the boy is guilty before and during the announcement.  The vote has to be unanimous, Fonda referred to as Juror 8 is the only ‘Not Guilty’ vote.

     With a film called 12 Angry Men obviously some of the themes are men.  There are all types of characteristics of men.  There is a leader in Juror #1, innocence in Juror #2, stubbornness in Juror #3, man who loves sports and cares little for else when talking about it in Juror #7, kindness in Juror #9, racism in Juror #10 and a big heart in Juror #8.  Everyone has a common characteristic of a man, but not one man just has one characteristic.  The leader for most of the film shows a little heart until towards the end.  The curious man who seems to be just watching the whole thing becomes a leader near the final decisions.  Even the protagonist who seems heartless and cold comes around in the end and shows the most emotion in the film. 

     If you were to explain that there was a movie that had one man that convinced eleven other people that a young man did not murder his father and only did it in in 90 minutes I would say it probably wasn’t that good.  This film though does it so well in so short a time when the final “Not Guilty” is passed you feel so satisfied and convinced yourself that you now feel fine to leave the court house with this decision as well do the twelve others.  This film unlike others, only has three different sets.  The majority of the film takes place in the juror room.  It seems very hard to do a one location film, but we would not get to know these twelve men if there were any more locations.  It works so well because here are moments of claustrophobia when it is awkward to be talking, the room seems huge when the scenes are more dramatic. 

     This is one of the most thrilling films without a bomb or a shootout.  Some of the best dialogue film has to offer and a film that gets better with each viewing.  It is one of Lumet’s best films.