12 Angry Men (1957)

I finally (FINALLY!) saw this film last night, and it's very deserving of its place as an American film classic. 12 Angry Men is the story of a jury trying to decide if an 18 year old man is guilty, without a reasonable doubt, of murdering his father. Eleven men vote guilty. One man does not. And so it begins.

The majority of the film takes place in a single room on the hottest day of the year. We feel their tension, their frustration. We hear about the case only through their perspective. We don't know if the young man is guilty or not. Nobody knows. Henry Fonda plays Juror #8, the inital holdout for the man's possible innocence. We know very little about him, about all of them, until they reveal their various back stories and prejudices that influence their decisions. It's a compelling film with dynamic performances, especially from Lee J. Cobb as Juror #3, probably the angriest man in the room.

The film is an interesting look at how much information can be manipulated, and how much we let our own issues affect our thinking. Definitely worth a watch!