RATING: 4 out of 5
“12 Angry Men” is a 1957 crime-thriller film following a jury of 12 men discussing the trial of an accused 18-year-old (John Savoca), who supposedly murdered his father. While the other jurors think the boy is guilty, Juror Eight (Henry Fonda) must convince them otherwise because he believes they shouldn’t be so quick to make such a crucial decision.
The film starts off in the courthouse where the trial is taking place. A judge (Rudy Bond) discusses the charges and tells the jury that they must all come to a unanimous decision on whether or not the boy is guilty.
The acting in this film is impeccable. Each actor does a great job of expressing the emotions their characters are supposed to show during certain scenes. Through their acting, the audience is allowed a glimpse into the different personalities of each character. Oftentimes, the discussion between the 12 jurors gets pretty heated as they disagree with each other on certain ideas, making the film more engaging and entertaining for the audience.
For example, there is a scene in which the jurors take turns demonstrating how the boy could’ve held the knife to stab his father. When it is Juror Three’s turn, he suddenly gets the urge to stab Juror Eight–the one who suggested that they demonstrate–in the chest, eliciting a sense of panic in the other jurors. The acting in this scene adds to the “thriller” aspect of the movie, putting the audience at suspense, thinking that another murder is about to happen in the movie.
Something that would’ve made the film more engaging is if it included scenes showing the events that the jurors referred to during their discussion. The jurors referred to the trial and events prior to the trial, but the only time the audience sees the trial is at the beginning, when the judge is discussing the charges.
The plot revolves around the 12 jurors discussing the fate of the accused, but showing even a short clip of these events would allow the audience to form a better connection to what they are watching. Instead, it feels like a sequel to another film in which the events actually happened.
Overall, this movie was an interesting watch. It’s great for those who enjoy crime and thriller films, which are the categories this movie falls under. Although there are a lack of scenes that would’ve made the film more engaging, the acting makes up for it. I definitely recommend watching this movie, especially if you’re into older films.