Best Courtroom Drama Ever Made

Rating: 10/10 (31 January 2005)

The concept behind this film is so simple and yet it is brilliant. Set almost entirely in one New York jury room on the hottest day of the year as twelve jury members discuss the case of an 18 year old man accused of murdering his father. A guilty verdict would mean the death penalty. On the face of it, the case seems simple and eleven of the jurors vote "guilty" but one man (Henry Fonda) dissents and tries to talk his fellow jurors around. The events of the film take place in real time and as the film progresses more and more of the characters of the individual jurors and their individual prejudices are revealed.
This film provides gripping drama, brilliantly scripted (from a television play by Reginaled Rose) and performed by a brilliant cast. This is justifiably a classic of cinema, much more than a legal thriller it is also an exploration of individual morality (witness the casualness with which some of the jurors are ready to condemn a man to his death). If you have any interest in American cinema, superb acting or just want a great piece of entertainment, don't miss this!