One of the greats

Rating: 10/10 (18 December 2012)

As the film opens we see the inside of a court room; the evidence has already been put to the jurors and the judge is reminding them of their solemn duty... the twelve of them must reach a unanimous verdict and a guilty verdict will mean an automatic death sentence for the accused. The way the jurors talk as they enter the jury room it sounds like an open and shut case; they call for a quick vote before any discussions take place; eleven men say he is guilty, but one dissents. Juror Eight explains that he doesn't necessarily believe that the accused, an eighteen year old slum boy, is innocent but he won't allow him to be executed without the jurors even discussing the evidence. On the face of it the evidence is compelling; the accused bought a knife just like the murder weapon a couple of weeks previously, the woman across the railway line says she looked out of the window and saw the killing, the man below says he heard the accused shout 'I'm going to kill you' before hearing the body fall and seeing the accused leave the building. Gradually they look at each piece of evidence in turn and as doubts are raised the number of 'not guilties' increases but some jurors are adamant that they just know he did it; to get an acquittal prejudices must be overcome too.
Set almost entirely within the confines of the jury room this film is rightfully considered a classic; it may not contain any action but it is taut from start to finish. The fact that we haven't seen any of the trial means the viewer must rely on what the jurors say to decide whether or not they think the accused is guilty and for the whole time they are deliberating we don't even know their names. The cast of twelve do a great job playing each of the very different characters; obviously Henry Fonda stands out as he is the best known actor and plays the man arguing against the majority but each of the others also put in fine performances; especially Lee J. Cobb and Ed Begley who play the two jurors most determined to bring in a guilty verdict. The way some of the evidence is questioned in the jury room in a way that it was never questioned in court may be a little unlikely... especially the incident with the second knife but it isn't too far fetched and that particular moment is a brilliant piece of theatre that anybody who watches the film will remember for years afterwards. This is one of those films that everybody should see at least once.