Magnificent

Rating: 10/10 (29 July 2006)

One of the all time greatest character-driven works in the history of film making. It's even more remarkable when you realize nearly the entire story (with the exception of a prologue and epilogue each less than a minute in length) takes place in one room.
Henry Fonda, as the lone juror who stands for the acquittal of an accused murderer, is probably the best remembered performer, but his 11 co-stars turned in astonishingly powerful characterizations as well. It's a who's who of TV and film heavyweights, and no one misses a beat anywhere.
The Black & White filming style echoes the story's simple, one-act-play origin, aiming your focus on the actors and their high-intensity lines all the way through. Clever elements like an oppressively hot room and later a thunderstorm add some symbolic salt and pepper, but the actors are all commanding your attention so well that you don't even need such measures. The jurors come from all walks of life, with their own views of the world and life itself: the result is a fiery encounter with sparks everywhere. You are drawn in from the start, and each character becomes a real person.
Bigotry, broken families, ambivalence, self-focus, patriotism, loneliness, fear, confusion, apathy, pride, arrogance; these are just some of the elements explored in this microcosmic analysis of the human condition, and what makes us who we are. The court system is held up as a high, lofty principal, the integrity of which must be fought for if it is to work.
A great artistic endeavor, with one of the finest scripts ever written. Everyone should see this film.