A must watch film

Rating: 9/10 (23 April 2018)

12 angry men was a captivating and exciting film from start to end. The film depicts the story of a jury's decision on the case of a teenage boy charged with the murder of his own father based on reasonable doubt. Twelve jurors, each with different backgrounds, personalities and interests are involved. The theme of prejudice is explored in this film. Through the use of a single setting, Lumet effectively delves into the personalities of each juror and their motivations that pushed them to make their decision on the case. Juror 10 is a racist bigot, who makes no effort to hide his contempt for residents of the slums. Juror 10 frequently has emotional outbursts, and offended Juror 5, who grew up in a slum, and disrespected the elderly Juror 9 with his crude remarks. Juror 3 is a forceful man who is intolerant of others, with a strong but hidden prejudice against juveniles, which reminds him of his estranged son. Driven by their prejudice, Jurors 3 and 10 were unable to distinguish their emotions from their perception of the problem, causing their decisions to lose objectivity. The film reveals to me how prejudice can significantly distort and influence people's ability to rational decisions.
The truth of whether the boy actually committed the murder was never revealed, even at the end of the film. The truth matters little when compared to the significance of how what we perceive may not actually be what is, which the film was able to put across splendidly. My main takeaway is that when entering a new discussion, it is important to be receptive and empathetic but yet firm toward positional pressure in order to produce a convincing argument. This is a film that is worth watching.