riveting psychodrama

Rating: 8/10 (28 June 2003)

The thankless job of jury duty and the confined room where a verdict is decided serves as the basis for "12 Angry Men," a riveting psychodrama in which a dozen anonymous male jurors quarrel over a murder suspect's innocence (or lack of) on a hot summer day. Henry Fonda plays the only sympathetic juror, who, in a domino effect, cites evidence and speculation to not only influence the verdict, but to have the others stray from mob mentality and form their own conclusions. The way in which the film progresses, using a boy's life to springboard into issues of morality and even racial prejudice, is very clever and well-done, complemented by strong ensemble acting.
8/10