Was it really First Degree Murder?

Rating: 10/10 (3 May 2007)

This is a superb drama,and every actor in it gave a great performance.I can watch it over and over without being bored by it.As entertainment it is great,and that is the main purpose of a movie.I only have one slight reservation,and that has to do with the plot.Some reviewers have pointed out that Henry Fonda did things that should not be done by jurors.But the thing that I find strangest is the charge,First Degree Murder,with a mandatory death sentence.Jurors are usually able to find an accused guilty on a lesser charge.Even assuming that the kid was guilty,the circumstances do not look like premeditated murder.Taking place in the middle of a violent argument,after being struck by a much larger and more powerful man,it looks far like manslaughter than murder one.But that is a minor quibble.This is still a great movie.