And you wonder why we hate seeing those Jury Duty letters!

Rating: 6/10 (23 January 2006)

It's hot, cramped, tedious and can last for several hours before a resolution is achieved...
Now, take the life of a young man in your hands, 11 people ready to tear any of your ideas to shreds and you've become Juror #8 in Sidney Lumet's version of "12 Angry Men". To follow the seemingly apparent evidence and convict? Or question it, and unravel the many hidden layers concealing the possible truth? That is the conundrum thrust upon 12 ordinary men. Personifying our conscience and perhaps seeking an insurmountable solution to the case, Juror #8 sets forth excavating the grueling details presented. The prejudicial attitudes of the other jurors increase the complication of proving reasonable doubt, but eventually all but one succumb to logic. This in turn, creates a reversal of scenery as the wolf of the pack of 11 now stands in solitary, desperately clinging to his pride.
An insightful, mentally stimulating, look into the emotionally charged process of a jury's deliberation before a verdict is handed down. A variety of cast ensures the perfect mixture of arrogance and ridicule spread into the atmosphere creating tension from the get-go. Although some characters are one dimensional; foregoing human reasoning to sustain their own beliefs, the story still connects closely enough to correlate with the audience. It is as if a fountain of human emotion and beliefs was divided to reveal each trait in man and allow a presentation of each in regard to one topic. This produces, not so much a humanly conversation between equals, but a decisive battle amongst human characteristics. Overall, this creates a well designed and intricate plot with which to absorb the viewer. A commendable aspect of this film is that because of a wide coverage of emotion, almost everyone can find a character with whom they share a close relation or system of beliefs, thereby making it a unique and appealing conversion when a point of view is presented to that specific juror. This film also encourages abstract thought which is a concept I find appealing because it allows one to see outside the norms of society and comprise their own solutions based not only on what they've been told, but the logic behind it.