Wonderful simplicity

Rating: 8/10 (5 December 2008)

Twelve men sit around a table and talk for an hour and a half. There's your movie. Doesn't sound like much now does it? But 12 Angry Men turns out to be an exercise in wonderful simplicity. It is refreshing to know that in order to make a great movie you do not need a huge budget. No special effects are necessary. Wonderfully vibrant locations can be done without. In some cases all you need to make a great movie is a great story performed by great actors. And in 12 Angry Men that is what you get.
12 Angry Men presents an exceedingly simple yet undeniably powerful story. We follow the jury deliberations in the New York City trial of a young man, a boy really, who is accused of killing his father. There is a very brief introductory scene in the courtroom as the judge presents the jury with its instructions. Apart from that scene and another very brief moment outdoors at the very end the entire film takes place within the confines of the jury room. And what goes on inside that room will fascinate. What seems to be, as one juror points out immediately, an open and shut case turns out to be much more complex. We will get to know each of the twelve members of this jury, men who come to this room from all different types of backgrounds, each with his own unique perspective. Some of the twelve will end up playing a bigger role than others but each man certainly plays his part in what unfolds.
Initially eleven of the jurors vote to find the defendant guilty. There is only one holdout, Juror #8, played by Henry Fonda. Fonda's character may not be convinced of the boy's innocence but he feels the defendant is at least owed a fair deliberation to determine if there could in fact be reasonable doubt. And off the movie goes, with Juror #8 seeking to convince his fellow jurors that maybe this is not such an open and shut case after all. Suffice to say it will be quite difficult to get some of those in the room to change their mind. There are dramatic twists and turns along the way and in their interactions we learn a lot about each of these twelve men who bring their own prejudices and emotions to the proceedings. A few of the jurors stand out, most notably numbers 3 and 10 who are most adamant about the boy's guilt. Played by Lee J. Cobb and Ed Begley respectively this pair threaten to overwhelm the proceedings at times with their explosive outbursts. The contrast between this pair's rantings and the calm, rational, reasoned arguments presented by Fonda's character are quite clear. Without a doubt Fonda is the star of the film but it is the opportunity he gets to play off of the other characters which really makes the film. Without the contributions of Cobb and Begley the whole thing would be rather mundane. And the other nine actors are not to be forgotten either. Each of the jurors is completely unique and every performer in the cast does a terrific job in breathing life into their character.
When a movie consists almost entirely of a group of men sitting around talking there are certain to be a few lulls and sure enough this film has a few. But once the deliberations really hit their stride and the arguments are flying back and forth the film never fails to fascinate. It's an incredibly simple movie. In this case simplicity works wonderfully. Great performances, from Fonda of course but from each of the other eleven actors as well, make this simple story real edge of the seat stuff. What goes on inside the confines of that jury room is truly memorable. It's a wonderful film and a wonderful look inside the American justice system, serving as a reminder that even the most seemingly open and shut case may not be so clear cut after all.