A top-notch cast under superb direction by Sidney Lumet makes this movie excellent in every aspect

Rating: 8/10 (4 January 2014)

A dissenting juror (Henry Fonda) in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others (Jack Klugman , Martin Balsam , Jack Warden , Lee. J. Cobb , Ed Begley , E.G. Marshall , Robert Webber , among others) that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court. As Juror #8 holds out with a verdict of not guilty, thus setting the stage for arguments and reasons why or why not the boy may be guilty . As he desperately seeks to convince his eleven peers to reconsider their hast conviction of a boy framed of murdering . As 12 jurors are struggling to decide the fate of a teenager who allegedly killed his father .
Made for television classic about twelve jurors quick to condemn a youth on trial for murdering his father before reviewing the evidence. Though the whole movie is set in a jury room it never lacks for taut , suspense , intrigue and inspired direction . The struggle behind closed doors is tense , charged and riveting . Reginald Rose's brilliant TV play script was left virtually intact in its move to feature film. This famous play from the 'Golden Age of Television' was splendidly directed by Sidney Lumet with an extraordinary plethora of actors who give magnificent performances .Because the painstaking rehearsals for the film lasted an exhausting two weeks, filming had to be completed in an unprecedented 21 days and shot in a total of 365 separate takes. However, nowadays none of the twelve stars are still alive . The acting level of the cast during some of the intense discussions and debates almost bursts in the screen . The movie is commonly used in business schools and workshops to illustrate team dynamics and conflict resolution techniques. Nominated for 3 Oscars , another 16 wins & 6 nominations ; the film lost out in all its categories to The Bridge on the River Kwai . It ranked #2 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Courtroom Drama".
This Lumet's impressive debut was followed by a remake made for cable TV (1997) , a contemporized rendition of the memorable tale whose script has been slightly updated but the premise is the same , it was directed by William Friedkin with a formidable cast such as William L. Petersen, Edward James Olmos, Hume Cronyn, James Gandolfini, Dorian Harewood, Ossie Davis, and Courtney B. Vance , George C. Scott , Armin Mueller-Stahl , Tony Danza and Jack Lemmon takes on the voice of dissent , the Fonda role . Furthermore , a Russian version (2007) by Nikita Mikhalkov with Sergey Garmash , Valentin Gaft , Aleksey Petrenko , Yuriy Stoyanov , Efremov , among others .