12 Angry Men - 1957

When asked to decide the fate of a young man, twelve men must see beyond their prejudice, their resentment, their histories, their impatience and their perceptions to reach a common ground. Sounds simple enough.

The case looks, on the surface, cut and dried. But Juror number 8 (Henry Fonda), despite believing that the defendant is probably guilty, feels that the facts merit a cursory review before the jury hands in a guilty verdict. His insistence on a brief examination of the case seems to rub many on the jury the wrong way, as they continue to see the matter as open and shut.

Fascinatingly, as they examine the testimony and facts of the case, the experiences, personalities, limitations, and biases of the jurors weave in and out of the deliberation process, at times to its benefit and at times to its detriment.

All but three minutes of the film was shot inside the bare and confining, sixteen by twenty-four foot "jury room".

Henry Fonda disliked watching himself on film, so he did not watch the whole film in the projection room. But before he walked out he said quietly to director Sidney Lumet, "Sidney, it's magnificent."