Aditi Singh L20BALB048

12 ANGRY MEN movie review

The 12 Angry Men is a film based on a criminal case and was released in 1957. The whole
movie was set up in one hall with 12 jury members who will be deciding the fate of a young
defendant charged with murdering his father. In this movie if the young boy is found “guilty”
it means death, he will be given a death sentence. All of them agrees of the young boy being
the murderer with an exception of one jury that was the 8th Juror according to whom the boy
was not guilty. It was only because of this exception this simple movie became a master
piece.
Most movies based on legal system, feel it necessary to end with a clear-cut verdict. But "12
Angry Men" never states whether the defendant is innocent or guilty. This movie was all
about whether the jury has a reasonable doubt about his guilt. This is a film where stress and
pressure come from the conflict between the personality of the Jurors, dialogue and body
language, not action. The defendant has been seen as guilty and logic, emotion, and prejudice
struggle to control the field. It is a belief that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty, this
is one of the most enlightened elements of our Constitution but in this case most of the Jurors
present there has difficulty in accepting this. The Jury number 3 is the hardest of them all
according to him this is an open and shut case but the Jury 8th is contradicting him by saying
that “we are talking about somebody’s life here; we cannot decide it in 5 minutes. What if we
are wrong.”

Important themes portrayed in the movie are:

The portrayal of prejudice- throughout the movie, the jurors face their own biases and
preconceptions. This threatened to undermine the impartiality of the justice system. It is a
reminder of the ongoing struggle to ensure impartiality. It is a powerful commentary on open-
mindedness and objectivity in decision-making.

The Importance of critical thinking.

Reflection of society. The film provides a glimpse into the tendencies and beliefs of the
period and serves as a commentary on the challenges faced by people.

Conclusion
Fairness, democracy, and human nature are all key topics that the movie explores, and it still
has relevance today. It teaches us to be just and transparent.