STORY STUDY - CRITERION WEEK - 591. “12 Angry Men”

What do you do when you’re the only one whose opinion differs from the others, and the stakes are a young boy’s life? The answer is, you speak your mind because your voice still deserves a chance to be heard.

Directed by Sidney Lumet, and written by Reginald Rose, based on his teleplay of the same name, 12 Angry Men is the story of a jury who must decide if the defendant, an 18-year-old boy from the slums, is guilty of murdering his father. If there is reasonable doubt, they are to return with a “not guilty” verdict. Either way, the verdict must be unanimous.

11 of the jurors have reached a “guilty” verdict, but the holdout, Juror #8, thinks they should at least have some deliberation.

Aside from the opening scene in the courtroom and the ending scene on the courtroom steps, the entire film is set in the jury deliberation room. From there, it’s one powerful performance after the next, with everyone interacting with conflicting personalities.

From my perspective, the story can be seen as a metaphor for doing the right thing, no matter how many people tell you it’s pointless or unnecessary. Yet, the film states that there is still time to change people’s minds… so long as they’re trapped in a room together so they can’t escape, but still.

The framing throughout the film is clever as well. It starts off with wide shots to see the characters spread throughout the room. As the film progresses, the framing shrinks so there are more close-ups of each character. This is to increase the claustrophobia and intensity of the scene.

Really, the most disappointing this is that when they piece together the crime, it never goes beyond that, but that’s okay. What matters is the verdict.

I was vaguely familiar with the film only through the title. I had no idea what the plot was. As I was building my Criterion Collection… collection, I came across this film, and decided to see what it was about.

It’s probably one of the first films I’ve watched that featured characters in a closed space, and it’s still powerful to watch. So powerful, it is adapted into various mediums, through plays to films, and even in different countries that give their own spin to it, or even modernize the context of the story to fit into today’s political environment.

12 Angry Men is sharp, efficient storytelling at its finest. It’s dialogue and acting-driven plot makes it so anyone can understand what it means to be the odd one out, but their voice is still powerful enough to be heard.