It started as a tv play from American tv in the early 1950s, and has been re-made many times and is a favourite for theatre groups even now, but the film version of “12 Angry Men” from 1957 is still the best.
The film was directed by Sidney Lumet and has a very strong all-male cast, including Lee J Cobb and Henry Fonda.
The plot is very simple: a group of jurors consider the case of a young boy accused of stabbing his father to death. They weigh the evidence and decide a verdict.
Nothing much happens other than in the jury room, and the sense of heat and claustrophobia is very strong.
You can understand why it is a theatre favourite. Apart from a simple set with a big table, it’s just talking.
So much has been written about this film and its hidden meanings, but you can make of it what you will. Some of the arguments presented are apparently not correct, and there is a point where something happens that in reality would cause a mis-trial, but don’t worry about that.
I recently found it on bluray, and suggest you track down this version.
