12 Angry Men (1957) on Netflix
Twelve jurors weigh the charge against an eighteen-year-old accused of stabbing his father. A guilty verdict brings a mandatory death sentence, and Juror 8 wants the case discussed.
- Netflix4.1/5
- IMDb9.0/101,002,991 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes100%
Trailer
Plot summary
In a New York courthouse, a jury retires to a private room to decide whether an eighteen-year-old from a slum stabbed his father. The judge tells them that a guilty verdict carries a mandatory death sentence and that any reasonable doubt means acquittal. Most of the men treat the case as settled, and Juror 7 is impatient to reach a baseball game that evening. Juror 10 says that men who grew up in slums are liars and dangerous. Juror 8 casts the only not guilty vote, saying too much is at stake to decide without talking it through. When his points about the evidence and the two witnesses draw no support, he asks for a secret ballot and offers to stand aside if the other eleven stay unanimous. Juror 9 says he too wants the discussion to continue.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about 12 Angry Men (1957)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Reginald Rose was deeply affected by sitting on a jury with eleven others, by the impassioned atmosphere of the trial and by the finality of the verdict. He began writing Twelve Angry Men on realizing that very few people knew what occurred during jury deliberations.
- Henry Fonda first saw the story as a kinescope of Westinghouse Studio One's "Twelve Angry Men", watched in a Hollywood projection room. He was impressed, wanted to star as Juror 8, and in mid-1956 partnered with Reginald Rose to produce a film adaptation.
- Speaking at a screening during the 2010 Fordham University School of Law Film Festival, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said that seeing 12 Angry Men while she was in college influenced her decision to pursue a career in law.
