The film manages to capture and hold attention, for a whole hour and a half... with a cast comprised of, you guessed it, 12 men - a jury - locked in a room to deliberate the fate of the accused.
At the beginning, eleven of the twelve are convinced of the defendant's guilt and are ready to turn in a guilty verdict and avoid sitting in the hot jury room on a sweltering summer day.
One holdout feels that the evidence is flimsy at best and sets out to challenge the other juror's confident viewpoint.
The genius of the film is that it is written so cleverly as to make these events watchable and compelling, slowly stripping down the viewpoints and motives of the various jurors as the holdout sways them with the lack of solid evidence.
The acting is solid too... Every performer gave his best here, with Henry Fonda giving a stellar performance as the film's star.
Adapted from a play, this classic from 1957 is a must-see for any film enthusiast.
Indeed, everyone should see this film about examining the facts without prejudice.
Also check out the trailer, which is certainly a relic from another era of trailer editing.
