12 Angry Men (1957)

A jury holdout attempts to prevent a miscarriage of justice by forcing his colleagues to reconsider the evidence.

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

Reginald Rose (story), Reginald Rose (screenplay)

Stars:

Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam

Top Rated Movies #5 | Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Martin Balsam	...	Juror 1
John Fiedler	...	Juror 2
Lee J. Cobb	...	Juror 3
E.G. Marshall	...	Juror 4
Jack Klugman	...	Juror 5
Edward Binns	...	Juror 6
Jack Warden	...	Juror 7
Henry Fonda	...	Juror 8
Joseph Sweeney	...	Juror 9
Ed Begley	...	Juror 10
George Voskovec	...	Juror 11
Robert Webber	...	Juror 12

Storyline

The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young man is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open-and-shut case of murder soon becomes a detective story that presents a succession of clues creating doubt, and a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other. Based on the play, all of the action takes place on the stage of the jury room.

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Plot Keywords:

jury | dialogue driven | courtroom | single set production | trial | 

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Taglines:

They have twelve scraps of paper... Twelve chances to kill!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

MGM Studios [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Twelve Angry Men

Filming Locations:

New York County Courthouse - 60 Centre Street, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$350,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$576

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion-Nova Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cast includes three Oscar winners: Henry Fonda, Martin Balsam, and Ed Begley; and two Oscar nominees: Jack Warden and Lee J. Cobb.

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Goofs

Twelve Angry Men was a 1954 teleplay by Reginald Rose for the Studio One anthology American television series. Initially staged as a CBS live production on September 20, 1954, the drama was re-written for the 1957 film, "12 Angry Men."

The story takes place in New York City as the Woolworth Building is mentioned by a juror while looking out of a window in the jury room, and also the opening shot is of the New York Supreme Court Building in Manhattan.

The "El" (elevated train) is an important factor in the film as one witness testified that she saw the murder as the El train was passing. This would be accurate for the 1954 teleplay, but not for the 1957 film, as the last El train made its final run in New York City on May 12, 1955. As this film is a remake/adaptation of the 1954 teleplay, it's likely this version, despite its 1957 release, is meant to be set in 1954, during which time the El train would still be in operation.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Man in corridor: You did a wonderful job, wonderful job!
Judge: To continue, you've listened to a long and complex case, murder in the first degree. Premeditated murder is the most serious charge tried in our criminal courts. You've listened to the testimony, you've had the law read to you and interpreted as it applies in this case, it's now your duty to sit down and try to separate the facts from the fancy. One man is dead, another man's life is at stake, if there's a reasonable doubt in your minds as to...

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Crazy Credits

The credits only credit the jurors. All other actors in the film (judge, bailiff, accused, etc.) go uncredited.

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Connections

Featured in By Sidney Lumet (2015)

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Soundtracks

Dance of the Cuckoos
(uncredited)
Music by Marvin Hatley
Portion whistled by Jack Warden

User Reviews

12 men in a room. Genius.

In my opinion, 12 Angry Men is the greatest film that has ever been created. A perfect example of less is more, the simplicity of the plot, the setting of the one room, and the acting talent of the 12 main cast members is enough to conquer the dramatic genre, and ensure that it remains a timeless classic.

Whether you are a fan of the older generation of filmmaking or not, I implore you to experience this acting masterclass for yourself. More current movies such as Resevoir Dogs, which is superb in itself, have borrowed elements from 12 Angry Men, but trust me when I say there is nothing quite like this beautifully crafted drama. Watch it.