A to Z Challenge - T is for Take the Time to Look Over Everything in a Murder Trial

The last week of the A to Z Challenge and feeling proud of myself for making it continuously this far.  Letter T is today and the film is the classic 1957 courtroom drama 12 Angry Men.  Nominated for three Oscars, Best Picture, Best Director and Adapted Screenplay, it lost out on all three to The Bridge on the River Kwai. This film is a rarity for the 1950's, not many gripping dramas were made during this decade or didn't get as much recognition as this film.

The movie has an all star cast including Martin Balsam, Lee J. Cobb, Jack Klugman, Jack Warden, Henry Fonda, Ed Bagley and others who are twelve jurors who have to decide beyond a reasonable doubt if a young man is guilty of murder.  The film takes place inside the juror's room and the drama is between the characters as they review the information and decide on a decision.  Everyone is in a hurry and ready to pronounce the young man guilty except for one juror who wants to make sure that they aren't rushing to judgement.

The acting is superb and the tension builds as the film moves along.  This is one of those films that is enjoyable from start to finish and is an American classic.  It also reminds us that the responsibility of a jury is to review all evidence and information gathered in the trial to ensure that the convicted get a fair trial.  And most of all that we always remember that you are innocent until proven guilty. On a side note a very good Russian remake was made fifty years later and called 12. It was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and follows the original rather closely but it adapted to Russian culture and is a very good film to catch sometime after you've seen the original.