12 Angry Men

 

⛰ What It's About

Twelve people are chosen to be jury members in the trial of a son who supposedly murdered his father. Eleven jurors are convinced, without even discussing the matter together, that the boy is guilty; one isn't. This controversial juror slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as clear as it seemed in court and tries to carefully consider the evidence before jumping to conclusions.

🧠 Thoughts

This movie is a dialogue-focused movie that takes place in a single room! Every juror in this movie presents a different character with a unique set of traits. I'll analyze each juror starting from juror 8 who's the protagonist of the movie.

Juror 8

He's the one who started it all! When the rest of the jurors were all convinced that the kid's guilty, juror 8 thought that a human's life, which lies between the hands of the jurors, requires more attention and discussion.

Juror #8: I'm not trying to change your mind. It's just that... we're talking about somebody's life here. We can't decide it in five minutes. Supposing we're wrong? 

Juror #7: Supposing we're wrong! Supposing this whole building should fall down on my head. You can suppose anything! 

Juror #8: That's right.

Juror 8 cares about justice and is willing to stand up to a crowd to do what he thinks is right. He's smart, determined and he's probably the most open-minded guy in the room. For example, his intelligence is evident when juror #10 says that the jurors shouldn't believe the defendant because "he's not white", #8 asks, "How come you believed [the non-white witness]? She's one of 'them,' too, isn't she?". This guy represents leaders and opinionmakers in society because we can see quite clearly from the beginning that he is the voice of reason among the jurors. 

Note that juror 8 says "I don't know" a lot of times throughout the movie; which means that he isn't completely sure that the kid isn't guilty, but he tries to find reasons that make him not guilty in order to avoid killing an innocent human because of a crime they didn't commit. 

*******************************Spoilers till the end of juror 8*******************************

A very fine detail that you can notice is that it was very hot in the room at the first half of the movie (when juror 8 is standing up alone against the other jurors). However, when the vote reached 6-6, we can see that it starts to rain and that juror 7 turns on the fan which made the room more chill and then changes his vote to "not guilty" to make the vote 7-5 and that shows how most of the pressure that was put on juror 8 was relieved coinciding with the room temperature getting cooler.

 

Juror 7

Juror 7 resembles the stupid, selfish and sarcastic character that we meet too often in our life. He cares neither about justice nor verdict; he just wants to get it over with because he’s in a hurry to attend a football game. He shows the vulnerabilities of the jury system by undermining the integrity of the process.

Juror 11

Juror 11 is also the voice of reason among the members of the jury. He thinks in a rational method and all his assumptions are backed up by evidence. I think he complements juror 8 and that they go hand in hand. Juror 8 had doubts which he just voiced at the beginning, while juror 11 brought evidence to support these doubts. Juror 11 takes notes and talks in a confident and wise manner which shows his reasonability.

Juror 4

Juror 4 is a highly reasonable and confident fellow who politely argues with no prejudice at all. Despite the irritating heat that the other jurors complain about throughout the movie, we can notice that juror 4 doesn't sweat at all. He even claims that he doesn't sweat when another juror asked him about this matter:

Juror #5 : Boy oh boy, it's really hot, huh? Pardon me, but don't you ever sweat?

Juror #4 : No, I don't.

This may be because he keeps a cool and calm demeanor throughout the movie. However, later when being interrogated by another juror, a distinct bead of sweat is seen rolling down his forehead when he finally loses the argument.

Juror 3

Juror 3 is the prejudiced stubborn juror who wants to give the kid the chair just for the sake of killing him. That's because he is hateful to young people due to past situations with his kid. He knows he's wrong about what he's saying, but he just argues because he wants to get that boy killed due to personal reasons not facts.

 "You want to see this boy die because you personally want it—not because of the facts."

This guy fits a stereotype, which is deeply rooted in biases. He is intolerant of people who have different opinions than him and gives no valid arguments. As a result of his inability to formulate good arguments, he always agrees with juror 4 who has the same opinion but is more confident and intelligent.

Juror 10

I find juror 10 quite similar to juror 3 in appearance and personality. They are both biased but for different reasons. Juror 10 is biased because he thinks that kids who disobey their fathers should be punished, while juror 3 is biased because he discriminates against people who grow up in slums/ black people and thinks they're criminals that should be given the chair.

Juror 5

Juror 5 is shaken up especially after noticing that some jurors, like juror 10 for example, are strongly biased against people living in slums. Having grown up in a slum, he becomes nervous about expressing his opinion and chooses not to express it at the first vote. Juror 5 is very shy because he is quite sensitive when it comes to personal matters like having grown up in a slum. As a result, he does not speak a lot while the other jurors are arguing. This guy represents people of low socioeconomic backgrounds who have low self-esteem thinking that their social status has something to do with their right of having an opinion and as a result, they choose to stay silent.

Juror 9

Juror 8 is the oldest member of the jury; he's probably in his eighties. Our respect for this guy blooms throughout the movie as he shows that he's not afraid to stand up to bullies like juror 10. His old age makes him appreciate the value of life which makes him reconsider his vote.

Juror 12

Juror 12 talks a lot about his business throughout the movie which shows that he doesn't care about the verdict. Also, he doesn't have a strong personality as he's hesitant and changes his opinion back and forth; he can easily be manipulated. Juror 12 represents people who can easily be manipulated and brainwashed in society because they quite simply don't know better. These selfish guys care only about their career and their materialistic life, but when it comes to other people or causes, they don't give a shit.

Juror 1

Juror 1 is very organized and acts as the leader of the table by trying to keep the other jurors in order because he is the jury's foreman and is responsible for keeping the group under control. We also get to know that Juror 1 is the coach of a high school football team. That's why he knows how to control a group without seeming overly assertive. He generally does not speak unless a tense conflict arises between the Jurors.

Juror #2

Juror 2 is hesitant and can't easily form his opinion because he's easily influenced by others just like juror 12. He tends to vote with the group and isn't very good at explaining himself whenever he's put on the spot; he might have some arguments, but he's too shy to speak them out. For example, when he's asked about why he thinks the boy guilty, he says

"Oh. Well … (Long pause) I just think he's guilty. I thought it was obvious. I mean nobody proved otherwise." 

Juror 6

Juror 6 is a minor character in that movie and is probably the most invisible juror in the movie; he doesn't contribute to the discussion; however, he's flexible and open minded and can change his opinion if he gets convinced.