Hot Movie Takes: 12 Angry Men

This post may container spoilers for the movie. It’s my hot take while watching or directly after watching the movie. Don’t expect too much from this post.

The plot of this movie revolves around 12 men who have been selected for jury duty. The movie begins right as the trial ends and the deliberation starts. 11 of the men believe that the defendant is guilty but 1 is unsure. If they cast a guilty verdict, the defendant will be put to death. The 1 unsure believes that this man’s life is worth their time to talk for at least a few hours before sentencing him to death. As they sit and discuss the case, 1 by 1, each juror changes their mindset from certain that he’s guilty to a reasonable doubt in their mind. They finally decide on not guilty.

I actually liked this movie. I thought it was very interesting and a great insight into critical thinking and analysis. Here’s the thing though: I would not consider this a ‘classic’ or ‘greatest movie’. It’s very forgettable. The only real argument I remember is when the 1 unsure juror whips out a knife identical to the ‘extremely unique one of a kind’ murder weapon. I think the crux here is that it’s filmed entirely in a single room. While it’s impressive that they were able to tell an interesting story with such a constraint, it also makes the entire movie blend together. I wouldn’t watch this a second time, I wouldn’t run out and tell the world to go watch this movie. In the end, I give it 6.99 knifes out of 10.