12 Angry Men, 1957

Did a young man commit murder? Most on the jury think this is an open and shut case. They’re ready for the fat lady to sing, so they can all go home. But the decision isn’t so easy. Personalities clash as the details of the case are discussed. How will they decide the fate of one young man?

With a jury packed with actors like Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Lee J Cobb, E G Marshall, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Jack Warden, Henry Fonda, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec, and Robert Webber, it’s no wonder that this film won multiple international film awards. The American Film Institute ranked this film at number 42 of the 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time. (AFI’s 100 years 100 Cheers)

Sidney Lumet was a successful TV director before taking on this movie as his film directorial debut. Camera angles, lighting, and film editing had to be done with creativity and precision since almost all of the film was shot in a confining, sixteen by twenty-four foot room.