12 Angry Men (1957)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A jury of twelve men must decide the fate of a teenager accused of murder while navigating their own conflicting morals and values.
The story
On a hot summer day in the New York County Courthouse, a jury of twelve men must deliberate the conviction or acquittal of an 18-year-old boy accused of murdering his abusive father. The judge instructs the jury that if there is reasonable doubt, they must return a verdict of 'not guilty,' or the defendant faces a mandatory death sentence. While the case initially appears straightforward, the presence of a lone dissenter forces the group into a tense, heated debate. As the jurors argue over the evidence and their own personal beliefs, the initial consensus begins to fracture, forcing each man to confront his own prejudices and the weight of the decision at hand.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In a sweltering New York courtroom, twelve jurors deliberate the fate of an 18-year-old 'slum kid' accused of killing his abusive father. The evidence includes a witness who saw the stabbing and a neighbor who heard a death threat, but the presence of a switchblade and the defendant's lack of a clear alibi make the case seem certain. However, Juror 8 refuses to convict without discussion, sparking a series of debates that peel back the layers of the case. The jurors question the reliability of the witnesses, the uniqueness of the weapon, and the physical possibility of the events as described. As the deliberation continues, the jury's unity fractures; Jurors 5 and 11 join the dissent over the physical evidence, and Juror 9 joins after a discussion on the switchblade. The tension peaks when Juror 10 delivers a prejudiced rant, and the jury eventually reaches a 9-3 split. The final turning point occurs when the jury examines the testimony of the woman who saw the crime; Juror 9 notices she was a regular glasses-wearer who wouldn't have been wearing them in bed. Finally, Juror 3, driven by a personal, strained relationship with his son, breaks down and changes his vote. The jury reaches a unanimous 'not guilty' verdict and leaves the courthouse.
- First release year
- 1957
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Sidney Lumet
- Writers
- Reginald Rose · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Henry Fonda · Juror 8; Lee J. Cobb; Ed Begley; E. G. Marshall; Jack Warden
- Genres
- legal drama; drama
- Themes
- anti-lynch mob mentality; prejudice; justice system; diversity of perspective
- Tone and mood
- tense; claustrophobic; serious
- Setting
- A jury room in the New York County Courthouse during a hot summer day.
- Premise and plot tags
- courtroom drama; legal thriller; ensemble cast
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1954 teleplay by Reginald Rose
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim and is regarded as a classic, though it had a lukewarm box-office performance initially.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 100% · scale: percentage · review count: 61; Metacritic · score: 97 · scale: 100 · review count: 18; Letterboxd · score: 4.6 · scale: 5
- Awards and nominations
- Best Picture · Academy Awards · Nominated; Best Director · Academy Awards · Nominated; Best Screenplay · Academy Awards · Nominated
- Production trivia
- Selected for preservation in the National Film Registry; Ranked as the second-best courtroom drama by the AFI
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…