There was, of course, no more perfect ending to a fortnight
of jury service than watching 12 Angry
Men. It is very rightly held to be one of the greatest films ever made: a
supreme example of subtle acting and direction working together to bring a
tight and compelling script to the screen for an almost flawless 90 minutes.
It’s a celebration of the nature of the justice system in a
modern democracy. The plot concerns a murder trial which seems open and shut,
but one juror (Henry Fonda), isn’t sure that they can convict. He is facing an
11 to 1 majority, but he slowly decimates the certainty of the case and exposes
reasonable doubt at every turn.
