Episode 58: 12 Angry Men (1957)

"I don't really know what the truth is.  I don't suppose anybody will ever really know.  Nine of us now seem to feel that the defendant is innocent, but we're just gambling on probabilities - we may be wrong.  We may be trying to let a guilty man go free, I don't know.  Nobody really can.  But we have a reasonable doubt, and that's something that's very valuable in our system.  No jury can declare a man guilty unless it's sure." How do you make a 96 minute movie consisting of twelve people talking in a room interesting?  Based on a teleplay of the same name, Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men (1957) does just that, transforming a jury's deliberations into a taut thriller.  This may have been Lumet's first feature film, but it's a debut worthy of a master of suspense like Alfred Hitchcock. 12 Angry Men was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Picture, but lost out to The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957).  It may have lost at the Oscars, but it certainly hasn't lost the test of time. Have a question or comment for the host?  Email Sean at [email protected], follow him on Twitter via @1001MoviesPC, and look for the podcast's Facebook page.