12 Angry Men

When my friend with whom I watched this film told me that this film is set in one room, I was pretty skeptical. How could a film set in one room be one of the best ever made? And yet at the end of the film, I knew that I had experienced some of the best storytelling ever to grace the world of filmmaking. This film is defined by its characters - there are those you like (like Juror #2), those you don't (like Juror #7), those you love (like Juror #4) and Juror #10, whose bigotry positions him as undeserving of any admiration, undeserving of any sympathy, and barely deserving respect in the weakest sense; because he is simply a human being. The scene where all the jurors, regardless of which camp they were in, stood united against Juror #10 was powerful, and a hallmark of this film in its daringness to challenge American thinking in a time when racial bigotry was still a huge problem. This film uses Juror #8 to embody the whole concept of critical thinking - he is initially the only one who believes they should do more than simply accept what they have heard at face value - and this is more relevant now than ever in a world where people are afraid and unwilling to simply think their beliefs through in case they are not validated. However, my favourite character is actually Juror #4 - he never loses his temper like the others in the "guilty" camp, and his position as the peaceful man in a storm of chaos is very admirable and something we can all aspire to. He's not motivated by bigotry, or a desire to do something else, and his willingness to concede at the end of the film shows that perhaps he was the strongest critical thinker amongst them. Incredible film, would recommend to anyone who exists