Rating of
3.5/4
A thought provoking film
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/01/08
A young man (John Savoca), who is a minority, is on trial for the murder of his father, which he says he didn't commit. Both sides have presented their cases, and now it's in the hands of the jury of his peers.
Each men believe that the boy, who has a criminal record, is guilty. However, one man of the jury, known only as "Juror #8" (Henry Fonda, who also served as the movie's producer) believes the boy is possibly not guilty. Now, he must convince the others of the jury that there is reasonable doubt in the boy's guilt.
One of the first things that you will notice is that there are only three sets in this film. Two of which, the courtroom and the jury room bathroom, are only seen briefly. The other room is a cramped jury room which appears to be a few flights up because of the obvious matte painting outside the room windows. Because of the use of a small, rectangular set like the Jury Room, this pretty much hampers the camera angles. It's pretty obvious that the walls, and items in the room, had to be moved around for some camera angles.
The director did do a good job with the camera angles. The director was able to come up with some angles to aid in what little drama there is in the movie.
Each of the performers were really good in their roles, possibly due to rehearsing for two weeks prior to the start of filming. It is hard to tell which of the cast members really stand out from the rest, but each have their moments where they do. I guess you could say Fonda does, mostly because he has to play the one juror who is uncertain of the guilt or innocense of the defendant. Jack Klugman was a bit disappointing, in my opinion, but he did have his moments.
Another slight problem was the development of characters. The only way we get to know anything about them is when they offer a little about their pasts in private conversation and during deliberations.
None of the scenes really stand out, mostly because the vast majority of the picture takes place in one room, which looks pretty accurate. However, the scene in the bathroom where some juror's try to get "Juror #8" to see their side, and get him to change his vote, is probably the most interesting scene.
There is little action in this movie, unless you count the more heated arguments as action. There is also some drama, and a few suspenseful moments in this film.
I strongly suggest that you imagine yourself as a juror who believes the defendant is guilty. You will truly appreciate the performances, especially Fonda's, then. It may also aid in the suspense of the film as you listen to the arguments, and presented with the evidence. It may also be interesting if you see Fonda as the defence attorney, and the other jurors as the prosecution.
I have seen this film twice in the last week on Turner Classic Movies, and have to say that I wasn't disappointed in anything each time. This could be a good first-choice rental, or a solid choice for your second if your first choice is not available. Also, if you have a classic movies collection at home, I think this may be a good addition to the collection.
