Rating of
3/4
One happy viewer
Holas - wrote on 04/16/09
I saw this one night on my local PBS station. I heard of the moive before but never saw it. The name that made me watch the film was "Jack Klugman." I believe one episode of the television show 'Matlock' was taken from this moive. Matlock, Andy Griffith, was a laywer who got called to jury duty. And of course, he was the only of of the twelve who thought the defendant could have been not guilty. And the same thing happens in this episode that happened in this superb movie. I don't know who played him, but the last gentleman to change his vote from guilty to not guilty was excellent. The raw emotion he felt when his own son's neglect for him hardened his heart to see the innocence that this defendant had because he had a fight with his own father. Forget the story line, forget that anyone is black or white, young or old. It is about how impartial our society is, whether we like it or not, and how our justice system simply doesnt' work. We take our own personal feelings and bring it into a room where it should have been checked at the door. All that should matter is facts and evidence; unfortunately, this is art imitating life, and all that does matter is how does this trial, this defendant(s) makes us 'feel.' This movie is for anyone who likes to see humanity at its best & worst.
