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12 Angry Men Analysis

Decent Essays

One Good Man

Cinema is a canvas that enables the director to address very different and often touchy subjects in a unique light. In this movie the audience is faced with 12 jurors who hold the fate of a young man on trial for murder in their hands. It is supposed to be that one is innocent until proven guilty; however that is not the case in this movie. The Jurors are very prejudiced and closed minded throughout most of the movie for the most part. However, the one juror who is not that way is number 8. In the 1957 MGM film 12 Angry Men Juror number 8 relies primarily on his core values of honesty, reason, and his leadership skills to talk about the case and eventually acquit the young man of murder. Movies are a medium that can truly bring out human emotions, both good and bad. One thing that 12 Angry Men does a good job of is using juror number 8 in a way in which he was in very stark contrast to the other jurors; and by doing this it really goes on to bring out the good qualities in this juror. By simply wanting to talk about the case he ends up creating a very vibrant discussion that ends up saving the young man’s life. “You can’t find the answer, it is often because you are not asking the correct question” (Roth). The jury in this movie for the most part thought that the kid was guilty right away and did not care at all about the fair and honest trial process. The only juror who had a heavy heart about the whole case was number 8. Out of 12 people only one

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