Monday, August 2, 2010

39. 12 Angry Men (1957)

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-I feel sorry for you... what it must feel like to want to pull the switch. Ever since you walked into this room, you've been acting like a self-appointed public avenger! You want to see this boy die because you personally want it, not because of the facts! You're a sadist!
-I'll kill him! I'LL KILL HIM!
-You don't *really* mean you'll kill me, do you?


Taken at face value this movie is a moving tribute to our justice system and a moving courtroom drama that, oddly enough, takes place entirely in the jury deliberation room. Still, if you delve a little deeper 12 Angry Men is about WAY more than a court case. It examines our prejudices, anger, love, respect, fear, forgiveness, and hatred towards each other in ways that most movies barely touch. All twelve jurors are distinct and yet there is a little of each of us in every single one. If an alien was studying the way the human mind worked, I would suggest that this movie be their main focus.

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