12 Angry Men works because of a key irony. Herny Fonda's character, juror 8, is sure, sure that he is unsure, which is important in a capital murder case. And with his confidence and cool temperament, despite the hot temperatures outside and the rising tempers inside, eventually persuades the other 11 members of the jury to become unsure as well.
The movie starts out as a murder case goes to the jury. The initial vote is amazingly lopsided, 11 guilty to 1 nonguilty. At the first hashing of the evidence, it seems incredible that juror number 8, the lone no, could possibly vote that way and at first, his reasoning is uninspiring. He simply isn't sure. No real explanation and leaves the viewer asking "is he crazy?" Throughout the course of the movie, however, the viewer takes the same evolution as the rest of the 11. One by one the initially rock solid evidence begins to break apart. The switchblade. The L-train. The lady without her glasses. All reliable at first, yet, with a little bit of scrutiny become flimsy.
As the evidence falls apart, so does the confidence of the rest of the jury. By the end, it has all come full circle and there is once again one lone dissenter, this time, the one guilty vote and after a painful self-realization, he changes too. One man, unwavering and confident has ruled the day and saved the life of a (likely) innocent kid.
Rather simply and boringly shot (in black and white despite the availability of color), there is one subtle camera trick that had an interesting impact. As the movie progresses, due the the use of different lenses and camera angels, the jury room slowly gets smaller and smaller. The noose tightens as the tempers flair. Excellent and creative way to add tension.
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