Live Life Team
Genre: Drama
Director: Sydney Lumet
Starring Cast: Martin Balsam, John Fielder, Lee Cobb
Twelve jury members are sent out to deliberate over the verdict of a murder trial. If the defendant is found guilty, he will be sentenced to death, so the life of a fellow human being hangs in the balance and these men must decide on his fate.
Almost the entire film is set in the room where the twelve white, male jurors ponder over the case that has been played out in court over the preceding six days. What initially appears to be a relatively clear cut case of premeditated murder slowly becomes more complicated, and the discussion turns into a heated deliberation over the absolute certainty that the defendant is guilty.
Lumet is undoubtedly attacking the American legal system in this film and, despite the quite uniform gender, race and class make up of the jury, a surprising number of prejudices and issues emerge within the confines of the room and the matter at hand. The defendant is non-white and racism is a key factor in many of the men’s justifications of returning with a plea of “guilty beyond reasonable doubt”. However, when juror 8 starts planting the seeds of doubt in their minds, there’s a shift in the dynamic of the film. By keeping the action contained in just one location, the audience is treated to a more genuine experience, becoming fully engrossed in the actual process involved in this monumental responsibility.
