12 Angry Men

One very certain but unforeseen addiction that I will like to admit…Excessive TV-watching~
Even in face of tight assignment deadlines… I am doomed for sure!

But… the movie that I just watched was really worth the precious time, I knew it, for sure.

12 angry men (1997; an adaption of the 1957 classic)
The synopsis :
‘A Puerto Rican youth is on trial for murder, accused of stabbing his father to death. The twelve jurors retire to the jury room, having been admonished that the defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Eleven of the jurors vote for conviction, each for reasons of his own. The sole holdout is Juror #8 who felt that a verdict cannot be reached without much discussion and clearing his ‘reasonable doubts’
(from http://movies2.nytimes.com)’.

If you thought that the most dramatic court battles can only be observed in the courtroom, this movie will make you consider twice.
If you wanted an insight on how a panel of jurors’ come to a verdict on case, this movie can take you through the strenuous and emotional journey to seek a clear picture.

2 words: Awesomely excellent!!

It makes me wonder why Singapore never telecast such a classic- something that was more intelligent and reflective than the irritating repeated showings of the Shanghai Noon or Crocodile Dundee. Come on, Singaporeans ain’t bimbotic… we can take to movies that reeks of wisdom and true reality- couldn’t we?

I never thought I will enjoyed a movie that consisted of only 12 actors in 1 main scene setting- a small jury meeting room. And I sat through, on the edge of my sofa, for the 117minutes. It was thoroughly suspenseful and evoked you to process self-reflective thoughts throughout the movie.

This movie reflects sharply the nature of men. Our distinctive personalities, unique processes of judgments and different self-motivation are mainly derived from our journey in life- what have we been through, what have we done, and the people surrounding our life.

Too many times, we jumped to conclusions without a second thought. In this movie, it demonstrates clearly; how this can result a death of a possibly innocent teenage; just because 11 men concluded his guiltiness, superficially based on the surface of evidences presented and most importantly, their experiences in life.

I came to a conclusion about what the movies lack of nowadays:
1) Film dialogues that were so powerfully significant and made you hang on to every sentence that was said.
2) World-class acting skills that were so convincing and compelling; which brought the audiences to places without having to go there themselves. All masterfully done in a tiny meeting room.

There were no pretty faces in the movie. No high-tech special effects. No humongous budget spent on the film. Yet, it was one of the best films I have ever watched.

Not convinced? See it for yourself