12 Angry Men Page #10

Synopsis: Following the closing arguments in a murder trial, the 12 members of the jury must deliberate, with a guilty verdict meaning death for the accused, an inner-city teen. As the dozen men try to reach a unanimous decision while sequestered in a room, one juror (Henry Fonda) casts considerable doubt on elements of the case. Personal issues soon rise to the surface, and conflict threatens to derail the delicate process that will decide one boy's fate.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Production: Criterion Collection
  Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 8 nominations.
 
IMDB:
8.9
Metacritic:
96
Rotten Tomatoes:
100%
APPROVED
Year:
1957
96 min
Website
913,393 Views


NO. 6:
You don't wear them to bed: You don't wear them to bed.

NO. 2:
Of course not. NO. one wears eyeglasses to bed.

NO. 12:
What's all this for?

NO. 6:
Well, I was thinking. You know the woman who testified that she saw the killing wears glasses.

NO. 3:
So does my grandmother. So what?

NO. 8:
Your grandmother isn't a murder witness.

NO. 6:
Look, stop me if I'm wrong. This woman wouldn't wear her eyeglasses to bed, would she?

FOREMAN:
Wait a minute! Did she wear glasses at all? I don't remember.

NO. 11:
(excited). Of course she did! The woman wore bifocals. I remember this very clearly. They looked

quite strong.

NO. 9:
That's right. Bifocals. She never took them off.

NO. 4:
She did wear glasses. Funny. I never thought of it.

NO. 8:
Listen, she wasn't wearing them in bed. That's for sure. She testified that in the midst of her tossing and

turning she rolled over and looked casually out the window. The murder was taking place as she looked out, and

the lights went out a split second later. She couldn't have had time to put on her glasses. Now maybe she

honestly thought she saw the boy kill his father. I say that she saw only a blur.

NO. 3:
How do you know what she saw? Maybe she's far-sighted.

[He looks around. No one answers.]

NO. 3:
(loudly). How does he know all these things?

[There is silence.]

NO. 8:
Does anyone think there still is not a reasonable doubt?

[He looks around the room, then squarely at NO. 10. NO. 10 looks down and shakes his head no]

NO. 3:
(loudly). I think he's guilty!

NO. 8:
(calmly). Does anyone else?

NO. 4:
(quietly). No. I'm convinced.

NO. 8:
(to NO. 3). You're alone.

NO. 3:
I don't care whether I'm alone or not! I have a right.

NO. 8:
You have a right.

[There is a pause. They all look at NO. 3:] They all look at NO. 3:]

NO. 3:
Well, I told you I think the kid's guilty. What else do you want?

NO. 8:
Your arguments.

[They all look at NO. 3:]

NO. 3:
I gave you my arguments.

NO. 8:
We're not convinced. We're waiting to hear them again. We have time.

[NO. 3 runs to NO. 4 and grabs his arm.]

NO. 3:
(pleading). Listen. What's the matter with you? You're the guy. You made all the arguments. You can't

turn now. A guilty man's gonna be walking the streets. A murderer. He's got to die! Stay with me.

NO. 4:
I'm sorry. There's a reasonable doubt in my mind.

NO. 8:
We're waiting.

[NO. 3 turns violently on him.]

NO. 3:
(shouting). Well, you're not going to intimidate me! (They all look at NO. 3.) I'm entitled to my opinion!

(No one answers him.) It's gonna be a hung jury! That's it!

NO. 8:
There's nothing we can do about that, except hope that some night, maybe in a few months, you'll get

some sleep.

NO. 5:
You're all alone.

NO. 9:
It takes a great deal of courage to stand alone.

[NO. 3 looks around at all of them for a long time. They sit silently, waiting for him to speak, and all of them

despise him for his stubbornness. Then, suddenly, his face contorts as if he is about to cry, and he slams his fist

down on the table.]

NO. 3:
(thundering). All right!

NO. 3 turns his back on them. There is silence for a moment and then the foreman goes to the door and knocks

on it. It opens. The guard looks in and sees them all standing. The guard holds the door for them as they begin

slowly to file out. NO. 8 waits at the door as the others file past him. Finally he and NO. 3 are the only ones

left. NO. 3 turns around and sees that they are alone. Slowly he moves toward the door. Then he stops at the

table. He pulls the switch knife out of the table and walks over to~ with it. He holds it in the approved knife

fighter fashion and looks long and hard at NO. 8, pointing the knife at his belly. (NO .8 stares back. Then NO. 3

turns the knife around. NO. 8 takes it by the handle. NO. 3 exits. NO. 8 closes the knife, puts it away and taking

a last look around the room, exits, closing the door. The camera moves in close on the littered table in the

empty room, and we clearly see a slip or crumpled paper on which are scribbled the words "Not guilty. "

FADE OUT.

Rate this script:2.9 / 95 votes

Reginald Rose

Reginald Rose was an American film and television writer most widely known for his work in the early years of television drama. Rose's work is marked by its treatment of controversial social and political issues. more…

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Submitted by acronimous on March 21, 2016

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