12 Angry Men Page #7

NO. 7:
(to NO. 10). Do me a favor. Wake me up when this is over.

NO. 8:
(ignoring him). All right. This is the apartment in which the killing took place. The old man's apartment

is directly beneath it and exactly the same. (Pointing) Here are the el tracks. The bedroom. Another bedroom.

Living room. Bathroom. Kitchen. And this is the hall. Here’s the front door to the apartment. And here are the

steps. (Pointing to front bedroom and then front door) Now, the old man was in bed in this room. He says he

got up, went out into the hall, down the hall to the front door, opened it, and looked out just in time to see the

boy racing down the stairs. Am I right?

NO. 3:
That's the story.

NO. 8:
Fifteen seconds after he heard the body fall.

NO. 11:
Correct.

NO. 8:
His bed was at the window. It's (looking closer) twelve feet from his bed to the bedroom door. The

length of the hall is forty-three feet, six inches. He had to get up out of bed, get his canes, walk twelve feet,

open the bedroom door, walk forty-three feet, and open the front door—all in fifteen seconds. Do you think this

possible?

: His bed was at the window. It's (looking closer) twelve feet from his bed to the bedroom door. The

length of the hall is forty-three feet, six inches. He had to get up out of bed, get his canes, walk twelve feet,

open the bedroom door, walk forty-three feet, and open the front door—all in fifteen seconds. Do you think this

possible?

NO. 10:
You know it's possible.

NO. 11:
He can only walk very slowly. They had to help him into the witness chair.

NO. 3:
You make it sound like a long walk. It's not.

[NO. 8 gets up, goes to the end of the room, and takes two chairs. He puts them together to indicate a bed.

NO. 9:
For an old man who uses canes, it's a long walk.

NO. 3:
(to NO. 8). What are you doing?

NO. 8:
I want to try this thing. Let's see how long it took him. I'm going to pace off twelve feet—the length of

the bedroom. [He begins to do so.]

NO. 3:
You're crazy. You can't recreate a thing like that.

NO. 11:
Perhaps if we could see it, this is an important point.

NO. 3 (mad). It's a ridiculous waste of time.

NO. 6:
Let him do it.

NO. 8:
Hand me a chair. (Someone pushes a chair to him.) All right. This is the bedroom door. Now how far

would you say it is from here to the door of this room?

NO. 6:
I'd say it was twenty feet.

NO. 2:
Just about.

NO. 8:
Twenty feet is close enough. All right, from here to the door and back is about forty feet. It's shorter

than the length of the hall, wouldn't you say that?

NO. 9:
A few feet, maybe.

NO. 10:
Look, this is absolutely insane. What makes you think you can recreate a thing like that?

NO. 8:
Do you mind if I try it? According to you, it'll only take fifteen seconds. We can spare that. (He walks

over to the two chairs now and lies down on them.) Who's got a watch with a second hand'

NO. 2:
I have.

NO. 8:
When you want me to start, stamp your foot. That’ll be the body falling. Time me from there. (He lies

down on the chair.) Let's say, he keeps his canes right at his bedside. Right?

NO. 2:
Right!

NO. 8:
Okay. I'm ready. : Okay. I'm ready.

[They all watch carefully. NO. 2 stares at his watch, waiting for the second hand to reach 60. Then, as if does,

he stamps his foot loudly. NO. 8 begins to get up. Slowly he swings his legs over the edges of the chairs, reaches

for imaginary canes, and struggles to his feet.. NO. 2 stares at the watch. NO. 8 walks as a crippled old man

would walk, toward the chair which is serving as the bedroom door. He gets to it and pretends to open it.]

NO. 10:
(shouting). Speed it up. He walked twice as fast as that.

[NO.8 not having stopped for this outburst begins to walk the simulated forty-foot hallway.]

NO. 11:
This is, I think, even more quickly than the old man walked in the courtroom.

NO. 8:
If you think I should go faster, I will.

[He speeds up his pace slightly. He reaches the door and turns now, heading back, hobbling as an old man

would hobble, bent over his imaginary canes. They watch him tensely. He hobbles back to the chair, which also

serves as the front door. He stops there and pretends to unlock the door. Then he pretends to push it open.]

NO. 8:
(loud). Stop.

NO. 2:
Right.

NO. 8:
What's the time?

NO. 2:
Fifteen…twenty…thirty…thirty-one seconds exactly.

NO. 11:
Thirty-one seconds.

[Some of the jurors ad-lib their surprise to each other.]

NO. 8:
It's my guess that the old man was trying to get to the door, heard someone racing down the stairs, and

assumed that it was the boy.

NO. 6:
I think that's possible.

NO. 3:
(infuriated). Assumed? Now listen to me you people. I've seen all kinds of dishonesty in my day .. but

this little display takes the cake. (To NO. 4). Tell him, will you?

[NO. 4 sits silently. NO. 3 looks at him, and then he strides over to NO. 8]

NO. 3:
You come in here with your heart bleeding all over the floor about slum kids and injustice and you make

up these wild stories, and you've got some softhearted old ladies listening to you. Well, I'm not. I'm getting real

sick of it. (To all) What's the matter with you people? This kid is guilty! He's got to burn! We're letting him slip

through our fingers here.

NO. 8:
(calmly) Our fingers. Are you his executioner?

NO. 3:
(raging) I'm one of 'em.

NO. 8:
Perhaps you'd like to pull the switch: Perhaps you'd like to pull the switch.

NO. 3:
(shouting) For this kid? You bet I'd like to pull the switch!

NO. 8:
I'm sorry for you.

NO. 3:
(shouting). Don't start with me.

NO. 8:
What it must feel like to want to pull the switch!

NO. 3:
Shut up!

NO. 8:
You're a sadist.

NO. 3:
(louder). Shut up!

NO. 8:
(strong). You want to see this boy die because you personally want it—not because of the facts.

NO. 3:
(shouting). Shut up!

[He lunges at NO. 8, but is caught by two of the jurors and held. He struggles as NO. 8 watches calmly.]

NO. 3:
(screaming). Let me go. I'll kill him. I’ll kill him!

NO. 8:
(softly). You don't really mean you'll kill me, do you?

[NO. 3 stops struggling now and stares at NO. 8: All the jurors watch in silence as we fade out.]

ACT 3

Fade in on same scene. No time lapse. NO. 3 glares angrily at NO. 8. NO. 3 is still held by two jurors. After a

long pause, he shakes himself loose and turns away. He walks to the windows. The other jurors stand around

the room now, shocked by this display of anger. There is silence. Then the door opens and the guard enters. He

looks around the room.

GUARD:
Is there anything wrong, gentlemen? I heard some noise.

FOREMAN:
No. There's nothing wrong. (He points to the large diagram of the apartment.) You can take that

back. We're finished with it.

[The guard nods and takes the diagram. He looks curiously at some of the jurors and exits. The jurors still are

silent. Some of them slowly begin to sit down. NO. 3 still stands at the window. He turns around now. The

jurors look at him.]

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