12 Angry Men (1997 film)

1997 television film directed by William Friedkin other productions Twelve Angry Men (disambiguation) February 2026 January 2025 12 Angry Men 1997 film poster.jpg 250 DVD cover Drama Twelve Angry Men1954 teleplay Reginald Rose Reginald Rose William Friedkin Courtney B. Vance Ossie Davis George C. Scott Armin Mueller-Stahl Dorian Harewood James Gandolfini Tony Danza Jack Lemmon Hume Cronyn Mykelti Williamson Edward James Olmos William Petersen United States English Terence A. Donnelly Raleigh Studios - 5300 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles D.C. Stages, 1360 East 6th Street, Downtown, Los Angeles Augie Hess Fred Schuler 117 minutes MGM Television $1.75 millionThe Friedkin Connection (Harper Collins, 2013), p 415 Showtime 1997 08 17 12 Angry Men is a 1997 American made-for-television legal drama film directed by William Friedkin, adapted by Reginald Rose from his original 1954 teleplay of the same title. It is a remake of the 1957 film of the same name. The film aired on August 17, 1997 on Showtime. Plot In the murder trial of a teenage boy from a slum who is accused of murdering his father, the judge instructs the jury to determine his guilt or innocence. The verdict must be unanimous, and a finding of guilt may result in the death penalty, unlike in the 1957 film, in which it is mandatory. The jury of twelve retires to the jury room. An initial vote is taken and eleven jurors vote for conviction. Juror 8, an architect and the lone dissenter, states that the evidence is circumstantial and the defendant deserves a fair deliberation. He questions the testimony of the two witnesses, and the fact that the switchblade used in the murder is not as unusual as the testimony indicates, producing an identical knife from his pocket. Juror 8 proposes another vote by secret ballot. If the other jurors vote guilty unanimously, he will acquiesce, but if at least one votes "not guilty", they will continue deliberating. Only Juror 9, the oldest, changes his vote, respecting Juror 8's motives and feeling his points deserve further discussion. After deliberating whether one witness actually heard the murder take place, Juror 5, who grew up in a slum, changes his vote. Juror 11, a European watchmaker, questioning whether the defendant would have fled the scene and returned three hours later to retrieve his knife, also changes his vote. Jurors 2 and 6 also vote "not guilty", tying the verdict at 6-6, after Juror 8 demonstrates the unlikelihood that one witness actually saw the boy flee the scene. The remaining jurors are intrigued when Juror 11 proves that although a psychiatric test stated that the defendant had subconscious desires to kill, such tests only offer possible actions. Juror 7, impatient to attend a baseball game that night, changes his vote, but Juror 11 chastises him for changing his vote so casually and selfishly when the boy's life is on the line. When pressed by Juror 11, Juror 7 eventually states that he doubts the boy is guilty. Juror 12, a quiet advertising executive, and Juror 1, the jury foreman and a high school football coach, change their votes, leaving Jurors 3, 4, and 10 as the only dissenters. Outraged at the proceedings, Juror 10 goes on a bigoted diatribe against Hispanic immigrants "outbreeding" African-Americans. He attempts to leverage this with the other African-American jurors, offending the rest of the jury, until Juror 4 orders him to be quiet for the rest of the proceedings. Juror 4 states that despite all the other evidence called into question, the testimony of the woman who saw the murder from across the street stands as solid evidence. Juror 12 changes his vote back to "guilty", making the vote 8–4 again. Juror 9, seeing Juror 4 rub the impressions left by his glasses on his nose, realizes that the witness had similar impressions, indicating that she wore glasses and likely was not wearing them when she saw the murder. Jurors 12 and 4 change their vote to "not guilty". Juror 10, who says he still thinks the defendant is guilty, bluntly admits to no longer caring about the verdict and votes for acquittal. Undeterred, Juror 3 is forced to present his arguments again, and goes on a tirade, presenting the evidence in haphazard fashion and concluding with his disbelief that a son would kill his own father, mirroring his previous comments about his bad relationship with his own son. He begins to cry, and says he can feel the knife being plunged into his chest. Juror 8 gently points out that the boy is not his son, and Juror 4 quietly persuades him to let the boy live. Juror 3 gives in, and the final vote is unanimous for acquittal. The jurors leave and the defendant is found not guilty off-screen, while Juror 8 helps the distraught Juror 3 with his coat. Before departing the court, Juror 8 introduces himself as Davis and Juror 9 as McCardle, and the two part ways. Cast The Jury Juror No. Character Actor 'Not guilty' order 1 Jury foreman; a high school football coach who tries to keep order amid the hostilities between the jurors. Courtney B. Vance 9 2 A meek bank teller who initially does not know what to make of the case. Ossie Davis 5 3 A businessman with a hot temper. He is estranged from his son and is convinced that the defendant is guilty. George C. Scott 12 4 A German-accented stockbroker; he is very eloquent and considers the case through facts and not bias. Armin Mueller-Stahl 11 5 A health care worker (possibly an EMT) who grew up in the Harlem slums. A Milwaukee Brewers fan. Dorian Harewood 3 6 A house painter who considers himself unintellectual. Patient and respectful of others' opinions, he feels very strongly about respecting one's elders. James Gandolfini 6 7 A salesman and baseball fanatic; unconcerned with the trial, he is impatient, rude, and wise-cracking. He is anxious to have jury duty end since he has tickets to a New York Yankees game. Tony Danza 7 8 Davis; an architect who has two children. He is the only juror to originally vote not guilty, and repeatedly questions the evidence of the case. Jack Lemmon 1 9 McCardle; a wise man, the eldest in the room, who is the first to side with Juror 8. Hume Cronyn 2 10 A carwash owner and former Nation of Islam member, he is loudmouthed, narrow-minded, and a black supremacist. Mykelti Williamson 10 11 A European immigrant watchmaker; he is observant and believes in the American justice system. Edward James Olmos 4 12 An ad executive; he is easily swayed by others' opinions, and does not have a full understanding of the life at stake. William Petersen 8 Others Mary McDonnell as Judge Cynthia Nance Tyrees Allen as The Guard Douglas Spain as The Defendant Reception The film holds a 93% 'Fresh' score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 15 critic reviews with an average rating of 7.2/10.12 Angry Men https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1079908-12_angry_men May 30, 2024 Rotten Tomatoes Fandango Media Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref. 1997 CableACE Awards Movie https://variety.com/1997/tv/news/cableace-nominations-111662390/ CableAce Nominations Variety 24 September 1997 August 11, 2014 https://variety.com/1997/tv/news/cableace-awards-111661098/ CableAce Awards Variety 17 November 1997 August 11, 2014 Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries George C. Scott Writing a Movie or Miniseries Reginald Rose Editing a Dramatic Special or Series/Movie or Miniseries Augie Hess 1998 ALMA Awards Outstanding Individual Performance in a Made-for-Television Movie or Mini-Series in a Crossover Role Edward James Olmos Artios Awards Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Movie of the Week Casting Mary Jo Slater https://www.castingsociety.com/awards/artios/1998 1998 Artios Awards March 22, 2023 www.castingsociety.com en May 1, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210501015836/https://www.castingsociety.com/awards/artios/1998 dead Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials William Friedkin https://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1990s/1997.aspx?value=1997 50th DGA Awards Directors Guild of America Awards March 22, 2023 Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television https://www.goldenglobes.com/tv-show/12-angry-men-tv-1997 12 Angry Men – Golden Globes HFPA March 22, 2023 HFPA 2011 Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Jack Lemmon Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television George C. Scott Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Motion Picture Made for Television http://www.oftaawards.com/television-awards/2nd-annual-tv-awards-1997-98/ 2nd Annual TV Awards (1997-98) Online Film & Television Association March 22, 2023 Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Jack Lemmon Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Hume Cronyn Armin Mueller-Stahl George C. Scott Courtney B. Vance Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries William Friedkin Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Best Music in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Charlie Haden and Kenyon Hopkins Best New Theme Song in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Kenyon Hopkins Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Television Movie Terence A. Donnelly https://www.emmys.com/shows/12-angry-men 12 Angry Men Emmys.com Academy of Television Arts & Sciences March 22, 2023 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Jack Lemmon Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Hume Cronyn George C. Scott Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Movie William Friedkin Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Miniseries or a Movie Russell Williams II, David E. Fluhr, and Adam Jenkins Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Jack Lemmon http://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/4th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards The 4th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards March 22, 2023 George C. Scott At the Golden Globe Awards, actor Ving Rhames won the award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for his performance in Don King: Only in America. When presented with the award, he summoned Jack Lemmon on to the stage and gifted the award to him, feeling that Lemmon was more deserving of it. Rhames refused to re-accept the award when Lemmon tried to return it to him, meaning that, although Lemmon didn't officially win the Golden Globe Award, he did receive the trophy. Notes Friedkin, William, The Friedkin Connection, HarperCollins 2013 References External links 0118528 12 Angry Men 12 Angry Men at AllMovie 450811 Category:1997 television films Category:1997 films Category:American courtroom films Category:1990s courtroom films Category:Films about lawyers Category:Films about juries Category:Films with screenplays by Reginald Rose Category:Showtime (TV network) films Category:Television remakes of films Twelve Angry Men (1997 film) Category:Films directed by William Friedkin Category:1997 American films