12 Angry Men (1957)

Henry Fonda’s Juror Number 8 is the lone holdout in a jury room, and he refuses to accept the case against a teenager accused of stabbing his father as open and shut. Rather than bullying his fellow jurors, he asks them to reconsider the reasonable-doubt question, one piece of evidence at a time. The film is adapted from a 1954 live television play, and its nearly unchanged teleplay is a model for turning stage or TV material into a film.

Sidney Lumet’s debut feature builds tension and claustrophobia inside a single confined room. Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, E. G. Marshall and Ed Begley are among the strong performances, though it feels unfair to single out any one actor from an ensemble this tight.

Despite earning Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, the film won none of them and was not a box-office success. Its critical reputation and cult following grew over the years, and it thoroughly earns every one of its five stars.