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12 Angry Men 12 Angry Men is a tale of a jury struggling to determine if a young man is guilty of murdering his father. His life depends on their unanimous decision-either guilty or not guilty. In the beginning of the movie, we see the a bored-sounding, non-committal judge wearily instructing the twelve-man jury to begin their deliberations after listening to six days of a long and complex case of murder in the first degree. He explains them that it is a case involving the serious charge of pre-meditated murder with a mandatory death sentence upon a guilty verdict, and now it is the jurys duty to separate the facts from the fancy because one man is dead and another mans life is at stake. The jury then leaves the box and goes to the jury room to deliberate. The room itself is very claustrophobic, the weather is very hot outside, and the only fan they have got is not working.
There are not many films that can illustrate the power of a strong script and superlative acting better than Sidney Limits 1957 classic, 12 Angry Men. There are no startling visuals, no bravura camera angles, and no special effects. Just twelve men - all jurors - on a hot, stuffy afternoon, in a single room, debating the guilt, or otherwise, of an 18 -year-old boy from the wrong side of the tracks. That it kept me riveted for its entire length is a tribute to Reginald Roses dynamite script (adapted from his own play), the superb acting that fleshes out each character (remember there are twelve here, and each one is more vivid than those in a slew of modern blockbusters), and the sure but restrained direction from Let.
The brilliance of 12 Angry Men is not in the dissection of the trial and the evidence, but in the portrayal of the twelve jurors. Everyone is a real, flesh-and-blood individual, with real world preconceptions and prejudices that threaten to turn their deliberations into a fistfight. But neither is anyone a villainous type or a bad guy; when the verdict is reached, everyone just goes their separate ways, back to their daily lives. Indeed, one of the most poignant parts of the film is when juror # 9 (Joseph Sweeney) asks # 8 (Fonda) what his name is, then offers his own name in return, shakes hands, and departs. One realizes then that no names have been mentioned at all throughout the entire film.
And therein lies the beauty of 12 Angry Men - one is so consumed by the brilliance of the script and the acting that it doesn't matter what the jurors' names are. Equally, for those who like courtroom dramas, the facts surrounding the murder case are interesting, but serve more to ignite the jurors' passions and personalities than providing foolproof evidence for or against. As they settle down at the table, the foreman presents two alternatives: should they discuss things first and then vote, or take a preliminary vote immediately to see whos where? The latter alternative is chosen, and the vote is accomplished by the simple raising of hands. Six of the jurors (# 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, and 12) quickly put their hands up.
After a slight pause - and because of peer pressure, jurors # 2, 5, 6, 11 and 9 hesitantly join them - with only one exception, Juror # 8 (Henry Fonda). # 8 votes not guilty. Not because he is sure of the boys innocence, but because he wishes to talk about the serious case without emotionally pre-judging the eighteen-year old boy. The movie is often viewed from the organizational behavior point of view. Very clearly, the main focus in the movie is on the concept of team. This relates very closely to the model of the new organization in the following ways: Teams are a key structure in network and other new organizational forms Team skills are key for those working within the firm and across firm boundaries Teams are an arena where diverse individuals must work together (jury in the movie) Teams are a political arena where politics and power dynamics get played out Teams are an arena where culture is created and passed along It is very clearly shown in the movie that if one looks at the ongoing stream of behavior / interactions that constitute team work, the peoples behavior can be categorized into the following six stages: Communication.
Communication in the movie is important because it defines who is speaking, and who is silent, who is supporting whom and who is undermining whom, what ideas are getting repeated over and over again and what ideas are lost. Influence. Influence defines the shape and form of the team. The quality of work also depends on who influenced the group work, because someones influence may most impact the team, or, on the contrary, someone might get ignored. Influence also determines whether there is a competition / coalitions /rivalries in the team and if there is a formal or informal leader. Task and maintenance functions.
Task functions represent structuring behaviors that direct and focus the team towards accomplishing its work. They determine what initiatives there are as to how to proceed. Maintenance functions represent supporting behaviors that strengthen the interpersonal structure underlying the working team. Basically, they clarify what the personalities / styles of members are and how they affect the team. Maintenance function also defines how all members are encouraged to input to the discussion, and whether they explore, qualify others ideas. Also, in conflict situations, this particular function sets the frames as how to disagreements among members are responded to.
Decision Making. This is one of the most important stages in the teamwork. Once all the previous stages are completed, it is time to make decisions. In the movie, it is clearly shown what consequences wrong decisions can have. As the jury works, viewers can also observe the evident decision-making steps.
One can also wee how their team treats the minority opinion. It is extremely important that at least one of the team members is engaged in devils advocacy periodically. Conflict/Atmosphere and emotional issues. At some point, the movie becomes very, very emotional, and one can observe that the conflict is going on. This conflict shows how much disagreement there is among members of the jury. Membership and context.
Teams are also described according to their membership and context. It is interesting to see what the demographic mix of the team is and how this combination affects the team. In 12 Angry Men, viewers can very clearly see what hierarchies and functions are represented among members. Team is very similar to a living organism each member has role, and impacts the team in some way. The personality of each team member defines his role among his peers. 12 Angry Men is an extremely interesting piece of film art. Is have been appreciated numerous generations of viewers.
This movie is also a precious guide for the organizational behavior students, as they can learn about how the principle that they study in class really work in difficult real-life situations. Works used: Organizational Behavior (2004). Robert Kreitmer & Angelo Kinicki 6 th edition
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