Drizzle and "Angry Men"

 Zhao Shang Hao!

As usual the day started with jogging which I , particularly, enjoyed due to some drizzle. Having said that, rain isn't something that I appreciate a lot, mostly because of the wet shoes. Any how it was fun today. I started reading "The Gathering" by  Anne Enright, an Irish writer. The book is Man Booker Prize winner of 2007 and have attained considerable interest by literary figures around the world for its reckless intelligence, savage humor and entrancing account of a grieving family. I will come back to it later sometime when I have finished it. 

Last night, I watched another brilliant piece of work by Sidney Lumet called "12 Angry Men". A thrilling story about how one juror manages to convince others of that the boy on trial isn't guilty of committing murder of his dad and that the case isn't as simple as it looked in the courtroom. I am a sucker of courtroom drama, mainly because of shear thrill of it. However, I never thought that a drama among the jurors could be equally interesting and engrossing. It goes without saying that Sidney Lumet has directed some of the most spine chiller movies, keeping the viewers thoroughly absorbed with captivating script. And least to say 12 Angry Men is surely hits the top list of the movies. Henry Fonda and Lee Cobbs are at their generous best.

 If you watch carefully, the movie is like Henry Fonda and Lee Cobbs are defendants and prosecutors, respectively, trying to convince rest of the jurors their side of the case. They go through most of the evidences and arguments and throwing light on some of the things that were not covered during the trial. For me it was a double treat as it was surely a courtroom drama with additional dimension of thrill. However, am I to believe that jurors are allowed to base their judgement on piece of argument/evidence that haven't been considered or discussed during the trial? 

Another very important point, mentioned in the movie, is involvement of personal prejudices/bias against societal norms while coming up with certain kind of decision. Whether it be justice or any other scenario, keeping personal  prejudice out of things like this is highly difficult. And very deservingly this movie is truely a great reflection of this cultural prejudice prevalent worldwide. 

Anyways, in my opinion, it is a very simplistic movie which heavily relies on the talent of the actors and definitely requires a viewing by people who like courtroom dramas.