“12 Angry Men” A work of “American conscience” that questions true democracy

Democracy questioned by “12 Angry Men”

The theme of this movie is clear. Everything is summed up in the line that Juror No. 11 speaks to everyone in the middle of the movie.

"We have a responsibility. This is actually the great thing about democracy...

When they receive a notification by mail, everyone gathers here to decide whether a complete stranger is guilty or not. We have no loss or gain from this The Verdict. This is why this country is strong.”

Yes, it may have the appearance of a courtroom mystery movie, but ``12 Angry Men'' depicts democracy itself. What is important is that democracy does not belong to any particular race or ethnicity, but is open to all human beings.

The 12 people who appear in this film are a microcosm of American society. Juror No. 5 is a minority who grew up in a slum, and Juror No. 11 is a Jewish immigrant. Juror No. 3 and Juror No. 10 repeatedly make blatant racist attacks against such minorities, while Juror No. 7 and Juror No. 12 remain indifferent to the incident. Juror No. 1 is a leader, Juror No. 4 is a cold-blooded logic guy, and Juror No. 9 is a wise old man with a lot of intelligence who tries to control the situation. Juror No. 2 and Juror No. 6 embody thoughtful and humane Americans, while Juror No. 8, dressed in a white suit representing the "conscience of America," urges them to see things without prejudice.

“12 Angry Men” (C)2017 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC.

"It's always difficult to eliminate personal bias. And bias clouds The Truth."

It is not revealed in the film whether the boy really stabbed his father to death. More important than that is the fear that because he is a poor minority, the prejudice that ``he is guilty'' will prevail.

"Listen, everything is twisted here."

exclaims Juror No. 3 in fury, but his act of trying to convict the boy because of his feud with his son is itself "personal prejudice" and "twisted." Democracy is not about following the majority opinion. It's about listening to the opinions of the minority. Whether it's the poor or minorities.

Former President Donald Trump reportedly held a screening of `` Joker '' (2019) at the White House. Trump seems to have been very fond of this film, which sounded a warning about the disparity in society through its dark humor, but isn't "12 Angry Men" the film he should really appreciate? There is no better teaching material than this movie to help the man who was promoting the division of the world understand what democracy is.

Text: Rui Takeshima

A pop culture writer who wants to be kicked by Hit Girl. Host of the web magazine " POP MASTER ".

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(C)2017 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved. Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC.