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THE FILM “12 ANGRY MEN”
Name
Affiliation
Course
Instructor
Date
, 2
It is evident that throughout time, films have employed different theories to bring out a
specific message intended for their audiences. In this case, the film, the twelve angry men, is not
an exception to this concept. The movie details about a court proceeding in which an eighteen
years old boy is brought to trial for allegedly committing capital murder which was by stabbing
his father to death. As such, there is a jury who has the sole obligation of determining whether or
not the boy is innocent. However, the judge states that if found guilty, the boy would have the
sentence of capital punishment, which is death. However, this does not seem to sway the jury’s
attention to detail, taking into account how fast eleven of the twelve members of the jury jump
into a fast conclusion that the boy is guilty. One interesting element is how some of the social
theories apply in their process of coming to an agreement about the boy’s innocence. In this case,
this paper will focus on how social influence, groupthink, and persuasion theories are used in the
trial while paying attention to the jury members.
The first theory that shows up quite early in the film is the social influence theory, which
can be shown by the unanimous votes that are taken by the jurors in the courtroom. Taking into
account all the evidence provided in the trial and the ethnicity of the boy, it would be easier for
the jurors to reach the conclusion that the boy is guilty of the charges against him. This is
because, from the jury of 12 members, only one presents a different judgment that goes against
all the other people. This mainly shows that the jury did not account for all of the possible
situations in which the boy might be innocent and, as such, perceived every piece of evidence as
incriminating in regards to the situation of the boy.
However, juror 8, having a different perspective on the innocence of the boy, provides
claims that support the idea that the boy might be innocent and, as such, starts influencing the
rest of the jurors’ decisions. The decision that the boy is guilty by the eleven members of the jury
THE FILM “12 ANGRY MEN”
Name
Affiliation
Course
Instructor
Date
, 2
It is evident that throughout time, films have employed different theories to bring out a
specific message intended for their audiences. In this case, the film, the twelve angry men, is not
an exception to this concept. The movie details about a court proceeding in which an eighteen
years old boy is brought to trial for allegedly committing capital murder which was by stabbing
his father to death. As such, there is a jury who has the sole obligation of determining whether or
not the boy is innocent. However, the judge states that if found guilty, the boy would have the
sentence of capital punishment, which is death. However, this does not seem to sway the jury’s
attention to detail, taking into account how fast eleven of the twelve members of the jury jump
into a fast conclusion that the boy is guilty. One interesting element is how some of the social
theories apply in their process of coming to an agreement about the boy’s innocence. In this case,
this paper will focus on how social influence, groupthink, and persuasion theories are used in the
trial while paying attention to the jury members.
The first theory that shows up quite early in the film is the social influence theory, which
can be shown by the unanimous votes that are taken by the jurors in the courtroom. Taking into
account all the evidence provided in the trial and the ethnicity of the boy, it would be easier for
the jurors to reach the conclusion that the boy is guilty of the charges against him. This is
because, from the jury of 12 members, only one presents a different judgment that goes against
all the other people. This mainly shows that the jury did not account for all of the possible
situations in which the boy might be innocent and, as such, perceived every piece of evidence as
incriminating in regards to the situation of the boy.
However, juror 8, having a different perspective on the innocence of the boy, provides
claims that support the idea that the boy might be innocent and, as such, starts influencing the
rest of the jurors’ decisions. The decision that the boy is guilty by the eleven members of the jury
