A civilization without law is merely a state of nature. Robb White’s Deathwatch takes place in the desert mountains of California during the early 1970’s. Ben, a college student, guides Madec, a businessman, into the desert to hunt for bighorn, where Madec ends up shooting something else. That something else …show more content…
Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men begins with a tilting camera focused to the top of the courthouse where the words “The administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good government” is etched into the stone. The case inside implicates a young man accused of killing his father. Twelve men, the jury, must unanimously agree on whether the boy is guilty or not. Before retiring to the jury room, the jurors are reminded of their responsibilities by the judge. As soon as they enter the stuffy juror room two men work together to open a window, in a bit of foreshadowing. The group then takes a preliminary vote that stands at 11-1 for guilty with Juror 8 opposing, believing the other 11 jurors are deciding the boy’s fate too quickly. The 11 men opposing juror 8 were certain of their vote, anxious to leave the courthouse, and rather upset that one juror could hold them there. Then a discussion ensues, and the jury begins to do what it should have done all along: deliberate. Things start to change. The men start to bring up evidence about the knife, the old man’s testimony of what he heard and saw, the boy’s alibi, and the woman’s description of what she saw through her apartment window. This sways them to review and reconsider the details. After many votes they are brought to 11-1 for not guilty. Now, Juror 3 stood alone refusing to reconsider his vote. He then realizes that he had judged the defendant based on his