12 Angry Men is a 1997 made-for-TV remake of the 1957 film of the same name, directed by William Friedkin and originally shown on Showtime.
It stars George C. Scott as Juror #3, James Gandolfini as Juror #6, and Jack Lemmon as Juror #8, the sole Not Guilty vote on the first jury poll (the role played by Henry Fonda in the 1957 version).
Provides examples of:
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: After Juror #6 asks Juror #8, "Suppose you talk us all out of this, and the kid really did stick that knife into his father?" Juror #8 looks in the mirror, and his expression says he knows #6 could very well be right.
- Adaptational Job Change: Instead of owning a garage, Juror #10 owns a car wash.
- Adaptational Nationality: Juror #4 speaks with a noticeable German accent, implying he's an immigrant in this take.
- Adaptational Villainy: Unlike in the original film, Juror #10 here feels no remorse or shame after he has exposed his racism to the other jurors. He openly states that he doesn't care about the law or the trial; he just wants to put a Hispanic kid behind bars. Afterwards, he states he couldn't care less if the kid is guilty or not, and votes not guilty just to go along. Unlike #7, who actually pulls his head out of his ass and becomes a decent juror, and #3, who is a Tragic Villain, #10 has no redeeming traits. He's just a racist Card-Carrying Villain.
- Armor-Piercing Question: #6 asks #8 "Suppose you talk us all out of this, and the kid really did stick that knife into his father?" #8 looks in a mirror, and is clearly considering the possibility.
- Gender Flip: The judge in the original movie was a man, but this movie has a female judge.
- Hidden Depths: It looks like Juror #7 switches his vote to "Not Guilty" just to go along with the crowd and get out of there, as he did in the 1957 version. But when Juror #11 berates him for this and demands he give an honest answer for switching his vote, Juror #7 says, "I don't think he's guilty," in a quiet, matter-of-fact voice. Then he looks at the tickets to the baseball game he didn't want to miss, clearly ashamed of himself.
- Hollywood Law: The judge in the original mentions that in the event the accused is found guilty, that it is automatically a death sentence (as it was until 1963 in New York—the film came out in 1957), and that he would not entertain any recommendations for mercy. It wasn't up to him—he had no choice about it. The judge in the remake echoes this, stating that she will not consider pleas for leniency should the jury find the defendant guilty. However, at that time, like now, the jurors decide what sentence the defendant should get too in capital cases after considering all the various aggravating vs. mitigating factors, following US Supreme Court rulings which struck down most of the capital punishment laws in the US. Without such a recommendation for death, the judge can't sentence the defendant to it. Given that change, this is nonsensical and legally meaningless (though it could mislead jurors, which thus might get any death sentence they passed overturned). A mandatory death penalty sentence was also ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1976.
- Jerkass: Juror #7 was already unpleasant enough in the 1957 film, but his racism gets an extra shot of emphasis. When he gets corrected by Juror #11, his response is to angrily threaten to "knock [#11's] Middle-East-European head off". The fact he conflates #11's nationality to a vague "Non-West" is pretty damning.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Near the end, Juror #10 admits he still thinks the boy is guilty, but has voted not guilty because he knows the verdict he wants will never happen now.
- Large Ham: George C. Scott as Juror #3. He yells almost every other line.
- Malcolm Xerox: Juror #10 is reimagined here as an "Angry Black Man" Stereotype who is prejudiced against Latinos. When Juror #5 (also African-American) changes his verdict to Not Guilty, #10 is quick to accuse him of selling out to the white man.
- Race Lift: The original featured 12 white men. This movie diversifies the racial makeup of the jury with one Latino juror (#11) and four African Americans (#1, #2, #5, and #10). Furthermore, Juror #4, while still the same race, was American in the original but German here.
- Reality Has No Soundtrack: The music plays only once during the credits.
- Stop Being Stereotypical: #10 expects #1 and #2, as fellow black men, to share his loathing of Latinos. It doesn't go his way; #1 is too ashamed to speak, and #2 is so offended that he raises his voice for the first time.
- Stopped Caring: Juror #10 declares that he no longer cares if the boy is guilty or not after being worn out by everyone giving him the cold shoulder.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Juror #10 unapologetically maintains his bigoted worldview to the end, because being shamed by eleven strangers with whom one has no connection is unlikely to make a lasting impact on most people.
