12 Angry Men is a 1957 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet in his directorial debut, adapted from a 1954 teleplay of the same name by Reginald Rose. The film tells the story of a jury of 12 men as they deliberate the conviction or acquittal of a teenager charged with murder on the basis of reasonable doubt; disagreement and conflict among the jurors forces them to question their morals and values. It stars Henry Fonda (who also produced the film with Reginald Rose), Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E. G. Marshall, and Jack Warden.

12 Angry Men received acclaim from critics, despite a lukewarm box office performance. At the 30th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. It is regarded by many as one of the greatest films ever made. In 2007, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". Additionally, it was selected as the second-best courtroom drama ever (after 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird) by the American Film Institute.

Watch this film with a mind towards the following course themes:

The existence of diverse narratives about crime, law, and justice developed by different stakeholders.
The dialectic (tension) between individual and community perspectives about crime, law, and justice.
The impact of regional and cultural factors on perspectives of crime, law, and justice.
The disparate treatments of "others" (race, ethnicity, class, education-level, sex/gender/sexual preference, tribal/band/clan/kin/family networks, religion, etc.) by dominant power networks and the continued efforts to correct and remedy these treatments through reform efforts and activism.
The distinct powers established and modified to address matters of crime, law, and justice given federal, state, local, and tribal authorities (dual federalism).

Think also of the impact this film would have on a society headed into the tumultuous changes reflected in civil rights, the due process revolution, and criminal justice reform that would change the face of crime, law, and justice in the 1960s. Think also of the power a jury has to regard or disregard (nullify) the law, judicial instruction, rules of evidence, political fad or fashion, and groupthink and how the jury sees itself: as the defender of the community, the rights of of the accused, or both.

The film can be streamed for free here via the library's Swank digital streaming service. It can also be viewed by subscribers to Fubo, The Roku Channel, MGM+, and Hoopla and rented or purchased via other streaming services.