Twelve Angry Men: Movie Review

Movie Review Originally written as a screenplay by Reginald Rose, and now considered a cinematic classic, Twelve Angry Men chronicles the story of twelve jurors who must come together to deliberate the guilt, and ultimately determine the fate of an eighteen-year-old boy on trial for the murder of his father. In particular, the movie focuses on one dissenting juror, Juror 8, who initially appears to be the sole person not absolutely convinced of the boy’s guilt, and follows his journey of convincing the other eleven jurors of the boy’s innocence. Though this movie was produced in 1957, the main character, Juror 8, demonstrates leadership skills that are still applicable today.
Throughout his arduous journey of convincing the other jurors of the defendant’s innocence, Juror 8 is ultimately successful because he is able to rely on his leadership skills. Interestingly, Juror 8 embodies many of the leadership qualities mentioned in the article “The Engineer of 2020”, as he demonstrates proficiency at analytical problem solving and …show more content…
There are two definitions of power: the ability to exert force on others, and the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events key to cooperation. In terms of the movie, the second definition is more applicable. In the movie, Juror 8 utilizes his power and influence to intercede favorable for the defendant. He believes the defendant to be innocent, and manages to convince the others of the same. Juror 8’s ability to influence the others come from both his personal power and his positional power. Juror 8’s personal power come from his personal attributes, which include effort, doing whatever it takes, and legitimacy, taking action congruent with the prevailing value system. Legitimacy is relevant to this scenario because the majority of the other jury members recognize that it is their duty to come to the correct