12 Angry Men is a 1957 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet.
The film is viewed as a classic, highly regarded from both a critical and popular viewpoint: Roger Ebert listed it as one of his "Great Movies". The American Film Institute named Juror 8, played by Henry Fonda, 28th in a list of the 50 greatest movie heroes of the 20th century. AFI also named 12 Angry Men the 42nd-most inspiring film, the 88th-most heart-pounding film and the 87th-best film of the past hundred years. The film was also nominated for the 100 movies list in 1998 In 2011, the film was one of the top 20 most screened films in secondary schools in the United Kingdom. As of March 2023, the film holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 60 reviews, with a weighted average of 9.10/10. The site's consensus reads: "Sidney Lumet's feature debut is a superbly written, dramatically effective courtroom thriller that rightfully stands as a modern classic".
American Film Institute lists:
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – Nominated
AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – No. 88
AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains: Juror No. 8 – No. 28 Hero
AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – No. 42
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – No. 87
AFI's 10 Top 10 – No. 2 Courtroom Drama
