12 Angry Men: A Revisionist View

12 Angry Men is the iconic jury film but this article contends that it should not be viewed as a tribute to the jury system. Quite the contrary, the jury in the film erred badly by acquitting the defendant, even though the probability that he killed his father approaches 100%. The circumstantial evidence against him was overwhelming. Even if all of the eye witness testimony is discredited, the circumstantial evidence is far more than enough to satisfy the reasonable doubt standard.