Original subtitles

You must be impartial judges of the facts.

And that concludes the court's explanation of the legal aspects of this case.

And now, gentlemen of the jury I come to my final instructions to you.

Murder in the first degree.

Premeditated homicide is the most serious charge tried in our criminal courts.

You've listened to the testimony,

you've had the law read to you

and interpreted as it applies to this case.

It now becomes your duty to try to separate

the facts from the fancy.

One man is dead.

The life of another is at stake.

I urge you to deliberate thoughtfully and honestly.

If there is a reasonable doubt,

you must bring me a verdict of not guilty.

If however there is no reasonable doubt,

you must, in good conscience, find the accused guilty.

Whatever your decision, your verdict must be unanimous.

In the event that you do find the accused guilty,

the bench will not entertain a recommendation for mercy.

Bear in mind that he could face the death penalty.

I don't envy your job,

you're faced with a grave responsibility, gentlemen. Thank you.

Can I get a couple of you gentlemen to help me

pull these tables together please?

- This one here? - Yeah, we can pull that one.

Let's pull some chairs.

Hey, get some windows open, man.

Yeah!

Whew.

- Piece of gum? - No, thank you.

- Bad news. - What?

You see the weather report?

This is the hottest day of the year.

Figures...

You'd think they could air-condition the place, you know?

I almost dropped dead in court...

- Piece of gum? - Yeah!

Okay, gentlemen. Everybody's here.

You want anything, I'll be right outside the door.

Just hit the button and I'll come right in.

- Thanks. - Mmm-hmm.

I never knew they locked the door.

They always lock the door, brother.

What'd you think?

I don't know. It just never occurred to me.

Hey, what's that for?

I figured we might wanna vote by ballot.

That's a great idea. We might be able to get this boy elected senator.

Well, how'd you like it?

I don't know. It was pretty interesting.

I'm falling asleep.

What I mean is, I've never sat on a jury before.

I've sat on juries.

One thing that always amazes me is

how these lawyers can talk and talk and talk,

even on a case as obvious as this one.

I've never heard so much talk about nothing.

Well, I guess they're entitled.

Oh sure, everybody's entitled to a fair trial,

I'd be the last one to say a thing against that, but...

Sometimes I think,

we ought to take these tough kids

and just slap 'em down, before they start trouble.

It would save a lot of time and money.

Mr. Foreman, would do you say, we get started here?

Yeah, let get this over with, we probably all got things to do.

We might as well take a five minute break. There's a man in the bathroom.

Are we sittin' in order or what?

So what did you think of the case?

I enjoyed it. No dead spots, you know what I mean?

I think we were lucky we got a murder trial.

I figured us for an assault or a burglary or something like that.

I bet those can be dull, huh?

Oh, yeah!

Hey, can you imagine, sitting in here for three days just for this?

Yeah, how about that business with the knife?

I mean, expecting normal people to believe that kind of bullshit.

Well, you gotta expect that. You know what you're dealing with here.

What's the matter? You got a cold?

Shit, man, flu.

I can hardly touch my nose, you know what I mean?

Your horn's all right. Try your lights.

Ah, this is beautiful!

The air conditioner doesn't work!

Somebody take a letter to the mayor. "Dear stingy..."

I didn't get a chance to see the papers today. Anything new going on?

I was just wondering how the market closed.

I wouldn't know.

You on the exchange or something?

No, no, I'm a broker.

Really? I run a messenger service,

The Beck and Call Company.

My wife's idea.

We employ 37 people. Started from nothing!

Come on, Mr. Foreman, come on, what do you say, let's go here!

All right gentlemen, let's take seats.

This better be fast,

I got two tickets to the ball game tonight.

Yankees-Cleveland.

We've got this new kid pitching for us.

Modjelewski or whatever his name is.

Anyway, this kid, he's a real bull, you know, I mean...

Talking about a real jug-handled. You know?

You quite the baseball fan, huh?

Where do you want us to sit?

Well, I was thinking we'd just sit in order of jury number, 2,3,4...

Hey, great, I'm right in place.

If that's all right with you gentlemen.

- Sure! - What's the difference?

I think it's reasonable to sit according to numbers.

- What do you think of that prosecutor? - I beg your pardon?

I thought it was very sharp

the way he handled all his points one by one, in logical sequence.

Takes a good brain for that, I was very impressed.

Yes, he did an expert job.

He had a lot of drive, that guy, too, you know, real drive.

Let's get this show on the road!

Would you... Would you like to sit down?

Gentleman at the window?

Would you like to sit down?

Oh... Yeah, sorry.

Yeah, it's pretty tough, isn't it?

I mean, the kid just kills his father, bang! Just like that!

If you analyze the figures on domestic violence...

Oh, come on now, what figures?

It's those people I'm telling you.

See, they just let the kids run wild out there.

Maybe it serves them right, you know what I mean?

Where's that elderly gentleman?

He's in the bathroom.

Would you knock on the door please?

Thank you.

You a Yankee fan?

No. Milwaukee.

Milwaukee? What, are you kidding?

It's like getting hit on the head with a crowbar once a day!

I mean, tell me, who they got?

Really, I'm asking you, who they got?

Besides great grounds keepers?

We'd like to get started here.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to keep you waiting.

Quite all right.

All right, gentlemen.

You can handle this any way you'd like to.

I have no rules.

We can discuss it first and then vote, that's one way

or we can vote and then see where we stand.

That's all I have to say...

I think it's customary to take a preliminary vote.

Yeah, come on, let's vote!

Then we'll go home!

It's up to you, but let's just remember this is a first degree murder charge.

If we find him guilty, he could die by lethal injection.

- I think we all know that. - Yeah, let's vote.

Yeah, let's see who's where.

Anyone who doesn't wanna vote?

Let's just remember that this has gotta be 12 to nothing either way, that's the law.

Everyone ready?

All those voting guilty raise your hands.

One...

Eleven.

All those voting not guilty.

One.

11-1 guilty.

Now we know where we stand.

Well, there's always one, huh?

So what do we do now?

I guess we... talk.

Honestly, you really think he's innocent?

I don't know.

I mean, let's be reasonable here.

You sat in the court room, you heard everything the rest of us did.

This man is a dangerous killer, you could see it.

Man? He's 18 years old.

He's old enough!

He knifed his own father, four inches into the chest.

Pretty obvious. I was convinced on the very first day.

Sure, who wasn't?

I really think this is one of these open and shut things.

I mean, they proved it a dozen different ways.

Would you like to list 'em for you?

- No, no, no... - Then what do you want?

I just wanna talk!

Well, what's there to talk about?

Eleven men here agree.

I mean, nobody had to think twice about it except you.

Hey, look, let me ask you a question.

Do you really believe that boy's story?

I don't know if I believe his story or not, maybe I don't.

So then what'd you vote not guilty for?

Look, 11 men voted guilty.

I just don't find it easy to raise my hand

and send a boy to prison for life

or maybe even to be executed without talking about it first.

- Who says it's easy for me? - No one.

What, because I voted fast?

- No. - I honestly think the kid's guilty.

You couldn't change my mind if you talked a 100 years!

I'm not trying to change your mind.

We're talking about a person's life here.

We can't just decide in five minutes.

Suppose we're wrong?

What do you mean, suppose we're wrong?

Suppose the whole building fell on my head!

- You could suppose anything you want. - That's right.

So then what difference does it make how long it takes?

If we honestly think the kid's guilty,

suppose we finish in five minutes, so what?

Suppose we take an hour,

your game doesn't start till 8:00.

Okay, slugger, be my guest.

Who's got something to say?

Not me.

- I'm willing to put in an hour. - Fine.

Great! I heard a pretty good story last night...

There is this woman, she goes running into the doctor's office...

Big 'ol booty, ain't got no drawers on her...

Excuse me, that's not why we're sitting here.

All right then, you tell me what are we sitting here for.

Well, maybe for no reason, I don't know, but look,

this kid has been knocked around all of his life.

He was born in a slum, he lost his mother when he was just, what, nine

and he spent a year and a half in an orphanage,

while his old man is doing a jail term for forgery.

That's not a very good head start.

He's had a rotten 18 years.

I just think we owe that boy a few words, that's all.

Now look, I don't mind telling you this, mister,

- but we don't owe him a thing! - That's right!

I mean, he had a fair trial, didn't he?

What do you think that trial cost?

He's lucky he got it.

We're all grownups in here and we heard the facts, now didn't we?

Now you're not gonna sit there and tell us

we're supposed to believe this kid knowing what he is.

Look, I've lived among them all my life.

I mean, you can't believe a word they say.

They are born liars.

It suddenly occurs to me that you must be an ignorant man.

What are you talking about?

You think you have a monopoly on the truth?

What are you making a federal case out of this for?

Come on man, how do you like this guy?

I think certain things should be pointed out to this man.

This isn't Sunday, we don't need a sermon in here.

I don't see any need for arguing like this.

I think we ought to be able to behave like gentlemen,

if we're going to discuss this case.

Maybe the gentleman who's disagreeing down there could tell us why.

Tell us what he thinks and we could show him where he's probably mixed up.

What are you doing, huh?

What is that?

Oh, it's one of the products I work on at the ad agency, Rice Pops.

""The breakfast with the built-in bounce." I wrote that line.

Oh, that's where that came from.

That's very catchy.

Do you mind?

Oh, I'm sorry, I just have this habit of doodling.

It keeps me focused.

We're trying to do something here. We could be sitting here forever.

No, look, look, look, I might have an idea.

I mean I'm just thinking out loud, but it seems to me

that it's up to us to convince this gentleman that we're right and he's wrong.

Maybe if we each took a minute or two

to explain how we feel, you know...

- It was just a quick thought. - No, no, no, that's good.

Suppose we go once around the table.

- Anything, just let start it off! - Fine, why don't you go first?

No, not me...

I think we ought to go in order.

Okay, that's fair. In order.

Two minutes apiece.

That means you go first.

Oh, well, um...

Well, it's hard to put it into words...

I just think that he's guilty.

Uh, I thought it was obvious from the word go.

Nobody proved otherwise.

Nobody has to prove otherwise.

The burden of proof rests with the prosecution.

The defendant doesn't even have to open his mouth.

I know that!

What I meant was... The man is guilty.

There was a witness.

Somebody saw him do it.

Okay, here's what I think.

And I have no personal feelings at all, I'm talking facts.

Number one, let's take the old man

who lived on the second floor directly underneath the room

where the murder was committed.

Now, he says that about 10 minutes after 12:00

on the night of the killing,

he heard a lot of noise upstairs. Sounded like a fight.

And then he heard the boy yell out, "I'm going to kill you."

A second later the body hit the floor,

he ran to his apartment door, looked out,

saw the kid running down the stairs and out of the house.

He called the police

and they found the father with a knife in his chest.

And the coroner fixed the time of death around midnight.

That's right. These are facts.

You can't refute facts. This kid's guilty.

Look, I'm as sentimental as the next guy.

I know he's only 18.

But he's gotta pay for what he did.

I'm with you, pops.

It was obvious to me that the boy's entire story was flimsy.

He claimed he was at the movies at the time of the killing.

Yet one hour later he couldn't remember what films he saw.

- He claims that. - That's right. Did you hear that?

That's absolutely right.

And no one saw him going into or out of the theater.

And what about the woman across the street?

Now her testimony don't prove it, nothing does.

That's right, she's the one who actually saw the killing.

That's right.

Come on, fellas, let's go in order here, come on.

Now look. Here's a woman who's lying in the bed.

She can't sleep,

dying from the heat, you know what I mean?

And then she looks out the window, and right across the street

she sees this kid stick the knife into his father.

It's 12:10 on the nose. Everything fits.

And look, she's known this boy all of his life.

His window is right opposite hers right across the El tracks

and she swore she saw him do it.

Through the windows of a passing elevated train?

That's right. This El train had no passengers on.

It was just being moved downtown.

Lights out, remember that?

And they proved in court

that at night you can look through the windows of a passing El train

with the lights out and you can see what's happening on the other side.

- Now they proved that! - Could I ask you a question?

- Go ahead. - You don't believe the boy.

Why do you believe the woman?

Isn't she one of them too?

Oh you're just a real smart fellow, aren't you?

Take it easy.

What's he so wise about? I'm telling you...

All right, all right, we don't need none of that in here.

Now, whose turn is it?

It's his. Right here.

All right, you got two minutes.

I pass.

- What did he say? - He passes.

It's his privilege.

How about the next gentleman?

I don't know...

I became convinced very early in the case.

Excuse me.

See, I'm looking for motive.

Right, that's very important.

If you don't have a motive you don't have a case, right?

So anyway, that's why that testimony from those people

across the hall, you know, that lives across the hall

from the apartment across from the kid?

Well, that's why that was so important,

'cause didn't they say that

the father and the kid had an argument

and the kid run out sometime around 7:00 that night.

- I mean, I could be wrong about the time... - It was 8:00.

Yes, that's right, it was 8:00.

They heard the argument but they couldn't tell what the argument was about.

Then they heard the father hit the son twice

and then later they saw the son walk out of the apartment angrily,

but what does it prove?

Well, it doesn't exactly prove anything.

I'm just saying it's part of the picture, that's all.

Yeah, but you did say it revealed the motive

and that's what the prosecution said.

To me it's a very weak motive!

This boy has been hit so many times

that violence is a normal part of his life.

I don't think a couple more hits in the face would provoke him to murder.

It may have been two hits too many.

Everyone has a breaking point.

Anything else?

No.

- How about the next gentleman? - Me?

I don't know...

I mean it's practically all been said already, you know?

I mean we could talk about it forever.

This kid's 0 for five.

I mean look at his record.

At 10 he's in juvenile court, he threw a rock at a teacher,

at 14 he's in reform school because he stole a car,

he's been arrested for mugging

he's been picked up twice for trying to slash another teen with a knife,

he's real good with that switchblade, you know.

Everybody said that.

This is a real fine boy.

Ever since he was five years old, his father beat him up

and he used his fists.

So would I, a kid like that.

Wouldn't you call those beatings a motive for him to kill his father?

I'd say it's a motive for him to be

an angry young man, I'd say that.

These kids, the way they are nowadays.

They're angry, hostile.

You can't do a damn thing.

I mean, look at the way they talk.

When I was at his age I called my father "Sir," that's right!

Sir.

Ever hear a boy call his father that anymore?

Fathers don't seem to think that's important anymore.

- No? You got any kid? - Two.

I got one.

He is 32.

We did everything in the world for that boy and look what happened.

When he was 9 he ran away from a fight,

I saw him do it, I was so ashamed I almost threw up.

And I said to him right straight out,

I said "I'm gonna make a man out of you"

"or I'm gonna bust you in half trying."

I made a man out of him all right.

When he was 16 we got into a battle,

he hit me in the face, big kid, ya know.

I haven't seen him in 14 years.

Rotten kid!

You work your heart out...

Well, come on, let's get on with it.

I think... I think we're missing the point here.

This boy, let's say he's a product of a filthy neighborhood

and a broken home, he can't help it,

we're here to decide whether he's guilty or innocent of murder,

not to go into reasons why he grew up this way.

He was born in a slum.

Slums are breeding grounds for criminals,

I know it, so do you. It's not a secret.

Children from slum backgrounds are potential menaces to society.

Hey, now, you can say that again.

All right, see, the kids that crawl out of these places are nothing but trash.

Hey, I don't want a thing in the world to do with them, I'm telling you.

I lived in a slum all my life!

I nursed that trash in Harlem hospital six nights a week.

- Hey, now, come on! - I used to play in a backyard

that was full of garbage, maybe it still smells on me!

Oh, now, come on, why you got to go there, brother?

Let's be reasonable, there's nothing personal...

It is something personal!

Now, now, let's not be so sensitive.

This kind of sensitivity I understand.

All right, let's stop all this arguing,

it's just wasting time.

Now, it's your turn, let's go.

Me? I didn't expect a turn.

I thought everybody was trying to convince me.

I thought that was the idea.

Check, I forgot about that.

I mean, what's the difference? He's the one that's keeping us here.

- Let's see what he's got to say. - -Yeah, let's see.

Wait a minute! We decided we're gonna do this a certain way.

- Let's stick to what we said. - Come on, stop treating us like kids!

- Kids? What are you talking about? - Just what I said.

What, just that I'm trying to keep things organized here?

Listen, you wanna do this?

You sit here!

You take responsibility. I'll just shut up.

No, no, no. What you getting so hot about, man?

Why don't you just calm down up there?

Don't tell me to calm down. Here. Here's the chair.

You keep things running smooth and everything.

You think it's a snap? Come on, Mr. Foreman,

let's see how great you run this show.

You ever seen anything like that before?

Oh, you think it's funny now, huh?

Hey, this whole thing is unimportant.

It's unimportant? What? You wanna try it?

No, look, you're doing a beautiful job! Nobody wants to make any changes.

I thought I was doin' a good job.

Come on, Mr. Foreman, you're doin' a great job. Hang in there and pitch.

Come on, now, let's hear from somebody.

Excuse me, gentlemen!

If you would like to hear how I feel about all of this,

I'd be glad to tell you right now.

I don't care what you guys do.

Oh, now, he mad. You mad?

I don't have anything brilliant and I only know what you all know.

From the testimony, the boy looks guilty.

You can say that again!

All right, now maybe he is, but...

I spent three days in court listening to that evidence

build up and build up

and everyone seemed so positive,

I began to get a peculiar feeling about this case,

because nothing is that positive, nothing.

I had a bunch of questions I wanted to ask

but I don't know if they would've meant anything or not.

I don't know.

But I do know that I felt the lawyer,

the boy's lawyer, was not doing his job.

He was letting too many things go by, little things.

What do you mean, little things?

Look, when these guys don't ask questions,

it's because they know the answer

and they figure that they'll probably get hurt by it.

Yeah, but it could also mean that the lawyer is just plain stupid, couldn't it?

Sounds like you've met my brother-in-law.

Anyway, I put myself in the boy's place.

Yeah.

If I was that boy, I would've asked for another lawyer.

I mean, if I'm on trial for my life

I would want my lawyer to take

all of the prosecution's witnesses

and just tear them to shreds, or try.

Now look, there was one eye witness to this killing

and someone else said that they heard it

and then saw the boy running out later.

There was a lot of circumstantial evidence,

but those two witnesses were the entire case for the prosecution.

Suppose they were wrong!

What do you mean suppose they were wrong?

What's the point of having witnesses at all?

Could they be wrong?

They took the stand under oath!

What are you trying to say?

Well, they're people. People make mistakes.

Could they be wrong?

No, I don't think so.

Do you know so?

Nobody could know something like that.

- This isn't an exact science. - That's right, it isn't.

Let's try to get to the point.

Let's take the knife they found on the father's chest.

Wait a minute! Don't you think we ought to...

Some of the people haven't had the chance to talk.

They can talk anytime they want,

just gimme a second here, will you?

What about that knife?

You know the one our fine, upright boy admitted buying

the night of the murder? Let's talk about it.

Yes, let's talk about it.

As a matter of fact, let's look at it again.

I'd like to see it. Mr. Foreman?

We all know what it looks like.

- What are we gonna gain by seeing it again? - He brought it up.

The gentleman has a right to see exhibits of evidence,

the knife, where it was bought,

it's pretty strong evidence, don't you think?

Yes, I do.

- We're gonna need that knife. - Okay.

The boy admitted going out of his house at 8:00 on the night of the murder

after being punched several times by his father.

He said slapped, not punched.

There's a difference between a slap and a punch.

After being slapped several times by his father.

Two. The boy went directly to a neighborhood junkshop,

where he bought, what do you call it?

- Switchblade! - Switchblade knife!

Thank you. Thank you. Three.

This wasn't what you'd call an ordinary knife.

It had a very unusual carved handle.

Four. The storekeeper who sold it to him

identified the knife in court and said

it was the only one of its kind

that he had ever had in stock.

Five. At about 8:45,

the boy run into three friends of his in front of a diner.

Am I correct so far?

You bet he is!

Listen to this man, he knows what he's talking about.

The boy talked with his friends for about an hour,

leaving them at 9:45.

During this time, they saw the switchblade knife.

Six. Each of them identified

the death weapon in court as that same knife.

Seven. The boy arrived home at about 10:00.

Now, this is where the stories offered by the boy

and the state begin to diverge slightly.

He claims that he stayed home until 11:30

then went to one of those all-night movies,

he returned home at about 3:50 in the morning

to find his father dead and himself arrested.

Now, what happened to the switchblade knife?

And this is a charming and imaginative little tale this boy invented.

He claims that the knife fell through a hole in his pocket,

sometime between 11:30 and 3:50

while he was on the street to the movie

and that he never saw it again.

No! This is a tale, gentlemen!

I think it's quite clear

that he never went to the movies that night.

No one in the house saw him go out at 11:30.

No one at the theater identified him.

He couldn't even remember the names of the pictures he saw.

Now, what actually happened is this.

The boy stayed home,

had another fight with his father,

stabbed him to death with the knife at about 10 minutes after 12

and fled from the house.

He even remembered to wipe the knife clean of fingerprints.

Thanks, man.

Please give me the knife.

Are you trying to tell me that it really fell through a hole in the boy's pocket,

that someone picked it up off the street, went to the boy's house,

stabbed his father, just to be amusing?

I'm just saying that it is possible

that the boy lost the knife

and somebody else stabbed his father with a similar knife.

It's possible, that's all.

It's possible...

Take a look at that knife.

I've never seen one like it.

Neither has the storekeeper who sold it to the boy.

And you're asking us to accept a pretty incredible coincidence?

I'm not asking you to accept anything.

I'm just saying that it's possible.

And I say it's not possible!

What are you trying to do?

Who do you think you are...

Hey, what is this? Where did you get that knife now?

- Where has that come from? - Quiet, quiet, please!

Where did you get that knife?

I was out walking last night, just... thinking...

I was in the boy's neighborhood.

That knife comes from a pawn shop three blocks from his house.

It costs $25.

It's against the law to buy it.

That's right. I broke the law.

Listen, you pulled a pretty bright trick here.

Now supposing you tell me what it proves.

There could be 10 knives like that, so what?

There could be...

What does that mean?

I mean, so you got the same kind of knife,

what is that, the discovery of the age or something?

It'd still be an incredible coincidence

for another person to have stabbed the father with the same kind of knife.

Come on, the odds are a million to one!

- But it's possible! - It's possible. Anything is possible.

All right, gentlemen, let's take seats.

There's no point in milling around here.

Very interesting that he should find a knife

exactly like the one the boy bought.

What's interesting about it? It proves anything?

Proves? No, no, no... I didn't mean...

How come the kid bought the knife in the first place?

Well, he claims...

I know he claims he bought it as a present for a friend of his.

He was gonna give it to him the next day,

because he busted the other kid's knife dropping it on the pavement.!

- That's what he said. - Yeah, bull doody.

The friend testified in court

that the boy did break his knife.

How long before the killing?

Three weeks, right?

So how come our noble lad bought this thing

an half an hour after his father smacked him

and three and a half hours

before they found it shoved up to here into the father's chest?

Look, he was gonna give it to his friend,

he just wanted to use it first.

Let me ask you a question,

this is something I wanted to bring up in court.

If the boy did buy the knife to use on his father,

how come he showed what was going to become the murder weapon

to three friends a couple of hours before the killing?

All this is just talk!

The boy lied and you know it.

Do you think he lied?

That's a stupid question. You damn right he lied!

And you sir?

You don't have to ask me that, you know my answer. He lied, yes!

And you?

- I think maybe... - Maybe, wait a second!

What are you, the kid's lawyer or something?

Who are you to come in here and start cross examining us?

Isn't this what's supposed to happen in a jury room?

There are still 11 of us in here who think he's guilty.

Yeah, I mean what'd you think you gonna accomplish?

You're not gonna change anybody's mind!

You wanna be stubborn and hang this jury? Go ahead!

The kid will be tried again and found guilty, as sure as he's born.

You're probably right!

So then what do you wanna do about it? We could be here all night...

It's only one night. A boy may die.

Oh, brother!

Anybody got a deck of cards?

I don't think he should joke about it.

I don't see how all this talk about the knife's got to do with anything.

I mean, come on, somebody saw that boy stab his father.

What more do we need?

I got three car washes out there going to pot

while we're sitting up in here talking.

Come on, let's get done with this so we can get outta here!

Excuse me, but...

The knife was very important to the district attorney.

He took one whole morning with that!

Come on, that guy was a 15th assistant or something. What does he know?

I think we should get on with it.

These side arguments only slow us up.

Now, what about it?

You are the only one...

Gentlemen...

I have a proposition.

I'd like to call for another vote.

I want you 11 men to vote by secret written ballot

and I will abstain.

If all 11 of you vote guilty,

I'm not gonna hold out.

We'll go in with a verdict to the judge right now.

But if anyone votes not guilty,

then we stay and talk.

And that's all...

I'm ready right now, if you'll all go for it.

Finally, you're behaving like a reasonable man!

Come on, let's do it!

Sounds fair. Anyone who doesn't agree?

All right, pass these along.

Come on, today man...

All right...

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Guilty."

"Not guilty."

"Guilty."

Well, how do you like that?

And another chap flips his god damn wings!

Come on who was it? 'Cause I wanna know!

Excuse me! We agreed that this would be a secret ballot.

- Secret? - Yeah!

- What are you talking about? - Secret...

There's no secrets in the jury room...

I know who did it...

Brother you are really something, you know that?

You come in here

and you vote guilty like everybody else

and then there's golden voice preacher over here

starts to tear your heart out

with a lot of stories about a poor little boy

who just couldn't help becoming a murderer.

So you change your vote...

That is the most sickening...

Why don't you drop a quarter in his collection box?

Wait a minute, you can't talk like that!

Sit down!

- He's very excitable. - You're damn right I'm excitable!

We're trying to put a guilty man where he belongs

and somebody's telling us fairy tales and we're listening!

- Take it easy. - What do you mean, take it easy?

You feel like seeing a proven murderer walking the streets?

I'll tell you what!

Let's give him his knife back, make it easier for him!

All right, stop the yelling!

Now does anyone have any other suggestions?

Excuse me, I would like to say something.

I've always thought that in this country a man was

entitled to have an unpopular opinion.

Hey, look, let's stick to the subject, okay, pal?

What did you switch your vote for?

Now look, ain't none of your fucking business.

He didn't. He didn't switch his vote. I did.

Would you like me to tell you why?

No, I wouldn't like you to tell me why.

Well, I'd like to make myself clear anyway...

If you don't mind.

Do we have to listen to this?

Hey look, the man wants to talk!

Thank you!

This gentleman has been standing alone against us.

He doesn't say the boy is not guilty.

He just isn't sure.

Well, it's not easy to stand alone

against the ridicule of others...

He gambled for support and I gave it to him.

I respect his motives.

The boy on trial is probably guilty.

But I wanna hear more...

Oh, come on.

I'm talking here!

You have no right to just walk...

He can't hear you. He never will.

Sit down.

If the speech is over, may we go on?

I think we ought to take a break.

There is a man inside there...

we should wait for him.

Look, I...

was pretty excited, you know what I mean.

I didn't mean to get nasty or anything.

Thank you.

God, I wish I knew some way we could break this up.

You know in advertising... I told you I work in an ad agency, didn't I?

Well, we got some pretty strange people down there.

Well, not strange really, they just have peculiar ways

of expressing themselves sometimes, you know what I mean?

It's probably the same thing in your business.

What is it you do?

I'm a watch maker.

Really?

Finest watchmakers in the world come from Europe, don't they?

Anyway! Like I was saying...

At the ad agency, when we reach a point like this in a meeting,

there's always some character ready with an idea that kills me.

I mean it's the weirdest thing sometimes, the way they

perceive their idea with some little phrase, you know,

like some account exec will go,

"Well, here's an idea. Let's run it up the flagpole,

see if anyone sings the national anthem."

Or..."Here's an idea, let's put it on the bus,

see if it gets off at Wall Street."

I mean, it's idiotic really, but it's funny.

- Excuse me. - Sure.

So, I wonder if I could ask you a question.

Are you one of those nation Islam guys?

I only ask 'cause I've never met one of you guys before.

I was.

But we didn't exactly see things eye to eye, you know what I'm saying?

Not really...

But anyway, I was wondering if you could do me a favor,

maybe take it a little easier on the old man.

I figure once you get up that high in years, you know, deserve a little break?

You know?

I guess that's a no.

- You a salesman? - No, architect.

- You know what a soft sell is? - Yes...

You're pretty good at it!

I'll tell ya, I've got a different technique, you know?

- Jokes, drinks, knock 'em on their asses. - Yeah...

I made $57,000 last year. Selling marmalade.

That's not bad. I mean, you know, considering the marmalade.

So what are you getting out of this?

Kicks? The boy's guilty, pal.

Why don't you let us go home before we all get sore throats?

What's the difference whether you get one here or at the ball game?

That's two...

No difference, pal, no difference at all.

Nice bunch of guys!

Oh, yeah.

- Same as any, I guess. - Yeah.

- You know, that guy with the hat? - Yeah.

He's a real prince!

And that loud, heavyset guy, the one that's tellin' us about his kid?

The way he's talking. It's embarrassing.

A murderous day!

Think we'll be here much longer?

I don't know.

He's guilty, you know! Not a doubt in the whole world.

Should have been done by now!

Not that I really care, I mean, beats working. Right?

You think he's innocent?

I don't know.

Well, I don't know you, but I'm betting you've never been wronger in your life.

Better wrap it up.

Just wasting your time.

Suppose you were the one on trial.

Well, I don't do a lot of supposing.

You know, I'm just the working man.

Let my boss do my supposing.

But if you want, I'll try one.

Suppose you talk us all out of this

and that kid really did stick that knife into his father.

All right, gentlemen, let's take our seats.

Looks like we'll be here for dinner.

Let's get down to business.

Who wants to start it off?

- I'd like to say something... - Be quiet...

- Number one. - Excuse me!

Number 6.

All right, please, go ahead, go ahead, please.

This may be a small point, but anyway...

The boy had a motive for the killing.

The beatings and all, right?

If he didn't do it, who did it?

Who else had a motive?

I mean, that's my point. You don't go out and just kill somebody for no reason,

unless you're just plain nuts.

As far as I can see, we're here to determine whether or not this boy

is guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

We're not concerned with anyone else's motives, that's a job to the police.

Very true, but we can't help letting the only motive we know of

creep into our thoughts.

We can't help asking ourselves,

who else might have had a motive.

I mean, this gentleman is asking a reasonable question.

Somebody killed him, if it wasn't the boy, who was it?

Modjelewski!

Oh, you're talking about the man I love!

Maybe if you haven't got anything to add besides jokes, I suggest you listen.

I'm sorry, I was just letting off a little steam. Go ahead.

Well, maybe you can help me.

Who else might have killed the father?

Well, I don't know. I mean...

The father was hardly a model citizen.

We know that he served a prison term

and that he was an inveterate gambler and a consistent loser

and he frequented all of the local bars.

Usually after a couple of drinks he'd get into a fight over a woman.

My kind of guy.

He was a mean, cruel, primitive kind of man.

He couldn't even hold a job for longer than six months in his entire life.

So, hell, he could have been murdered by anyone of the prison inmates,

or a bookmaker,

or somebody he beat up, or a woman he picked up,

or anyone of those tough guys that he used to hang around with.

Look, come on now, we know that the father was a bum.

What's that got to do with anything?

Well, I didn't bring this thing up.

The man asked who else might have killed the man and I gave an answer.

That gentleman there asked a direct question.

Boy, everybody is a lawyer...

Suppose you answer this for me...

The old man downstairs heard the kid yell out, "I'm gonna kill you."

A split second later, the body hit the floor,

then he saw the kid running out of the house.

Now what does all that mean to you?

I was wondering,

how well you could hear that boy's voice through the ceiling.

He didn't hear it through the ceiling.

His window was open. The window was open upstairs.

It was a hot night, remember?

The voice was from another apartment,

it's very difficult to identify a voice,

let alone a voice that's shouting.

He identified it in court.

He picked the boy's voice out of five other voices blindfolded.

That was just an ambitious district attorney putting on a show.

Look...

The old man knew the boy's voice very well.

They lived in the same house for years.

But to identify the voice positively from another apartment...

Isn't it possible that he was wrong?

Isn't it possible that he thought the boy was upstairs

and therefore he just assumed that the voice he heard was the boy's voice?

I think that's a bit farfetched!

Look, the old man heard the father's body falling.

Then he saw the boy running out of the house 15 seconds later.

Come on, he saw that boy.

What about the woman across the street?

She looked right out into the open window,

saw the kid stab his father, I mean, come on. Isn't that enough for you?

Not right now, it isn't.

Oh, man! How do you like this guy, eh?

It's like talking to a dead phone!

The woman saw the kid through the window of a moving elevated train.

The train had six cars and she saw it through

the windows of the last two cars.

I mean, she remembered the most significant details.

I don't see how you can argue with that.

What do you got to say about that?

It doesn't seem right to me.

Well, suppose you think about it, huh?

I wonder if there's anyone here that has an idea

how long it would take a six car El train,

oh, traveling at, what, medium speed...

Wait a minute!

This is not a game!

- Who do you think you are? - Take it easy.

Come on now, sit down!

I got a mind to give him a belt.

That's all we need, a fight in here!

Did you see him? The nerve, the absolute nerve!

Come on, it's not that big a deal, all right? Just forget about it.

This isn't a game.

Who does he think he's dealing with here?

Come on now, it's over. Now let's just sit here...

It's not over, I want an apology!

All right, Georgie, apologize.

Now let's just hear what the man's got to say.

Thank you.

As I was trying to say, I wonder if anybody here has an idea

of how long it would take an El train

to pass a given point, going at a medium speed?

Now, what the hell does that got to do with anything?

Well, go on, just take a guess!

I, I wouldn't have the slightest idea.

You?

I don't know, 10, 12 seconds maybe...

What's all this for?

Well, that sounds like a pretty good guess... Anyone else?

That sounds right to me.

Come on, what are the guessing games for?

You, how about you?

10 seconds, approximately.

All right, say 10 seconds. What are you getting at?

Just this!

It takes 10 seconds for a six car El train to pass a given point.

Let's say that given point is the open window of the room

where the murder took place.

You can practically reach out that window

and touch the El tracks, couldn't you?

- Yeah. - Yeah.

Let me ask you another question, gentlemen.

Is there anybody here who has ever lived next to an el line?

I just finished painting an apartment next to an el line.

- Yeah? - It took us three days.

- And what was it like? - What do you mean?

- Noisy? - Yeah!

Yeah, noisy!

We're all punchy about our business anyway, but yeah, it was noisy.

Yeah, well.

When I was very young, I had an apartment on the second floor

right next to an el line and I wanna tell you,

when that window is open and the train is roaring by, the noise is unbearable.

You can't hear yourself think!

Okay, you can't hear yourself think, now will you get to the point?

Okay, let's try and tie two pieces of evidence together.

Number one, the old man in the apartment downstairs,

he swears that he heard the boy say

"I'm gonna kill you" and then a split second later

what sounded like a body falling to the floor.

- One second later, am I right? - Right.

Okay. Now the woman across the street,

she swears that she saw the stabbing

through the windows of the last two cars of an elevated train.

- The last two cars, am I right? - What are you making here?

All right, we agreed that it takes 10 seconds for an elevated train

to pass a given point.

If the woman witnessed the stabbing through the last two cars,

then we must assume that the body fell

just as the train was passing by.

Therefore, it was roaring by the old man's window

for a full 10 seconds before the body fell.

The old man, now, according to his own testimony,

hearing the boy say "I'm going to kill you" and the body falling,

must have heard that statement

while the el was roaring by right under his nose!

It's not possible that he could've heard it.

It's idiotic! Sure he heard it!

You really think so, huh?

The old man said the boy yelled it out, that's good enough for me.

Well, whatever he heard,

he couldn't have identified the voice with that el roaring by.

You're talking about a matter of seconds here, nobody could be that accurate!

Well, I'll tell ya, I think the testimony

that can send a human being to death should be that accurate.

I don't think he could've heard it...

Yeah, maybe he didn't hear it with all that el noise.

What are you people talking about?

- Well, it stands to reason. - It's crazy!

Why should he lie? What's he got to gain?

Attention, maybe.

You keep coming up with these bright sayings.

Why don't you send one to the Reader's Digest, they pay $50.

Why do you keep talking to him like that, huh?

No, a guy who talks like that to an old man

ought to get stepped on, know what I mean?

You oughta have little respect!

You go ahead, you say whatever you want! No one's gonna stop you!

Why do you think the old man might lie?

Well...

It's just that I looked at him for a very long time...

The seam of his jacket was split under the arm.

Any of you notice it?

I mean, to come into court like that.

He was a very old man with a torn jacket

and he walked very slowly towards the stand.

He was dragging his left leg and trying to hide it,

because he was ashamed.

I think I know him better than anyone here.

This is a quiet, frightened, insignificant old man

who's been nothing, all his life.

Never had recognition, never seen his name in the newspapers.

Nobody knows him. Nobody quotes him.

Nobody seeks his advice after 75 years.

You know,

that's a very sad thing, to be a nothing.

A man like this needs to be recognized,

to be listened to, to be quoted, just once.

That's very important.

He would find it hard to recede into the background,

when there's a chance for him to become a...

Wait a minute, wait a minute! Are you trying to tell us

that the guy would lie just to be important once?

He wouldn't really lie.

But perhaps he'd make himself believe that

he'd heard those words and recognized the boy's face.

Oh, that's the most fantastic story I've heard in my life!

How can you just make up some stuff like that?

What do you know about it?

Sit down!

- You sit down! - Sit down!

Gentlemen, let me remind you,

this case is based on a reasonable and logical progression of facts.

Please, let's keep it.

Facts may be colored by the personalities of the people who present them.

Let's not forget that.

Would anybody like a cough drop?

Yeah, I would, thank you.

Say what you like, fellas...

I still don't see how anybody could think this kid's not guilty.

There's one thing I did wanna talk about for just a minute.

Uh, I think that we have proven that the old man

could not have heard the boy say "I'm gonna kill you."

But suppose that...

What are you talking about, prove? You haven't proved it at all!

What are you talking about?

But suppose he did hear it.

I mean, how many times have we all probably used that expression?

Hundreds of times, you know.

"I could kill you for that darling,"

or, "Junior, I'm gonna kill you if you do that one more time,"

or, "Kill 'em, Rocky, kill 'em!"

You know, it's just a common everyday...

It doesn't mean we're gonna kill someone.

Wait a minute, what are you trying to give us here?

The phrase was, "I'm going to kill you"

and the kid screamed it out on the top of his lungs.

Don't tell me he didn't mean it!

Anybody who says something like that,

the way he said, they mean it.

Well, gee, I...

I don't know...

I remember I was arguing with this guy that I work next to at the bank,

so he called me an idiot, so I was yelling...

This man is trying to get you to believe things that just aren't so.

The boy said, "I'm going to kill you" and he did kill him!

Do you really think that he would shout out something like that

for the whole neighborhood to hear?

I don't think so.

I think he's too bright for that.

Bright?

He's the common ignorant slob.

He don't even speak good English.

He does not even speak good English.

Mr. Foreman...

I'd like to change my vote to not guilty.

- Oh, you got to be kidding me! - You heard me.

Are you sure?

Yes, I'm sure.

The vote is nine to three in favor of guilty.

Well, if this isn't the livin' end!

What are you basing it on?

The stories this guy made up?

I mean, this guy... He should write for Amazing Detective Monthly.

He'd make a fortune!

Now listen, Milwaukee, there are facts there and they're right in your face.

And everyone of them says, "This kid killed his old man!"

I mean, his own lawyer, knew right from the beginning he didn't stand a chance.

His own lawyer!

You could see it!

- I mean, he deserves to die! - Oh, does he?

For your information, it's happened in the past

that people have been convicted of murder and then executed

and later, years later, someone comes along and confesses to the crime.

You see, sometimes, the facts that are staring us in the face are wrong...

Hey, listen, I'm talking to him, not to you!

Boy, this guy's beautiful, isn't he?

Yeah, listen, the kid had a lawyer, didn't he?

The lawyer presented the case, not you!

How come you got so much to say?

The lawyer was court appointed!

So what does that mean?

It could mean a hell of a lot!

It could mean he didn't want the case,

it could mean he resented being appointed, what's there for him?

No hope, no glory, very little chance of winning.

Not a very promising situation for a young lawyer.

He would have to really believe in his client

in order to put up a good fight.

As you mentioned a minute ago, he obviously didn't!

Oh, sure, he didn't!

Who the hell could?

Except maybe God come to Earth or somebody.

Come on, guys, look at the time!

Pardon me...

- I have some notes here... - Some notes?

I... would like to ask some questions.

I've been listening very closely to what this gentleman has been saying.

He's got some very good points to make.

Now, from what was presented at the trial,

it seems that the boy is guilty,

but maybe if we go deeper...

Come on, will ya? Geez!

I would like to ask one question.

Now, we assumed that the boy committed murder.

That he stabbed his father in the chest and then he run away.

This was at 10 minutes after 12.

Now, how was the boy caught?

By the police.

He came back, at about 3:00 or so

and he was caught by two detectives

in the hallway of his house.

Come on, man!

Now my question is this...

If he really did kill his father,

why did he come back three hours later?

Would he not be afraid of being caught by the police?

Look, he came home to get his knife.

It's not nice to leave knives sticking around out of people's chests!

Yes, especially relatives.

- I don't see anything funny about it. - -Neither do I.

The boy knew that there were people who could identify the knife

as the one he had just bought.

He had to get it before the police did.

But if he knew that the knife could be identified,

- why did he leave it in the first place? - Oh, well...

I think we can assume he ran out in a state of panic after he killed his father.

And when he finally calmed down,

he realized that he had left the knife there.

Then this depends on your definition of panic.

Because he was calm enough to make sure

that there were no fingerprints on the knife.

Now, where did his panic start and where did it end?

Look, you can throw all that other stuff out.

He came home to dig out his knife and get rid of it.

- Three hours later? - Sure, three hours later!

If I had killed my father, I would not be coming back three hours later,

I would be afraid of the police.

No... I would stay away, knife or no knife!

Look, you voted guilty, didn't you? What side are you on?

I do not have to be loyal to one side or the other,

I'm simply asking questions.

Well, look...

This is just off the top of my head but it seems to me, I mean,

if I were the kid and I'd, you know,

done the stabbing and all that,

I'd take a chance and go back for the knife.

I mean, he probably figured that no one's seen him

and nobody had even discover the body yet.

I mean, it was the middle of the night.

He probably figured that the body wouldn't be found till the next day.

Excuse me, but that is my whole point.

Now...

The woman across the street testified

that the moment after she saw the killing,

that is a moment after the El train went by,

she screamed, then telephoned the police.

Now, the boy certainly must have heard the scream

and knew somebody saw something.

No, I do not think the boy would have gone back if he had been the murderer.

Two points.

One...

In his state of panic, he may not have heard the scream,

perhaps it wasn't very loud.

Two. If he did hear it,

he may not have connected it with his own act.

Remember, he lived in a neighborhood

where screams were fairly common place.

Right! There's your answer.

Maybe the boy did stab his father,

did not hear the screams,

ran off in a panic and calmed down three hours later,

came back to get his knife, risking being caught by the police.

Maybe all of those things are so and maybe not!

I personally think there is enough doubt for us to wonder

if the boy was there at all when the murder took place.

What do you mean doubt? What are you talking about?

Didn't the old man see the boy running out of the house?

Well, see? He's twisting the facts!

I'm telling you, he's twisting them!

Did or didn't the old man see the boy running out of the house at 12:10?

Did he or didn't he?

- He says he did... - Well... "He says he did?"

How do you like this? "He says he did."

Well, did or didn't the woman across the street see the boy kill his father?

She said she did!

You makin' out like it don't matter what people say.

What you wanna believe, you believe,

what you don't wanna believe, so you don't!

What kind of way is that?

And what do you think these people get up on the witness stand for?

Their health?

I'm telling you man, the facts are being changed in here.

Witnesses are being doubted and there's no reason for it!

Witnesses can make mistakes.

Yeah, when you want 'em to they do!

You know what I mean?

All right, now, let's keep the yelling down.

No, you keep saying that! What we need in here is a little yelling.

These men running off every each way.

Did hear the scream, didn't hear the scream...

What difference does it make?

Those little details!

You guys are missing the important stuff.

I mean, all of a sudden you hear everybody...

- I would like to call or another vote. - I'm talking here!

There's another vote called for here. Gentlemen, take your seats.

- What are we gonna gain by voting again? - -I don't know.

The man asked for another vote,

we're gonna have another vote.

I've never seen so much time spent on nothing!

It only takes a second...

All right, the fastest way is to find out who's voting not guilty.

All those in favor of not guilty raise your hand.

Three...

Still the same.

Three not guilty, nine guilty.

So, where are we?

I mean, come on, we can yakety-yak until next Tuesday.

Where is it getting us?

Pardon me... I would like to change my vote.

I vote not guilty.

Oh, brother!

Come on now, listen, what are you talking about?

We're all going crazy in here! This kid is guilty.

Why don't you pay attention to the facts?

I mean, tell him, will you? This is gotta be a goddamn joke!

The vote is eight to four in favor of guilty.

I mean, everybody's heart is starting to bleed for this punk little kid

like the President just declared

"Love Your Underprivileged Brother Week" or something.

Listen to me. I want you to tell me why you changed your vote.

Come on, give me reasons.

I do not have to defend myself to you.

I now have reasonable doubt.

"Reasonable doubt." That's nothing but words!

Look at the knife.

The kid you just decided is not guilty

was seen ramming that thing into his father!

Well, look at it, Mr. "Reasonable Doubt"!

That's not the knife.

Don't you remember?

Brilliant!

You know, this is the craziest.

I mean, you're pulling stories out of thin air.

What are we supposed to believe?

I'm telling you, if this guy was sitting ringside

at the Tyson-Holyfield fight,

he'd be trying to tell us Tyson won!

Look, what about the old man, huh?

Are we supposed to believe that he didn't get up and run

to his front door and see that kid tearin' down the stairs

15 seconds after the killing?

He's only saying he did so he can be important, right?

I mean, what's the point of this...

Wait a second, wait a second!

Oh, the Milwaukee rooter is heard from

and pop-ups are fallin' for base hits wherever we look at.

Did the old man say he ran to the door?

Ran, walked, what's the difference? He got there!

He said he ran.

I don't remember what he said,

but I don't see how he could run!

He said he ran, he ran from his bedroom to the front door.

That's enough, isn't it?

Where exactly was that bedroom again?

It was down the hall somewhere.

- You don't remember that? - No.

I thought you remembered everything.

Mr. Foreman, I'd like to see a diagram of the apartment again please.

Why don't we run the trial over just so you can get everything straight?

- Mr. Foreman... - I heard you.

What's all this for?

How come you're the only one in the room who wants to see exhibits all the time?

I wanna see this one, too!

And I wanna stop wasting time.

If we are going to start wading through all this business

about where the body was found, then we can...

No, we're not!

I just wanna find out if a man who limps

because he had a stroke a year ago

can get from his bed to his front door in 15 seconds.

- He said 20 seconds. - 15.

I'm telling you he said 20. Why do you always distort him?

He said 15.

How does he know how long 15 seconds is?

You can't judge a thing like that!

He said 15 seconds.

He was very positive about it.

He's an old man, you saw him.

Half the time, he was confused.

How could he be positive about anything?

I don't see what we're going to prove here.

The man said he saw the boy running out, that's what he said to us.

Well, let's see if the details bear him out.

Now, the minute the body fell, the old man says he heard footsteps

running towards the front door upstairs.

Then he heard that upstairs door open

and the footsteps continued down the stairway.

He got to his front door as fast as he could,

swears it couldn't have been more than 15 seconds.

Now, if the killer started to run immediately...

- Well, maybe he didn't. - The old man says he did.

You ought to be down in Atlantic City at the hair-splitters' convention.

Hey, baseball, why don't you stop with the smart remarks all the time?

Oh, my friend, for your $15 a day, you gotta listen to everything.

Okay, now you got that thing in here. What about it?

May I?

Okay, this is the apartment where the killing took place.

The old man's apartment is exactly like it, directly underneath.

Now, here's the El line,

here's the bedroom, living room, the kitchen and the bath,

here's the hallway,

and way down there is the front door to the apartment,

and here are the steps that go down.

Now, the old man was in bed in this room.

He says he got up, he went into the hall,

went all the way down the hall, opened the front door,

just in time to see the boy racing down the stairs.

Am I right?

That's the story, for the 19th time!

15 seconds after he heard the body fall.

- Correct. - The old man's bed was by the window.

That means he had to walk 12 feet from the bed to the bedroom door

and the hall is 43 feet 6 inches...

down to the front door.

That means that he had to get up, get out of bed,

walk 12 feet, open the bedroom door,

walk 43 feet and open the front door to his apartment,

all in 15 seconds.

Does anyone think he could have done it?

- Sure he could have done it! - He could only walk very slowly.

They had to help him to the witness chair.

You make it sound like a long walk! It's not!

For an old man who's had a stroke, it's a long walk.

What are you doing?

I wanna set this up, see how long it took him.

What do you mean you wanna set this up?

Why didn't the kid's lawyer bring it up if it's so important?

Maybe he just didn't think of it!

What do you mean, he didn't think of it?

What do you think, the guy's an idiot or something?

- It's an obvious thing. - Did you think of it?

Look, smart guy, don't matter whether I thought of it or not.

All right, let's calm it down.

He didn't bring it up 'cause he thought it was gonna hurt his case.

Wait a minute! Maybe he didn't bring it up because it would seem

as if he was badgering and pestering a helpless old man,

which does not sit well with a jury.

Lawyers try to avoid that sort of thing if they can.

What kind of bum is he then?

That's exactly what I've been asking.

Now, let's say this is the old man's bed.

First, I'm gonna pace off 12 feet,

that's the length of the bedroom.

You're crazy! You can't recreate a thing like that!

Go on and give it a try.

You wanna do me a favor? Could you hand me that chair?

Put it right here. This is the bedroom door.

Now the hallway was what? It was 43 feet.

Well, I'll pace over to that wall and then back around this way again.

This is absolutely insane!

What's the idea behind wasting everybody's time with this?

...11, 12. Look, it's only gonna take 15 seconds according to you.

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

...40, 41, 42, 43.

If you would. Thank you very much.

This is the doorway out into the hall and the stairway going down.

It was chain-locked according to testimony.

Now, has anybody here got a second hand on their watch?

- I have. - All right.

Well, you just stamp your foot when you want me to go.

That'll be the body falling. All right?

Time me from then.

Anybody for charades?

I've never seen anything like this in my whole...

All right, I'm ready.

Come on, come on, would you?

I'm waiting for the second hand to reach 60.

Go!

Oh, come on, step it up.

He walked twice as fast as that! That's too slow!

Look how fast he's walking. He didn't walk any faster. He's an old man.

Come on, will you get this kid stuff over with?

No, that's too slow.

Well, that's the way he walked.

You want me to walk faster? All right, I'll walk faster.

Eight to five he don't make it.

Come on.

This is a trial for murder!

Relax, will ya? Jeez!

Time!

Exactly 42 seconds.

42 seconds?

42 seconds.

Here's what I think happened.

I think the old man heard the fight between the boy and his father earlier

and then a couple of hours later, lying in bed,

he heard a body hit the floor at the boy's apartment

and heard the woman scream across the street.

He tried to get to the front door.

He heard someone running down the stairs

and he assumed that it was the boy.

I think that's possible.

Assumed?

Now listen to me, people!

I've heard all kinds of dishonesty in my day,

but this little display takes the cake!

You come in here with your sanctimonious talk about slum kids and injustice

and you make up a lot of wild stories,

and all of a sudden, you're gettin' through

to some of these little old ladies in here!

But you're not getting through to me! I've had enough!

What is the matter with you people?

Everyone of you knows he's guilty!

He's got to burn!

We'll let him slip through our fingers!

"Slip through our fingers"?

- What are you, his executioner? - I'm one of them.

Maybe you'd like to put the needle in.

For this kid, you bet I would!

God, I'm sorry for you.

Don't start with me now.

Ever since we've walked into this room,

you've acted like a self-appointed public avenger.

Shut up!

You want the boy to die for your own personal reasons,

not because of the facts!

Shut up! Shut up!

Hey, hey!

You're a sadist!

I'll kill him! I'll kill him!

You don't really mean you'll kill me, do you?

What the hell's going on here?

Nothing.

Just a little argument. Everything's fine, brother, everything is fine.

Things got just a little heated.

Thank you.

What are you staring at?

Well, I suppose we need someone else to start this off again, huh?

It's getting late.

What do they do? Take us out to a restaurant for supper?

I don't know.

I sure hope they let us go home

in case we don't finish this case tonight.

My little grandson has the mumps, face out to here.

My wife says he looks like Fat Albert.

Well, look guys, if no one else has any ideas,

I might have a cute one here. I mean, I didn't put much thought into it,

but let me throw it out in the stoop.

We'll see if the cat licks it up, what do you say?

"The cat licks it up"?

Yeah, it's an expression.

It wasn't much of an idea really.

Look how dark it's getting.

We're gonna have a storm.

- Well... - Boy, it's hot!

Don't you sweat?

No. No, I don't.

I don't either.

Well, listen, I'm wondering, uh...

Maybe we could take another vote.

Yeah. Maybe we can follow this one up with dancing and refreshments.

- Mr. Foreman. - All right with me.

Anyone who doesn't wanna vote?

I think we should have an open ballot.

Call out your votes, see who stands where.

All right. The last vote was eight to four in favor of guilty.

I'll just call out your jury numbers.

I vote guilty.

Number 2?

Not guilty.

- Number 3? - Guilty.

- Number 4? - Guilty.

- Number 5? - Not guilty.

Number 6?

Not guilty.

Number 7?

Guilty.

Number 8?

Not guilty.

- Number 9? - Not guilty.

Number 10?

He's guilty, brother.

Number 11?

Not guilty.

Number 12?

Guilty.

Six to six.

And we go into extra innings here.

Six to six!

Boy, I'm tellin' you, some of you people have lost your damn mind,

helpin' a kid like that.

I don't think the kind of boy he is has anything to do with it.

The facts are supposed to determine the case.

Oh, don't give me any of that "facts"!

I'm sick and tired of facts!

Twist 'em any way you want to!

Facts! Facts!

That's... That's exactly the point

that this gentleman has been making!

You keep shouting at the top of your lungs

as though that were some sort of solution.

I mean, I could... What?

Well, I could...

I just wish I was a little younger.

It's gonna rain.

No? How did you figure that out?

- How come you switched? - Well, it just seemed...

You know, you don't got a leg to stand on, don't you?

I don't feel that way.

There were a lot of details that didn't come out.

Details?

Look, you just let yourself get bulldozed

by a bunch of these old whitewashed intellectuals.

- That's not so! - Oh, come on, this is me!

You're just like them other folks your age,

you're scared of the white man!

- They say something, you get all mixed up. - Now you listen.

You're just mixed up. You're mixed up I said.

You have no right to...

Loudmouth!

- Uh-oh! Here it comes! - Whoa, look at that.

I need somebody to give me a hand up here.

Get that window, come on!

What's with this window here?

Jesus H.

Let's try to get this air conditioner

working in here, what do you say, huh?

Hey! Look at this!

Hey, it must have been connected to the light switch, huh?

Some rain, huh?

And what about this thing? Even-Steven.

Kinda surprising, isn't it?

Yeah, yeah.

You know, that business before,

when that guy was baiting me.

That doesn't prove anything.

I'm a very excitable person, I mean...

Where does he come off calling me a public avenger and a sadist and everything?

Anybody in his right mind would've blown his stack, right?

He was just tryin' to bait me.

He did an excellent job.

Man, look at it go.

You know, it reminds me of the city championships three years ago.

What a game!

The score was tied, 21-21. It could've gone either way.

We had this young brother, Yelder.

Great kid.

Quiet, respectful, wiry,

but he could shake you out of your shoes!

Nobody could touch him.

I'm the football coach over at Bayside.

Oh.

The scouts had just started to hover around.

The refs, they requested the game just to see him play.

It was phenomenal.

I mean, I built the whole team around him.

I knew better, but I...

I loved the kid.

We came out at half time and it'd already began pouring.

By the fourth quarter, the field was a mud bath.

Yelder, of course, he couldn't get his footing.

He's a scatback.

They had a big fullback they just rammed down our throats

and won the game.

But, you know, I'll always remember Yelder after the game...

sitting on the bench...

still in his uniform...

staring off into... space.

Just broke my heart.

Well, ain't that the damnedest thing you ever saw?

Six to six. It's a joke.

What are we gonna do about it? Can we break it somehow?

Yeah, well, six fools in there aren't gonna change their minds.

Five of them already have changed their minds.

There's no reason why they can't be persuaded to do it again.

- And how? - Just by using logic!

Yeah, logic, huh?

You listen to this man, he's the only one in the room who knows.

- Hey, you want my opinion? - Go ahead.

I think we should just quit.

What are you talking about?

I mean, come on, these six people in there,

all of a sudden they act like it's some kind of mission or something.

I mean, come on, they're not gonna switch.

Let's just go to the judge or we'll be here all night.

Let's just go and tell her that we're hung.

The hell with this!

What am I supposed to do? Break my brain over some scum like that?

You took an oath in the courtroom!

- You can't just quit. - Why not?

It's dishonest!

Why don't you just vote not guilty?

No, I voted guilty 'cause I think he's guilty!

But you don't care what happens to him!

No, why should I?

Stop this! We're not going to get anywhere like this.

I mean, come on, what does he want?

- I gave him my honest opinion. - I know.

Oh, I suppose you don't think much of it.

No, I don't.

How about him? Is that something?

Well, a hung jury doesn't mean anything.

They just have to start the trial all over again with another jury.

That's not what we're here for.

What the hell is the difference?

A hung jury's what you're gonna get.

All right, look! I'll tell you what I think, all right?

We ain't going nowhere in here.

Listen, I'm ready to go into court right now and declare a hung jury.

Yeah, I go for that, too. Come on, let's take it into the judge.

Let this kid take his chances with 12 other guys.

The court is not going to accept a hung jury.

We haven't been here long enough.

Well, let's find out!

I'm not in favor of this.

Listen, this kid wouldn't stand a chance

with another jury and you know it.

Come on, we're hung.

Nobody's gonna change their opinion. Let's take it inside.

You still don't think there's any room for reasonable doubt?

No, I don't.

Pardon, maybe you do not fully understand the term "reasonable doubt."

Oh, what do you mean I don't understand?

Who the hell are you to talk to me like that?

How do you like this guy, huh? I'm telling you. They're all the same.

You come over to this country running for your life

and before you can take a big breath,

he's telling us how to run the show.

The arrogance of this guy!

Oh, you call him arrogant 'cause he wasn't born here.

Please, it doesn't matter.

Well, I'm calling you arrogant 'cause you were, how's that?

- Hey, look, sonny... - And who the hell are you calling sonny?

Hey, look, sonny!

Nobody around here's gonna tell me what words

I understand and what words I don't!

Especially him!

'Cause I'll knock his Middle Easter-European goddamn head off!

All right, cut the bullshit.

We're not going in as a hung jury.

Come on, let's get back to work.

I think there's something I would like to discuss,

if it's all right with you gentlemen.

An important point the prosecution raised was the fact that the boy,

having said that he was at the movies

during the time the murder occurred,

could not remember the names of the films

or the stars that were in them.

This gentleman has raised that point several times.

That's correct.

It was the only alibi the boy offered

and he himself couldn't back it up with any details at all.

Well, putting yourself in the boy's place, if you can,

do you think that you would be able to remember details

after an experience such as your father hitting you in the face?

Yes, I think so, if there were any special details to remember.

He couldn't remember the movies at the theater he named

because he wasn't there that night.

Well, the police said they interrogated the boy

in the kitchen of his apartment

while his father's body lay on the floor of the bedroom.

Do you think that you could remember details

under a situation such as that?

Yes, I do.

Under extreme emotional stress?

Under extreme emotional stress, yes, yes.

Of course, in court, he did remember the names of the pictures

and he remembered the names of the stars that appeared in them.

Oh, yes. His lawyer took great pains to bring that out.

He had three months from the night of the murder

to the day of the trial in which to memorize them.

I'll take the testimony of the policeman

who interrogated him right after the murder!

When he couldn't remember a thing about the movies.

Great emotional stress or not.

Okay. Could I ask you a personal question?

Oh, please, go ahead, go ahead.

Where were you last night?

I was home, yes.

Okay. The night before that?

Hey, come on, what is this?

It's perfectly all right. Wait, wait.

The night before?

I went from court to my office, stayed there till 8:30,

then I went straight home to bed, yes.

All right. And the night before that?

That was... Tues... Tuesday, thank you.

Tuesday.

That was the night of bridge tournament.

Yes, yes, I played bridge.

Uh-huh. And Monday night?

When you get him down to New Year's Eve, 1972, let me know.

Wait, wait. Monday night...

Oh, yes. My wife and I went to the movies.

Ah. What did you see?

Lies & Secrets.

It was a very touching story about a black woman who, uh...

Excuse me.

It's called Secrets & Lies.

Secrets & Lies, yes.

Correct. And who was in Secrets & Lies?

Wait, wait, wait a minute.

It was something with "B", with "B-E"...

"B"... I think... Yeah, Bella. Bella.

- It was Bella something... - It was Brenda.

Brenda was her name.

And what was her last name?

Mmm, it was, uh... It was an English movie.

They are actors that I'm not familiar with.

Something with "Eu, Eu, Eu..."

No, I'm sorry. I'm very sorry.

And you weren't under great emotional stress at the time, were you?

No, sir, I wasn't, sorry.

I think the point is made!

Yeah, big point!

I think it is a big point.

What, because he couldn't remember the name of a couple of two-bit movie stars?

Oh, well, I guess that proves that the kid was at the movies then.

No, but it indicates that no one can prove that he wasn't.

He might have been at the movies and forgotten what he saw.

It's possible.

If it's perfectly logical for this gentleman to forget a few details,

it's perfectly logical for the boy!

Being accused of murder isn't supposed to give him an infallible memory.

Yeah, well, you can talk till your tongue is draggin' on the ground, okay?

The kid is guilty, period! You know what I mean, my friend?

Who's got the cough drops?

They're all gone... my friend.

You know, there's something we're forgetting here

that I was just thinking about.

And that's that whole business that dragged out forever with the psychiatrist

where he got all involved with...

Oh, come on, don't start with all that old, phony, psycho, what-you-call-'em stuff!

That, boy, what a racket that is,

filling people's heads with all that junk.

I got three psychiatrists, bringin' their cars to my detail shop.

The whole three of them buggers is crazy.

I'm trying to make a point...

I wouldn't give you a buffalo nickel

for a psychiatrist's testimony, I wouldn't. I wouldn't.

Why won't you let the man talk?

You can do five minutes on the uselessness of psychiatry after he's through.

What I was gonna say was that the psychiatrist definitely stated

that the boy had strong homicidal tendencies,

that he was capable of committing murder.

He also described all those tests, ink blots and all the rest,

and said that the boy definitely was a killer type. Am I right?

I think he said something about paranoid tendencies, if I'm not mistaken.

That's right.

Let's just remember he said it.

Let's not forget we're talking about a boy here

who's always had murder on his mind.

His unconscious mind.

I beg your pardon. In discussing...

"I beg your pardon"! Why are you so damn polite about?

For the same reason that you are not.

It was the way I was brought up.

In discussing such a thing as the murder potential,

we must remember that many of us

are capable of committing murder, but few of us do.

We impose controls upon ourselves to prevent it.

Now the most that these psychiatric tests

can accomplish along these lines is this.

They can tell us that someday a particular person may commit murder.

That is all. They prove nothing.

Then how come they're admitted in evidence?

They have many uses, of course.

In this case, they added to the general impression

the prosecution was trying to create.

Perhaps we would find, if the 12 of us men took the same tests,

one or two of us might be discovered to have

the subconscious desires to kill

and the potentiality of carrying them out.

Yet, none of us has.

To say that the man is capable of murder

does not mean that he has committed murder.

Yeah, but it could mean it!

Look, if they said this kid was capable of killing,

he could've killed, couldn't he?

You're the one who said, and I quote,

"I wouldn't give a buffalo nickel for a psychiatrist's testimony."

Five to 6:00.

Look at that rain.

There goes the old ball game.

Say... Say, could I, uh, see that knife for a second?

All right, gentlemen.

We're still tied six to six.

- Who's got a suggestion? - I do. Let's have dinner.

No, let's go to 7:00 and give it another hour.

Okay.

Listen, there's somethin' I want to say.

Uh, it's been bothering me a little and as long as we're stuck, hmm?

Well, there was this whole business about the stab wound,

how it was made, the downward angle, you know?

You're not gonna start that again. They went over and over it.

I know they did, but I can't go along with it.

The boy was, well, 5'7" tall. Right?

And according to the medical examiner, the father was 6'2".

Now, that's a difference of seven inches.

Now, it's an awkward thing to

stab down into somebody's chest

when he's more than half a foot taller than you are.

Give me that thing, huh?

You won't be satisfied until you see this again,

so I'm gonna give you a little demonstration.

Somebody get up.

Okay.

Watch this please. I don't wanna have to do it again.

Now I'm about six or seven inches shorter than you, right?

Yeah, maybe even a little more.

Well, let it be more.

- Hey, that ain't funny! - What's the matter with you?

Calm down.

- Nobody's hurt, right? - Nobody's hurt.

Now, there's your angle.

Take a look at it. Down and in.

That's the way I would stab a taller man

and that's the way it was done.

Now go ahead, tell me I'm wrong.

Down and in. That's how it was done.

Wait a minute, wait a minute. Let me see that.

This is a stiletto, not a switchblade.

I hate these things.

I grew up with them.

Have you ever seen them used in a fight?

Too many of them.

On my stoop, in my backyard,

a lot across the street.

These came with the neighborhood where I lived.

It's funny, I wasn't thinking of it.

I guess I try to forget those things.

You can't use this kind of knife that way.

You have to hold it like this to release the blade.

In order to stab downwards, you'd have to change your grip.

Well, how do you use it?

Underhand, like this.

Anyone who's ever used one of these

would never handle it any other way.

- Are you sure? - Yeah, I'm sure.

That's why it's made like this.

Well, we all agree that that boy is pretty handy with a knife, right?

Yeah, that's right.

You think he could have made the kind of wound that killed his father?

Not with the experience he'd had using these things. No, I don't think he would.

He'd go for him underhanded.

How do you know? Were you in the room when the father was killed?

No, and neither was anyone else.

Ah, you're givin' us a lot of mumbo-jumbo there.

I don't believe it.

I don't think you can determine the type of wounds

this boy might or might not have made

simply because he knows how to handle a knife.

That's right, that's absolutely right!

What do you think?

Well...

- I don't know. - What do you mean you don't know?

I don't know!

How about you?

All right, listen, listen, listen, I'll tell you somethin'.

Now, I'm a little sick of this whole thing already, you know?

I mean, all this yapping is getting us nowhere!

So, I'm gonna break it up here.

- I'm changing my vote to not guilty. - You're what?

You heard me. I've had enough.

What do you mean you've had enough? That's no answer!

Listen, you, you just worry about yourself.

He's right!

That is not an answer!

What kind of a man are you?

You have been sitting here, voting guilty with everyone else,

because there are a couple of baseball tickets burning a hole in your pocket?

And now you say you're going to change your vote

because you've had enough with all the talking?

All right, listen, buddy...

You cannot do this!

You cannot play like this with a man's life!

What is wrong with you?

It is a terrible and ugly thing to do!

Do you not care?

Hey, wait a minute!

You can't talk like that to me!

I can talk like that to you!

Now, if you want to vote not guilty, then do it

because you are convinced that the man is not guilty,

not because you've had enough.

If you want to vote guilty, then vote that way.

Or don't you have the guts to do what you think is right?

Hey, now listen, buddy! You just...

Guilty or not guilty?

- I told you, not guilty! - Why?

God damn you, I don't have to tell you anything!

Yes, you do! Say it, why?

'Cause I don't think he's guilty.

Mr. Foreman, I wish to call for another vote.

All right, gentlemen,

another vote is called for.

And the quickest way is the show of hands.

Anybody object?

All those in favor of not guilty raise your hands.

One...

...two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Eight.

Nine.

All those voting guilty, raise your hand.

One, two.

Three.

The vote is nine to three in favor of not guilty.

I don't understand you people!

I mean, all these little picky points

you keep bringing up don't mean nothing.

They don't mean nothing.

How can you believe this story?

You're an intelligent man and you're not gonna tell me that you're not,

you know the facts of life.

Just look at what we're dealing with here.

You know him! You know this kid!

And this guy over here, I don't know what the hell is going on with him,

all that talk about psychiatrists.

Maybe he ought to go to one.

Now, look! Let's talk facts.

These people are born to lie.

Now, that's the way they are and no intelligent man is gonna tell me otherwise.

They don't know what the truth is!

You take a look at 'em! They're different!

They think different, they act different

and they don't need some big excuse to kill somebody either.

Well, it's true! Everybody knows it.

Smoking that crack. Nothing but crack heads!

Look at him, smart guy. Uncle Tom.

What's that mean, slammin' the door?

Anyway, these people they get all drugged out

and, bang!

All of a sudden somebody's lying dead in the gutter.

Okay, look, nobody's blaming 'em for it.

That's just the way they are by nature, you know what I mean?

They're violent.

And human life don't mean as much to them as it does to us.

Where are you going? Where are you going?

Look, while you're in there, maybe you ought to clean out your ears,

maybe you can hear somethin'.

Now look, listen to me now!

These spics! They stay high on dope and they fight all the time.

Look, if somebody gets killed, so somebody gets killed, they don't care!

They breed like animals.

Okay, sure, there's some good things about them.

Look, I'm the first guy to tell you that.

I've known some who were okay.

- But that's the exception. - You know you're a sick man.

- Sick? - Why don't you sit down?

You old son of a bitch! Who are you?

No, who the hell is he to tell me that?

Sick. Look at him! He can hardly stand up!

No, I'm speaking my piece here today and you're listening!

- Maybe you should... - You shut up, you sit down!

There's not one of them, not one, that's any good!

Not one!

You hear that?

Sympathetic bastards!

And you at the window, you're so goddamn smart.

We're facing a danger, don't you know that?

These wetbacks are multiplying like rabbits!

They come over here illegally and they're multiplying

five times faster than my people!

That's five times, brothers!

And they're wild animals!

They're against us, they hate us!

They want to destroy us!

They come over here and they benefit from everything that we've built!

That's right! Don't look at me like that.

There's a danger.

We are living in a dangerous time, brother!

If we don't smack them down, if we don't do something,

every chance we get, then they're gonna own us!

They're gonna breed us out of existence.

- Shut up! - I'm warning you!

You listen to me. I'm telling you this boy...

This boy on trial, we got him.

We got him! That's one at least!

I say that we get him, before his kind gets us!

I don't give a damn about the law!

Why should I? They don't.

- Now, I'm telling you. - I've heard enough!

Now you just stop all of this!

Come on, wake up, man! We can make a difference here!

Sit down.

And don't open your filthy mouth again!

All right, gentlemen.

Let's finish what we started.

You have made some excellent points.

The last one, in which you proved that the boy couldn't have

made that kind of overhand stab wound was very persuasive.

But I still believe the boy is guilty of murder.

I have two reasons.

One...

The evidence given by the woman across the street,

who actually saw the murder committed.

And how. As far as I'm concerned,

that's the most important testimony in the whole case.

Two, the fact

that the woman described the stabbing by saying

she saw the boy raise his arm over his head,

over his head, right up,

and plunge the knife down into his father's chest.

She saw him do it.

- The wrong way! - That's right, that's absolutely right!

So let's talk about this woman for a minute here.

She said that she went to bed at about 11:00 that night, yes?

Her bed was next to the window,

she could look out while lying down

and see directly into the boy's window across the street.

She tossed and turned for over an hour, unable to fall asleep.

Finally, she turned towards the window

at about 10 minutes after 12:00,

and as she looked out,

she saw the killing through the windows of the passing El train.

She says the lights went out immediately after the killing,

but that she got a good look at the boy in the act of stabbing his father.

You know, as far as I can see,

this is unshakeable testimony!

That's what I mean, it's the whole case!

What do you think?

What about you?

Well...

I don't know, it's...

There's so many things to sift through. I...

This is pretty complicated business.

Really, I don't see how we can vote for acquittal.

Well...

It's just not easy to arrange the evidence in order.

You can throw out all the other evidence!

The woman saw him do it!

What else do you want?

Well, maybe...

Let's vote on it.

All right, gentlemen, another vote is called for.

Anyone object?

I'm changing my vote. I think he's guilty.

Anybody else?

What makes you consider this one vote a personal triumph?

I'm the competitive type.

Here's what I think.

I think we're a hung jury, let's take it inside to the judge.

What?

You didn't want a hung jury before.

Well, I do now!

I... I don't understand that.

You thought it was immoral.

I don't anymore.

People in here are so goddamn stubborn!

We'll never get this done, we'll be here for a week!

I wanna hear an argument.

I say we're a hung jury.

Well, come on! You're the leader of the cause.

- What about it? - Let's go over it again.

We went over it again.

J. Walter Thomson over here has been bouncing back and forth

like a ping pong ball!

- Wait a minute. You don't have to call me... - I apologize!

On my knees!

Come on.

Let's get out from under this thing, eh?

All right, all right.

Maybe we can talk about setting some kind of a time limit.

- What's the time? - Quarter after six.

Quarter after six.

Someone before mentioned 7:00.

I think that's the point at which we might begin to discuss the question

of whether we are a hung jury or not.

- Excuse me. - Yes.

Don't you feel well?

Oh, I feel perfectly well, thank you very much.

I was saying 7:00 would be...

The reason I asked was that you were rubbing your nose.

I'm sorry to interrupt.

But you made a gesture, that reminded me of one of the witnesses.

I was trying to settle something here, do you mind?

I think this is important.

Okay, go ahead, please, go ahead.

Thank you.

I hope you'll forgive me for this,

but I was wondering why...

Why were you rubbing your nose like that?

Come on now, will you please?

Right now, I'm talking to this gentleman here.

Now...

Why were you rubbing your nose?

Well, if it's any of your business,

I was rubbing it because it bothers me a little.

Is it because of your eyeglasses?

It is, yes, it is. Could we get on to something else, please?

Your eyeglasses make those deep impressions on the side of your nose.

Mmm. Yes.

I hadn't noticed that before.

They must be annoying.

Oh, yes. Oh, yes, they are. Very, very annoying.

I wouldn't know about that.

I've never worn eyeglasses.

20-20.

Hey. Come on with the optometrist bit already.

The woman who testified that she saw the killing

had those same deep marks on the side of her nose.

- Whoa. - Did you see that?

Please, please, please. Just a minute!

And I'll be finished.

I don't know if any of you noticed that.

I didn't think about it then.

But, I've been going over her face in my mind.

She had those marks.

She kept rubbing them in court.

He's right. He's right. She did do that a lot.

This woman,

was about 45 years old,

making a tremendous effort to look 35.

You know, for her first public appearance.

Dyed hair, heavy make-up and brand new clothes...

which would have been more suitable on a younger woman.

And no eyeglasses.

See if you can get a mental picture of her.

What do you mean no glasses?

You don't know if she wore glasses!

Just because she was rubbing her nose?

She had those marks. I saw them!

So what? What do you think that means?

I saw them too. He's right.

- Well... - I was the closest one to her.

- Well... - She had those marks.

What point are you trying to make here?

She had them!

That's the point I'm trying to make. She had those marks!

She had dyed hair and marks on her nose,

now I'm asking you, what does that mean?

Could those marks have been made by anything other than eyeglasses?

No, no, they couldn't.

What are you saying? I didn't see any marks!

I... I did. Yes, I did.

Strange, I didn't think about it before, strange.

What about the lawyer? Why didn't he say anything?

Look, there's 12 people in here that have been concentrating on this case

and 11 of us didn't think of it.

All right, Clarence Darrow!

What about the District Attorney?

Do you think he'd try to pull a trick like that,

let her testify without her glasses?

Haven't you ever met a woman who needed glasses but didn't wanna wear them

because she thought it ruined her looks?

Yeah, my wife.

I'm telling you, she walks out of the house, she takes off her glasses,

she puts 'em in her purse, she walks down the street she starts bumping into shit.

Maybe the District Attorney didn't know either.

Just what I was gonna say.

All right.

She had marks on her nose, I'm giving you that...

From glasses.

She never wore them out of the house

so that everybody would think she was gorgeous!

But when she saw the kid kill his father, she was in the house.

- Alone. - Do you wear your glasses when you go to bed?

No one wears eyeglasses to bed, no one.

Then it's logical to say that she wasn't wearing hers in bed either.

- How do you know? - I don't know, I'm just guessing.

And I'm also guessing that when she glanced out the window,

she didn't put her glasses on either.

She herself said that she just looked out the window,

the murder took place and one split second later, the lights went out.

She wouldn't have had time to put her glasses on then.

- Wait a second. - And here's another guess.

Maybe the woman honestly thought she saw the boy kill his father.

I say, she only saw a blur.

How do you know what she saw? How does he know these things?

You don't know what kind of glasses she wore!

Maybe she was farsighted. Maybe they were sunglasses.

What do you know about it?

I only know that the woman's eyesight is in question now.

She had to identify a person 60 feet away, in the dark, without glasses.

You can't send someone off to die on evidence like that.

Don't give me that.

You don't think it's possible that the woman made a mistake?

- No! - It's not possible?

No, it's not possible.

Number 12, is it possible?

Yes, it's possible.

The kid's not guilty.

Number 10, do you think he's guilty?

Yes, I think he's guilty.

But I couldn't care less.

You smart bastards, you do whatever you want.

How do you vote?

I vote not guilty.

Do whatever you want.

You're the worst son of a...

I think he's guilty!

Does anyone else think he's guilty?

No, I'm... I'm convinced.

What's the matter with you?

I now have a reasonable doubt.

It's 11 to one!

What about all the other evidence? The knife.

All that other stuff. The whole business.

You said we could throw out all the other evidence.

You're alone.

I don't care whether I'm alone or not.

It's my right!

It is your right.

What do you want?

I say he's guilty.

We want to hear your arguments.

I gave you my arguments.

But we're not convinced. We want to hear them again.

We have as much time as it takes.

Everything.

Every single thing that went on in that courtroom.

But I mean everything says he's guilty.

What do you think I am, an idiot or something?

You

lousy bunch of bleeding hearts!

Well, you're not going to intimidate me!

I am entitled to my opinion!

I can sit in this goddamn room for a year!

Somebody say something, will ya?

Look.

Why don't you take all that stuff about...

The old man. The old man who lived there,

who heard everything,

or the knife.

What, just because he found one just like it?

The old man saw him!

On the stairs!

What difference does it make how many seconds it took, what is the difference?

Every

single thing.

That knife falling through a hole in his pocket!

You can't prove he didn't get to the door.

Sure, you can hobble around here all you want,

but you can't prove it.

I'm telling you.

Every single thing has been twisted and turned in here!

That business about the eyeglasses.

You don't know whether she wore glasses.

The woman testified!

In court!

What do you want? That's it!

That's the whole case.

The whole thing about the boy,

yelling out.

The phrase was,

"I am going to kill you."

And he said it to his own father.

I don't care

what kind of a man he was, it was his father!

Goddamn rotten kid!

I know what they're like, I know what they can do,

I know how they can

kill you, every day!

My God.

Don't you see?

Why am I the only one who sees?

Jesus.

I can feel the knife going in.

He's not your boy.

He's somebody else.

Um...

Let him live.

All right.

Not guilty.

Yeah.

We've reached a verdict.

Okay, gentlemen, take your seats in the jury box.

- Excuse me. - Mmm?

My name's McCardle. What's yours?

- Davis. - Oh.

Well...

Oh.

So long.