12 Citizens
十二公民
Directed byXu Ang (徐昂)
Written byJinglong Han (韩景龙)
Yujiao Li (李玉娇)
Based onTwelve Angry Men
by Reginald Rose
Produced byYan Jianwei (严建伟)
Liangwen Li (李良文)
Yang Ming (杨明)
Luna Wang (王露娜)
CinematographyTao Cai (陶彩)
Edited byWang Gang (王刚)
Jiale Yin (尹佳乐)
Music byRadio Mars
Release dates
  • October 19, 2014 (2014-10-19) (Rome)
  • May 15, 2015 (2015-05-15) (China)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin
Box officeCN¥2.07 million (China)

12 Citizens (Chinese: 十二公民) is a 2014 Chinese suspense crime drama film directed by Xu Ang. It was shown at the 2014 Rome Film Festival on October 19, 2014[1] and was released in China on May 15, 2015.[2] The plot is based on and heavily references the plot of the 1954 teleplay Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose. The major changes in the plot are changes brought forward and made more appropriate for a Chinese audience.

Plot

On a hot summer's day, 12 male "citizens" undergo a mock jury for a law school's Western law subject. The mock jury need to decide whether a boy is guilty or not of a murder of his father with a knife based on the evidence. The evidence prepared by the students of the course seems airtight and therefore it seems as if the jury will render him guilty of the crime. However, one juror does not follow the consensus and appreciates the nuances and seriousness of the verdict. His motives are unclear but he wants to entertain the thought that there is reasonable doubt about the guilt of the boy. As a result, the evidence is slowly cross-referenced and examined. Conflicts are spurred as a result of their differing personalities and strong opinions. Eventually, one by one, the jurors are convinced that there is reasonable doubt and judge the boy to be not guilty. On the end of the mock jury trial, the jurors are visibly exhausted. The juror who had rebelled and wanted to see the case through is revealed to be a prosecutor of the People's Republic of China.

Cast

Actor Actor (Pinyin) Role
何冰 He Bing Juror no.8, the main character
雷佳 Lei Jia Juror no.1, the foreman
王刚 Wang Gang Juror no.2, a teacher
韩童生 Han Tongsheng Juror no.3, a taxi driver
赵春羊 Zhao Chunyang Juror no.4, a real estate owner
高东平 Gao Dongping Juror no.5
李光复 Li Guangfu Juror no.6, a physician
钱波 Qian Bo Juror no.7, a shop owner
米铁增 Mi Tiezen Juror no.9, the elder
张永强 Zhang Yongqiang Juror no.10, a landlord
班赞 Ban Zan Juror no.11, a security guard
刘辉 Liu Hui Juror no.12, an insurance salesman

Reception

By May 16, 2015 the film had grossed CN¥2.07 million at the Chinese box office.[3]

On Film Business Asia, Derek Elley gave the film a 9 out of 10, saying it "is superbly written and played."[4]

In The Hollywood Reporter, Deborah Young comments on the ending of the movie, stating that "one can take issue with the glib final revelation about Juror No. 8, which rather explodes the film’s progressive democracy-by-the-people facade".[5]

References

  1. ^ "Shier gongmin (12 Citizens)". filmguide.romacinemafest.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  2. ^ "十二公民 (2014)". movie.douban.com (in Chinese). douban.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  3. ^ "十二公民（2015）". www.cbooo.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  4. ^ Derek Elley (June 13, 2015). "12 Citizens". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 2015-07-22. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  5. ^ Deborah Young (June 23, 2015). "'12 Citizens': Shanghai Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 3, 2018.

External links


Reginald Rose's Twelve Angry Men
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