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. The final credits note that the actual perpetrator was arrested a month later.
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]
