After working in the fast-paced world of live television, director Sidney Lumet transitioned to the big screen by adapting Reginald Rose's award-winning teleplay to create a masterpiece of nail-biting suspense and moral purpose. Restricted to a cramped jury room on the hottest day of the year, the film is animated by Henry Fonda's commanding and iconic performance as the lone dissenting voice battling to convince his fellow jurors of "reasonable doubt" - with a teenage defendant's life on the balance.