An intriguing film noir about a novelist out to expose the injustices of capital punishment. Working with his fiancee's father, a newspaper publisher, he frames himself for murder, intending to produce exonerating evidence at the last moment. But the publisher suddenly dies, the evidence is lost, and that's only the first twist in a brilliantly layered plot ideally suited to Lang's talents.

Based on a true story. In the late 1940's, Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez became known as the notorious "Lonely Hearts Killers". They would swindle and then viciously murder war widows who would answer their personal ads. Ray would describe himself as a sexy Latin Lover. Martha was Ray's initial mark. But when they met, it was love at first sight. With Martha posing as Ray's sister, they bilked elderly spinsters and widows of their savings and...

Tempers rise as a jury of middle-aged men find themselves unable to sway a single member of their group to the majority opinion. Confronted with a seemingly clear-cut case, bolstered by opinions and assumptions, but with no verdict in sight the group threatens to become deadlocked. Will the 12th juror, stubbornly convinced of a young defendant's innocence, be able to sway the entire group to his viewpoint, or will the group ultimately force the holdout...