12 Citizens (2014): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2014, 12 Citizens is a drama and crime film directed by Xu Ang, running about 108 minutes. “12 Chinese men, 1.2 billion voices!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. When the film broke out that a young man coming from a rich adopted family murdered his birth father, the controversy around the case hit a nerve with the public at large. An experiment was held through the form of virtual court inside a college to discuss this hot topic. During the process of virtual court, 12 Chinese people from different walks of life got together and discussed the case like a jury. Through intricate and thought provoking questions from the main character, people start to think more critically about the case. During this process, one sees the revelation of people's bias and emotional-preconceptions about the suspect, about each other, and also about the society.

Who’s in it. 12 Citizens stars Lei Jia as Juror 1 /Mr. Foreman, Wang Gang as Juror 2, Han Tongsheng as Juror 3 and Chunyang Zhao as Juror 4, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.0/10, 12 Citizens has been warmly received by audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch 12 Citizens page.

If you liked it. Fans of 12 Citizens tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.