12 Angry Men (1957), the first feature film directed by the legendary Sidney Lumet, is a Hollywood classic that, ironically, helped to define an era of filmmaking grounded in the gritty realism and frenetic energy of urban New York. A simple story of a jury's deliberations in a murder case, where tensions boil over during a hot summer day in the city, it launched Lumet's career as a filmmaker with a special gift for capturing ordinary lives tossed into difficult situations of moral choice. 12 Angry Men has become a cultural touchstone, a time capsule of American justice before the civil rights era and the expansion of civil liberties in the 1960s. Its influence has been vast, and it established Lumet's reputation as an artist at the forefront of social change.

Tragically, we've learned this week that the Nittany Lions of Penn State fail to roar when it comes to protecting the sexual innocence of adolescent boys. In fact, despite being able to field a team of hulking men, Penn State's coaches, and its athletic director, somehow were without the muscle to even call the police.