Released in April of 1957 on a budget of just three-hundred and fifty thousand dollars,
this iconic courtroom drama shares the story of 12 jurors who must deliberate the verdict
of a young accused murderer.
Hollywood icon Sidney Lumet directed this now famous 96-minute movie that stars Henry
Fonda, Lee Cobb, Jack Klugman, Ed Begley and many other titans from cinema's Golden Age.
Unfolding in real-time, Fonda is the lone dissenter in a eleven to one vote in favor
of a Guilty verdict.
And slowly but surely, the 12 jurors re-examine the evidence, in an attempt to find enough
reasonable doubt to rule for an acquittal.
If that basic story sounds familiar, it's for good reason: dozens of films, TV shows,
plays, have since adapted this story - everything from a early episode of The Simpsons to a
recent Russian remake that was released in 2007.
With such a minimalist approach, and rarely any substantial twists or surprises -- the
entirety of "12 Angry Men" depends solely on the writing, and it's execution from the
all-star cast.
Luckily for history -- both are astonishingly impressive home-runs.
The dialog is quick, engaging, thought-provoking, and incredibly entertaining.
While the acting is nothing short of remarkable - with every actor given the chance to truly
shine in the drab 16 by 24-foot jury room.
The single issue I have with this black-and-white masterpiece is the unfortunately the premise
itself: 12 Jurors take it upon themselves to conduct their own independent investigation,
complete with dozens of wild assumptions and guess-work that realistically, has no place
in any legal setting.
Conveniently though, the rest of the movie's accomplishments make this plot-hole an easy
one to overlook.
Opening with a minutes-long shot that floats around the room from one conversation to another,
the pace of the editing here speeds up only when the action between the characters dictates.
Similarly, the focal distance is brilliantly, and slowly shortened as the film goes on:
starting off with wide shots of the entire room, and finishing with entire sequences
filmed entirely with extreme close-ups.
This insular and tunneling approach by Lumet expertly narrows the movie's focus, making
the emotional climax that much more inspiring and rewarding.
A true testament to the very basic fundamentals of film-making, "12 Angry Men" delivers just
as effectively today as it did nearly 50 years ago in the original Emmy-award winning teleplay
in 1954.
At 89-years-old, Juror #5, the Klugman, perhaps known best for his role in The Odd Couple
is the lone surviving member of the cast, and was surprisingly slated to return to a
New Jersey stage production of "12 Angry Men" *this* week, but sadly had to withdraw earlier
this month for health reasons.
This is a wonderfully beautiful film that everyone owes it to themselves to watch at
least once -- which is why it's no surprise it's held a top-10 slot on IMDB's coveted
"Most Popular" list for years.
What is a surprise however is the lack of success the movie originally had, failing
to win any of the Academy Awards it was nominated for.
"12 Angry Men", "Dozens of reasons to love".
Well, that's my review -- now let's read some of yours from the YouTube comments.
Here's the Rate-o-matic, slightly redesigned last week, to show us our scores for "12 Angry
Men"... a NINE and a TEN.
Overwhelmingly, you loved this film - with praise for the writing and acting being nearly
unanimous.
You scored it an "Amazing".
Excelling in nearly every category, it was only the slightly unbelievable premise I had
issue with.
But this film gets a very strong "Awesome" from me, an all-time classic, for sure.