12 Angry Men is a courtroom drama that was released in 1957 directed by the legendary Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon). The plot revolves around jury deciding in a murder trial that involves one juror that believes the defendant is not guilty while the other 11 believe he is guilty. The movie features an ensemble cast of 1950's actors headlined by Henry Fonda (Grapes of Wrath, Once Upon a Time in the West).
12 Angry Men is a bonafide classic, it was nominated for 3 Oscars, is a part of the Criterion Collection, was selected to be preserved in the National Film Registry, holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is the number 5 movie on IMDB's top 250 movies. The main point of this review is to ask, does it hold up?
The first thing that really jumps out at me is the screenplay, the writing in this movie is phenomenal, every word means something. 12 Angry Men is 96 minutes long and nearly the entire movie takes place in one room with just the jurors talking and debating the innocence of the defendant. One of the best decisions made in the making of the movie is to leave the jurors nameless even to the audience. The way the movie deals with race in 1957 is impressive, it is impressive even by today's standards so there's something to be said about that.
It's hard to really explain this movie in a way that sounds interesting because this film should not be interesting, it's 96 minutes of dialogue and debate in one room, it should be boring, but it's not. Some may think that it is hell, the move is in black and white too which will throw some people off right away. Part of m love for the movie may stem from my love of politics and law itself which obviously lends itself favorably for the movie. 12 Angry Men gets unbelievably intense and the arguments get underneath the skin in a way that hasn't been done as well since.
If there was a modern movie that I'd try to compare it to is Lincoln, it's a movie that doesn't contain much action and is about debate just as 12 Angry Men is. The movies are vastly different but they are similar in the way that many people can see that the movies are boring and nothing but talking but 12 Angry Men is much more than that (I'm not saying these 2 movies are comparable in greatness, I liked Lincoln but it's not nearly as great as 12 Angry Men).
Rewatchability: 4.5/5, it's one of those movies that I could watch endlessly, I don't get bored by it and it keeps my attention throughout. The film doesn't get diluted by the result of the ending like some other movies can (I'm looking at you, Buried).
Rating: 5/5, I don't give a perfect score out lightly and by no means does it mean that the movie is perfect but 12 Angry Men is the kind of movie that I love, it's timeless, thought provoking and enjoyable. For me, the movie has earned every accolade it's gotten and deserves to be studied the way that it is.
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