As everyone must know, 12 Angry Men is a classic! Reginald Rose’s timeless script consists of an all white jury deciding whether to incarcerate and sentence an 18 year old victim/convict to death. This one and a half hour film is simply a story of 12 men debating whether this boy is guilty or not guilty. Director Sidney Lumet successfully manages to balance the proportion of time and space by setting the films location mostly in one room but keeping it short and interesting.
This 1957 hit consists of practically no action yet manages to keep an audience awake through the use of dialogue. In contrast to The Third Man (1949), I personally don’t think 12 Angry Men is as captivating as Carol Reed’s film noir murder mystery. However Lumet’s classic is so highly thought of and recognised because it uses no action in contrast to many other films. Carol Reed’s The Third Man has brilliant cinematography but Lumet’s 12 Angry Men has a brilliant script.
Other than the marvellous script, this film includes minimal examples of symbolism and representation, especially through the use of weather. Lumet uses the weather to determine the atmosphere; the heat is used to portray the negative attitudes of the characters and when the rain comes, the characters minds are changing and decisions are finally being made. Also, Lumet uses intimidating shots of certain characters to illustrate their dominance over others. Furthermore, instead of introducing all the characters clearly at the beginning of the film, Lumet waits until about twenty minutes in, somehow I find this quite misleading and off-putting as I am unaware of the significance of each character. But what I do like about the characters is how there is a wide range of personalities and occupations and how each one contrasts and connects to others, the twelve men are portrayed stupendously by all the actors which contributes massively to captivating the audience.
12 Angry Men portrays how personalities contrast and the significance of deciding whether someone is responsible to choose if a criminal is a victim or a victim is a criminal. To watch this film now over 60 years later, it is helpful and somewhat eye opening to how people on the jury don’t always realise their responsibilities and how even though the evidence given may seem to question someone as guilty, when you look deeper, you may start to question otherwise.
U Certificate
Review by LiveWire Young Film Critic, Megan Al-Ghailani (March ’13)
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12 Angry Men is perhaps one of the key films in American cinematic history and yet, like many of its fellows, it came from rather humble origins. Written first as a teleplay, then adapted for the stage, this would also mark the first feature-length film in Sidney Lumet’s career, who sadly died two years ago.
Lumet, the visionary behind such treasures as Network, Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico and The Pawnbroker, is sorely missed but this remarkable film (even more so considering this is his debut) has finally seen a welcome re-release on the silver screen.
It is a masterpiece of staging and ensemble acting, headed by the great Henry Fonda (also one of the film’s producers). Taking place almost entirely within a courtroom and with almost none of the characters actually named on-screen, this microcosm of American society seethes and simmers with tension and barely veiled prejudice. The crux of the plot – one jury member standing up against his fellows and their racial bias for the defendant, a black man accused of murdering his father – unfolds with smouldering tension, a dramatic explosion coming ever nearer to detonation.
It is a miracle of writing. At once morally complex and fiercely human, this is without doubt one of the finest films of its kind. There are many brilliant courtroom dramas to pick from, Anatomy of A Murder, in my opinion, runs a close second but rarely have I seen a film with such dramatic force and memorable performances. An absolute classic and over 50 years after its first release, finally back in cinemas!
U Certificate
Review by LiveWire Young Film Critic, James Martin (March ’13)