`Twelve Men turned into twelve clawing animals'

Rating: 9/10 (22 February 2002)

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No film is perfect, and indeed it is a rare jewel to find a film where there are even one or two perfect scenes  the point where everything is in harmony  script, direction, acting, camera, and lighting. Twelve Angry Men is mostly made of these jewels, and is up there in my top ten films.
Part of the Sidney Lumet's skill lies in his ability to realistically capture rapid exchanges between characters, whilst keeping a larger perspective and not losing orientation. By using a range of editing and camera techniques  fast cuts, close ups, low camera angles, high camera angles the film is very dynamic and fluid. All of the characters are given enough room to breathe, which is no small feat with such a large group. Indeed many of the great directors openly admit that they find scenes involving interchanges amongst groups of people extremely taxing, Frankenheimer and Kieslowski spring to mind (Kieslowski even went so far to say that's why all his films have so few characters.)
Echoing the core theme of the film, we are given different perspectives of the set - one time we may feel like a lingering voyeur, hidden at the back of the room, another a lonely juror being stared at by all the others, another pressed close against a jurors face  feeling his emotions boiling over, clouding his judgment. It is this wide variety of techniques, and of course a magnificent script that makes the film infinitely enjoyable.
Henry Fonda's juror seems to know all the evidence's weaknesses from the start, however he only drip feeds the other jurors one idea at a time. He seems to have that perennial quality of heroes  an almost superhuman knowing' quality coupled with great hubris or modesty, signified by his reiteration that he doesn't 'know' that the evidence is wrong, just not beyond reasonable doubt. All of the other juror's are played excellently, I particularly relished the old mans performance.
I have a few minor' criticisms of the film, but they are just that - minor. I think the racist juror's outburst is a little too over acted; this does however give the opportunity for a wonderfully stylized rejection by the other jurors.
Some of the films highlights to me are near the end when we realise that the last stubborn juror wants to punish the accused as a proxy for his son. (Some people may have picked this up earlier though). Also the superb final shot where the old man asks Henry Fonda's juror his name.
Another interesting point that I only realised after finishing the film for the first time was that there were no female jurors.
On particular historical interest is the original theatrical trailer, complete with studio hyped commentary such as `Twelve Men turned into twelve clawing animals', and a surprising injection of a James Bond / Mission impossible like tune midway through. . I've only brushed the surface of some of the film's great aspects, there are so many impressive things it would take many pages more to discuss all of them. Whether you're in the mood for a comedy, a drama, a thriller, or even a light philosophical view on justice this film fits the bill.

enjoy.