No special effects, just great acting and direction

Rating: 9/10 (23 November 2002)

With the evolution of DVD people like me are getting the chance to watch films they would otherwise never be able to see. 12 Angry Men is one such film, and I rented it purely on the basis that it sits so highly in the IMDB Top 250.
I'm glad that I did, as it is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. The basic plot revolves around a jury deliberating on a murder case that will send the accused to the electric chair, if he is found guilty. A preliminary vote is taken, and all but one of the jurors vote for guilty.

Over the course of the movie the one juror who votes not guilty (Henry Fonda) makes his case, and the other jurors being to realise that the verdict is not as clear cut as they first thought. One of the interesting things about this movie is that each juror has their own reasons for their opinion, be it the facts of the case, or personal prejudices, and over the course of the movie these are confronted and explored.
Despite being set in a single room, this movie is constantly entertaining, due to the acting and direction. The film feels incredibly tense and claustrophobic as a result of this. It was only afterwards I found out that Sidney Lumet also directed Dog Day Afternoon, another great movie that is based entirely in one setting.
In an age of special effects and the constant high budget dross being pumped out of Hollywood, it's refreshing to see a movie based purely on dialogue and acting ability. There have been too few of these in recent years, although a few do come to mind- Glengarry Glen Ross, Swimming With Sharks, Usual Suspects, Memento.
Many people today may see the date this movie was made or the fact that it is in black and white and not bother watching it. If they do they are missing out on a classic. I'm actually surprised this film hasn't been remade over the years, but maybe it's for the best that it hasn't.
Well worth watching.