A must-see of simple filmmaking

Rating: 10/10 (25 November 2011)

12 Angry Men-****- A Masterpiece- Directed by: Sidney Lumet. Written by: Reginald Rose (from his own teleplay), Starring: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, E.G Marshall, Martin Balsam, Jack Warden, John Fiedler, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec, Robert Webber.
Sidney Lumet's first film explores a murder trial from the jury room based off the teleplay of the same name by Reginald Rose. Twelve men debate the fate of a Puerto Rican teenager on trial for the murder of his father. Eleven jurors think he is guilty and one (Fonda) thinks he is innocent.
The amazing thing about the film is how the film pulls out emotion as well as logic in the trial. The two do not way each other out however. Lumet balances the racism and laziness of the eleven jurors with the unbiased nature of Fonda's character. Reginald Rose creates a perfect juror and an ideal protagonist while allowing Lumet to add claustrophobia and conflict to add to the film's relatively limited cinematic approach which adds to the experience of the play.
Lumet's career was not always as successful as his first film and sometimes it was more powerful, but this is certainly not mediocre in any way. It makes better use of cinematic techniques in a theatrical narrative than most films like this. This also serves as one of the many high points in the career of Henry Fonda and a starting place for a number of character actors such as E.G Marshall, Ed Begley, and Jack Warden. The impact this film had on Lumet and Hollywood in general is as great as any film based off a play.