"12 Angry Men" is a major contributor to modern cinema. It is an unpompous masterpiece that will forever stand the test of time.

Rating: Null/10 (7 January 2003)

"12 Angry Men" is a major contributor to modern cinema. It is an unpompous masterpiece that will forever stand the test of time. Although a scholar of cinematography and a director whose art has spanned 6 decades, Lumet never tries to show off by using unnecessary aesthetic panoramas. Perhaps never better seen that in this classic and again in "Network" 20 years later, his dialogues are magnificent. He must go down as perhaps the greatest Director in terms of his ability to draw truly masterful performances from his actors. Cobb, Klugman, Begley Junior, Balsam, Finch, Beatty, perhaps even Holden, Dunnaway and Fonda deliver their finest performances on the silver screen under his direction. Mr. Lumet I take my hat off to you. Were you to combine with, Terence Mallick, and to incorporate his masterful aestheticism, (the ying and the yang), the outcome would doubtless be an unparalleled masterpiece.