Close to a classic

Rating: 9/10 (27 May 2006)

In my continuing quest of watching IMDb's top-rated films, I rented "12 Angry Men". Currently, this film is ranked #18 on the list. With names like Reginald Rose, Henry Fonda, and Sidney Lumet, the movie seemed very promising. "12 Angry Men" was also another example of bringing yet another well-received teleplay to the big screen, as had been done very successfully with Rod Serling's "Patterns" and Paddy Chayevsky's "Marty".
Others here eloquently provide detail on the plot and characters. Simply put, the movie is filmed almost entirely on a single set, the jury holding room of a courthouse, where a jury of 12 men are deliberating the fate of a young man accused of murder.
Many plays and musicals have been adapted for the screen and the list of failures is long. A notable recent example for me was "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead". Film viewers do not have the same expectations of a presentation as do theater viewers. In film, the expectation of greater variety and coloration is a prerequisite due to the viewer's previous experiences. Therefore, the danger of becoming "stagebound" can ruin a film's reception. For a play such as "12 Angry Men" where the focus is declamatory, this is an unavoidable danger.
Happily, I found the film to be a resounding success. The strength of Rose's adaptation is complemented by Lumet's probing camera, which delineates the characters not only through impressive tight-focus shots, but through body language, gesture, and facial expression. The ensemble acting, underpinned by Henry Fonda's performance, is superb, as one would expect with such brilliant character actors as Lee J. Cobb, E. G. Marshall, and Ed Begley Sr. The storyline moves propulsively to a logical but powerful conclusion.
I can't really think of any flaws. Some confrontations involving prejudicial statements are a bit obvious, but are unfortunately as relevant today as then.
I wouldn't rate this as #18 on my list - I found the aforementioned "Patterns" to be a more engrossing film - but it's undoubtedly close to a classic. Kudos to all - I give it a 9.