Watch it virtually EVERY time it's on!

Rating: 10/10 (1 September 2008)

1957! I've said it before and I'll say it again: What a year for FILMS! PATHS OF GLORY, THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL, and this film, 12 ANGRY MEN, possibly the best of the lot. BRIDGE won Best Pic, but personally, I would have given the award to either PATHS OF GLORY or this film, 12 ANGRY MEN. They are the only two films of the lot that I think are truly perfect. I've said that I would give PATHS an 11 if I could and same goes for 12 ANGRY MEN. It's hard to believe this was a director's film DEBUT! That's right, this is the FIRST film directed by the great Sidney Lumet, and perhaps his best. I'd say it is.
12 ANGRY MEN is the most simplistic of tales: 12 jurors must decide the fate of a teen accused of killing his father. The entire film consists of these men deliberating, debating, conjecturing, and learning about the case. In the process, we the viewer get a valuable lesson in LAW 101. You'll learn more about the law and legal system in this 2-hour exercise than in any 100 episodes of LAW AND ORDER. So simple, so true. The film is so flawless in it's presentation that you swear that the entire 2 hours is one long tracking shot of the 12 men in the room.
The film stars the great Henry Fonda (as Juror #8) as the lone juror who finds the defendant NOT GUILTY. Fonda must convince the other 11 men that the teen is possibly innocent, that there is a REASONABLE DOUBT. The process through which he does this drives the film and is enthralling from start to finish. As the film progresses, you learn about each juror and what makes him tick. The other 11 jurors numbers 1-7 and 9-12 are, respectively: Martin Balsam, William Fiedler, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Ed Binns, Jack Warden, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec, and Robert Webber. All actors are brilliant. Can't see an ounce of acting of showmanship in the entire film.
I watch 12 ANGRY MEN virtually every time it airs and never feel like I've wasted my time. Now that's a great film!