Is this the perfect low budget cinema for students to learn from?

Rating: 9/10 (7 February 2008)

Yes, this is a Hollywood masterpiece. It was the start of an incredible journey by the director, Sidney Lumet. It's a shame the writer Reginald Rose did not have as an illustrious career as Lumet, but he did write one other classic, MAN OF THE WEST (1958). The nod goes to the performances by an amazing cast who hold it together in the confine spaces of the one setting. You would expect a film that mostly takes place in the one room to be theatrical, but Lumet manages to create the intensity with his tight direction and the brilliant use of deep focus and wide angle lenses. This is one film that all students should watch to observe the craft of how to create a very low budget movie with a perfect cast, the right director and a top notch writer.