Claustrophobic but compelling story of jury conflict after murder trial...

Rating: 7/10 (7 January 2007)

TWELVE ANGRY MEN is essentially a claustrophobic slice of jury duty, where jurors are herded into a New York City courtroom to discuss the facts of a murder trial of a boy accused of murdering his father.
Gradually, with stark close-ups of sweating faces, we get to know the men after a brief round of small talk leads to the small details of the case after choosing a jury foreman (MARTIN BALSAM).
Most of these fine actors are gone now, but interestingly enough the three who played the angriest men (LEE J. COBB, E.G. MARSHALL and ED BEGLEY) all died of heart attack several years after filming this one. HENRY FONDA, as the man who carefully reconstructs what might have happened, had a long screen career that ended after winning an Oscar for ON GOLDEN POND.
Based on a TV play directed by Sidney Lumet, it's a faithful retelling of the tale, photographed with stark realism that catches the sweaty courtroom on a hot summer day and is basically a character study of each man, each one put under the microscope by a shrewd director who gets the most from his players.
The tension builds from the disagreements that arise over deliberations until the final struggle to reach a decision depends on the vote of the one stubborn hold-out (LEE J. COBB). Fonda is the man who presents his own theory of what actually happened and is able to persuade the others, one by one, to his side of the argument.
Extremely well done drama seems almost documentary in its display of jury room deliberations when tempers flash, where patience is strained and reason finally sees the light of day after Fonda (never convinced of the boy's guilt in killing his father) is able to present his doubts to the other jurors. Gripping stuff, well worth watching.