A Classic movie which lives up to its reputation

Rating: 10/10 (27 November 2008)

12 angry men must be one of the most unpretentious classics ever. The reason I say this is because most classics either have a reputation for being long epics about war and love (ala Gone with the wind) or for being slow moving movies which may not be accessible to all (ala Citizen Kane). But this one was different. It is a movie about 12 jurors who meet to decide a young man's fate. The whole movie is shot in the same building and mostly in one room. And it deals with human nature and how people behave when in a group. These are universal themes that anybody can relate to. The style is also very simple with no unnecessary complications or flashy camera-work.
12 jurors are now required to take a tough decision - to decide about the guilt of a young 18 year old boy. If found guilty, he would be put to death. At the beginning, most jurors are in agreement over his guilt except for one of them. That is Juror no.8 (Played by Henry Fonda). One of the jurors then gives an opinion that the rest of the jurors should try to justify their decision to juror no.8. The arguments go back and forth till the end. These exchanges are very interesting because of the emotional nature of the discussions.
Most of the jurors have set opinions on social issues and these are exposed during the discussions. Objectivity is in short supply and juror no.4, a stockbroker is notable in his objective analysis. Juror no.11 (played by George Voskovec) is also notable for his detailed analysis and opinions on the case. Juror no.7 is noticeably disinterested in discussing the case as he has already made up his mind over the guilt of the accused. He, in fact, is more interested in the baseball game in the same night and in cracking jokes when serious discussions are in progress. I did laugh at most of them. One of them, about a hair-splitters convention, was especially hilarious! Juror no.3 is one of the jurors who are convinced about the boy's guilt. He becomes too emotionally involved with the case and details and at one time even moves to punch Juror no.8 before he is held back by others.
Juror no.2 is usually timid but gives valid arguments when asked for his opinion. His exchanges are also sometimes quite funny! Juror no.5 is another person whose opinions are clouded because of his past perceptions and opinions. Juror no.1 is a man who tries to direct the group and he does his best to break up unnecessary arguments. Juror no.12 is an advertising executive who is quite self assured and confident at the beginning but then becomes doubtful about his opinions on the case. He sways back and forth based on the evidence presented and the arguments laid on the table. He tries to crack jokes and often the others don't find it very amusing. But once he makes an off the cuff remark and most of the jurors find it funny. It is scenes like these and the attention to detail that make the movie special. Juror no.9 is an old man who has lots of life experiences and speaks on the basis of that regarding the case. He also brings up some very good points especially one towards the end.
Henry Fonda is obviously the center of attention. With his kind eyes and his screen presence, he is definitely the pick of the actors. Jack Warden(Juror no.7), with his great sense of humour and easy natural acting style, is one of my personal favourites. It is quite unusual for a fifties film. Lee Cobb's performance as Juror no.3 was the most emotionally charged role in the whole movie and he has given a powerful performance that at times gave me goosebumps. This is one of the best acting performances on film. George Voskovec as Juror no.11, the immigrant watchmaker, is also quite good and he is especially good in the scene where he confronts Jack warden about his decision. That scene is my favorite in the film. E G Marshall as the stockbroker, juror no.4, gives an excellent performance as the impassive and objective man who gives his opinions in a detached manner without any emotional connection whatsoever. The others are also great in their respective roles.
I didn't expect to like this movie based on the premise but instead I loved this movie and it has become one of my favourites. This movie has great replay value and this is because of the great performances and the smooth screenplay which doesn't have one unnecessary scene which might drag the movie. This is one of the classics that might appeal to a large majority of people unless they get turned off by the premise itself. This is Sydney Lumet's masterpiece and it is such an original idea that it deserves to be placed as one of the great classics of cinema.
10/10