Powerful Remake of the 1954 Television Classic

Rating: 9/10 (25 March 2016)

Based on the classic 1954 television drama of the same name, TWELVE ANGRY MAN was director Sidney Lumet's first feature, after a career in television. It was also the first (and only) film that star Henry Fonda also produced, apparently he grew quite frustrated with the responsibilities associated with the role, even though he enjoyed the acting task.
Shot in only nineteen days after an intense rehearsal period, TWELVE ANGRY MEN makes effective use of the confined space of the jury- room. Lumet employs different types of shot to convey the increasing sense of tension, ranging from the close-up, the two-shot and the tracking shot as well as the basic shot/reverse shot sequence. Through such strategies we focus on the jurors' faces as well as their reactions to one another. It's clear, for example, that Juror #3 (Lee J. Cobb) cannot stand Juror #8 (Fonda); not only are they ideologically poles apart, but Juror #3 cannot stand what might be described as the "bleeding heart liberalism" that prompts Juror #8 to question whether the accused was guilty or not. Juror #3's frustration is signaled as his face becomes more and more contorted and his voice rises into a high-pitched scream as he discovers that no one appears to listen to him.
The shot/reverse shot strategy works most effectively in the confrontation between Juror #4 (E. G. Marshall) and Juror #9 (Joseph Sweeney), where they discuss the effect of wearing glasses. We watch Juror #4's air of self-confidence gradually evaporating from Juror #9's point of view, until Juror #4 is forced to alter his judgment.
Stylistically speaking, the film is divided into three movements. In the first, Lumet shoots most of the action from an aerial perspective; this has the effect of belittling the characters, almost as if their discussions were unnecessary in light of the verdict. In the central section the characters are shot from eye level; hence we become more and more interested in their reactions to one another. In the final act Lumet photographs them from below, with the camera looking up at the characters; as we see the ceiling of the jury-room behind them as they speak, we feel that the situation is becoming more and more claustrophobic as previously-held prejudices are broken down and the characters' true natures revealed.
The film comes to a dramatic climax - which is not in the 1954 version - as we understand why Juror #3 has been behaving in such extreme fashion. The reason has little or nothing to do with the case in hand, and everything to do with Juror #3's familial struggles. In light of his collapse, Fonda's long speeches (delivered slightly earlier on) about the importance of fairness and tolerance appear even more pertinent.
Even after nearly sixty years, TWELVE ANGRY MEN still packs a punch, not only in its analysis of the American judicial system and its emphasis on being innocent until proved guilty, but also for its stylistic brilliance, as Lumet shows just what can be done with a confined setting, a superb photographer and a brilliant art director (Boris Kaufman, Robert Markel).