Tense and Thrilling

Rating: 9/10 (25 March 2016)

12 Angry Men, directed by Sidney Lumet, is a taught and tense thriller without any guns, bombs or violence. I instead, it focuses on twelve men, locked into a room to decide the fate of a man on trial for murder. It is the hottest day on record outside, and tensions mount as the agendas of each man are exposed, analyzed and ultimately dealt with in one way or another. At the beginning of the film, eleven of the twelve men vote for a guilty verdict, but one man holds out, and upholds the principles of the system he is a part of.
This film is pretty flawless. It is a dramatic look at the court systems that existed in the United States in the '50's. Eleven men are willing to condemn another to death with little thought, but one needs to convince the others they are wrong. It is also well set, with the hot and humid environment and the booming thunder and pouring rain of a summer storm playing in the background outside, as the men inside struggle against there inner prejudice and demons. The film is wonderfully directed, shot and acted by an all star cast from the 1950's, including the great Henry Fonda. Each character is unique, a real individual, with their own prejudices, flaws and quirks. Each one tries to make the others see their way of thinking, or to speed up a conclusion.
I could go on, but much more and much better reviews have been written already. Suffice to say, 12 Angry Men is a classic American film. It is towering in its simplicity, and tense as anything else. Truly one of the great films of the last century, and one that every film lover should see, and every film collector should own.