One of the Greatest of All Time - Beyond a Reasonable Doubt!

Rating: 10/10 (18 March 2015)

From a distance, 12 Angry Men might look like your customary courtroom drama that Hollywood churns out every couple of years. Look closer and you will find that Sidney Lumet's debut turn as a director is an exemplary study in characterization and a crash course in pure filmmaking.
Most of the action takes place within the confines of a single room on what is supposedly "the hottest day of the year". A jury made up of 12 men has to decide the fate of a teenage boy who is accused of a gruesome murder. The defendant has everything going against him - a couple of witnesses, a murder weapon, a sloppy public attorney and the fact that he is from a less privileged class of the society. Over the next 95 minutes, 12 Angry Man watches as 11 jurors, first convinced of the suspect's guilt overcome their less than democratic prejudices and are slowly won over to the side of reasonable doubt by one man's doubts about the accused's guilt.
Sidney Lumet creates energy and movement through quick editing and varying camera angles, which makes the film pulse with power and emotion despite its one set location. Operating within the constrictions of a limited budget, Lumet tightens the noose by accentuating the excruciating pulse of the ceiling fan and slowly narrowing his shots on his characters as the film approaches its climax. A special mention should be made here of ace cameraman Boris Kaufman, who ratchets up the claustrophobia with every close-up and ably heightens the drama, despite the confining setting. The actors – all 12 of them – are top notch as the '12 Angry Men' in what is to date one of the best ensemble casts to have graced the silver screen.
The drama plays out at an engaging pace making this brilliant war of words an entrancing cinematic experience. Lumet gives us an incisive and gripping film that is as relevant today as it was almost 60 years back. If you love movies, you owe it to yourself to see this one!