Exquisite, Effortless Brilliance

Rating: 10/10 (13 August 2008)

12 Angry Men - Top 15 films of all time
Sidney Lumet's masterpiece follows a group of 12 jurors deciding the fate of a young teenage in a case that is seemingly overwhelmingly against him. The votes start 11 to 1 in favour of guilty and the one juror (Henry Fonda) seems adamant that he is not guilty. Remarkably the whole 96 minutes take place in the jury room, its ever so simple but captivating throughout which is why this film deserves its mounted praise and my standings of it as being up there with Hitchcock's Vertigo.
Fonda pulled off a blistering and powerful performance playing the rebel of jury. He is the only one that has any belief in this seemingly condemned soul. But he teaches one important lesson that nothing is rarely as it seems. He manages to convince 11 other men of the jury that this man isn't guilty. A remarkable feat.
This is one of the few films that can truly be labelled as a timeless classic, this didn't need action or special effects, just sheer cinematic brilliance that shines through the flawless script and the dynamic direction.
Not only is the film convincing, its frivolously entertaining and a true milestone in cinematic history
Perfection 10/10