This Movie Made me Happy

Rating: Null/10 (15 August 2000)

12 ANGRY MEN
As the rain fell I realized that I wouldn't have to go to work. I checked through the movies that were coming on and noticed 12 Angry Men. In a film class I took last semester my professor showcased Sidney Lumet and showed us a bunch of his movies. However 12 Angry Men wasn't one of them. I saw Dog Day Afternoon (1975) and Serpico (1973) and was entertained by both of them. Having the chance to see the 1957 classic 12 Angry Men was right up my ally. It is always interesting to watch a directors first movie.
As I began to watch 12 Angry Men I felt a strong vibe that I would be in for a treat. The movie began only steps away from where the movie would virtually take place in it's entirety. Character development was illustrated artistically and without the aid of a single name barring the closing seconds of the film. With twelve men in a hot room, Sidney Lumet did everything right. His camera gracefully wheeled around the room capturing the actors as best as possible. The movie began with an eleven to one vote on sending an eighteen year old kid to the chair. As the movie progressed the number reversed itself slowly. Henry Fonda was the one that everybody first looked at and felt angst against. He was the only one holding them away from breaking out of a hot room filled with 12 men. Fonda showed strength and confidence in his belief that chance is worth a lot. This takes a great stake in any case but with the life of a man on the line it's the greatest stake of all. Fonda supported his belief that it was possible for this young man to be innocent with a host of supporting evidence. As he went through his arsenal he swayed all eleven other men to agree with him that the young man should not be killed. The cast around Fonda was amazing. The film portrayed a theater like essence and each character took the stage and performed with consistency and great poise. Each time a character came to a point where they may have seemed to be stumbling they were picked up by another character.
Watching this movie did a lot more for me then mostly all the movies that are being released in today's age of movies. I had the pleasure to see Sidney Lumet speak at Al Pacino's birthday party at Lincoln Center and although he only commented on Al and his ability, I am now fully beginning to realize just how good of a director Sidney is himself. A tremendous eye and ability to get the best from his actors makes him one of my favorites.
12 Angry Men is not a good movie but a great movie. Shot in black and white and within the confines of a few rooms and a short closing shot outside the courthouse, Lumet mastered what he had to work with. With two weeks of rehearsal the actors polished their roles and the film eventually turned out to be a success then and now. This is the type of movie I would recommend to someone that isn't only interested in special effects, sex or explicit violence. The movie was well written and directed and should be viewed by anyone who enjoys theater. If I were asked to elaborate on why I rate this movie so well this is what I would say. The movie had twelve men at each other's throats. Each man began with a vote and all but one changed his mind. For a man to give up his initial decision a lot must happen. For some of the men in this movie it wasn't so hard to change their vote. For other's it came down to extreme matters. Some of the men were attracted to sending this kid to his death because of other reasons. The last man to change his mind was obviously torn by the the case because he and his son had gotten into a fight and have since not spoken to one another. This silently played a roll in his head throughout the movie but was finally captured when he ripped up a picture of him and his son. As he changed his vote ending the drawn out debate of this kid's fate, he shed his own tears over the loss of his son.
Another man who was slow to change his mind, based the case on himself. He figured in his head that the alibi that the young man had was not sound. Yet when put under the spotlight by Fonda he found himself in a hole. He eventually went on to change his vote but was stuck on his own belief for a while. Once a man decided to think one way he is usually in it pretty deep. For him to change his mind and say uncle he must be proven wrong or embarrassed. I can't say enough about the characters in this movie. They all had something unique about them. They all played an important part and shed new light on the matter at hand. I wonder to myself just how many characters a movie can have with them all showing importance. In this movie it was clear that 12 men was right on the money.