Who would have thought 12 men sitting at a table could be so exciting?

Rating: 10/10 (22 March 2012)

12 Angry Men is a film that wasn't hailed as revolutionary at the time. In fact, it didn't make AFI's first "100 films" list and was only ranked #87 after the revision. It wasn't even a box office success when it was released. Despite all that, its with good reason that this film is ranked so highly on IMDb's top 250 list.
12 Angry Men is one of the few films ever made that is excellent in every regard, in some regards it feels almost flawless. The acting is top-notch from every actor involved, with Lee J. Cobb in particular standing out with one of the best performances I've seen in a film (in particular his speech near the end). The directing is wonderful, the plot is interesting, and the pacing throughout is spectacular. This is one of those films that is very hard to dislike, in my experience even younger audiences with lower attention spans or those who dislike black and white films have, with very few exceptions, really enjoyed this film.
One aspect that I want to single out is the editing and pacing, which stands out as some of the best I've ever experienced. All but a very few scenes take place in the jury room, and yet the film is "edge of your seat" material throughout. More than that, every single time I watch it I feel as the jurors feel. It starts out slow, like there's nothing to deliberate. When the jurors begins speaking a little more seriously, a little more angrily, you can feel your heart beating faster. Then the tension builds even more and just when I feel like I can't handle any more, the jurors take a break and walk around the room and cool off and wipe sweat off their brows just as I do while watching. The pacing is absolutely perfect, the fact that so many films are filled with gratuitous sex and constant violence and yet fail to enthrall me like this film, it speaks volumes as far as the quality and greatness of the film in all areas.
The most criticized element of the film is the ending (which I won't spoil) and really the entire process that is begun by Juror #8 (Henry Fonda), which is kind of out of bounds as far as how a jury is supposed to work. In real life, yes, what happened in the jury room, would probably have been enough for the whole situation to have led to a mistrial. But this criticism really misses the point of what is something of a "message movie", although not in an obnoxious way. Its a look at the justice system, the fact that a life is being put in the hands of twelve individuals with their own stories and, necessarily, their own biases. And indeed, a human life is worth enough to at least "talk about". The film takes a good hard look at the legal system, and its worthwhile and personally has led to many good discussions with others who have seen the film.
12 Angry Men isn't a film that was the first of its kinds, its ideas aren't necessarily unique. Its excellence in every category and the tremendous direction and pacing (and Lee J. Cobb) is enough to make this a favorite of mine and a film that will be enjoyed by almost anyone who watches it.