Masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (25 June 2008)

12 Angry Men (1957)
**** (out of 4)
A poor slum kid is on trial for the murder of his father and it's up to one juror (Henry Fonda) to try and convince the other's that he's not guilty. Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Ed Bins, Jack Warden, Fonda, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec and Robert Webber are the twelve jurors and it's going to be hard trying to find a film with as much great acting as what we see here. I really think this is one of the greatest screenplays to be written for any movie since the movie only runs 96-minutes and we've got all the evidence to listen to and watch them discuss it but we also get to know each one of them personally with just a few remarks, which tells us everything about them. Another important aspect is the direction by Lumet, which might be the best of his career, which is certainly saying a lot considering how many great films he has made over the years. There's nothing getting blown up here and there are no gunshots but this film, in terms of drama and suspense, can rival any action movie ever made for those edge of your seat thrills. The cinematography is also top-notch as the camera just floats around the juror's room picking up pieces of the action. What I love most about movies is when you get great actors going at each other in a great screenplay and I can't think of a movie that does this better than this one right here. There is so much excitement as the men, who all believe they are right, slowly fight and tear away at one another until the thrilling end. All of the performances are wonderful and what better than having a mild Fonda going up against the anger of Cobb. The final sequence is brilliantly handled and doesn't come off as forced or silly. On the top this is certainly a courtroom drama but underneath the film plays more like a lesson of this countries legal Constitution and why it is so great.