Tuesday, April 22, 2008

12 Angry Men (1957)

Let me first say that I have always considered myself a movie fan, but I am woefully inexperienced with the some of the older movies. So if you have any suggestions on movies let me know. I am open to all kinds of movies.

12 Angry Men

This movie was up on my Tivo I have a new season pass that is AFI 100 greatest movies; I have to thank my wife for finding it, this season pass puts lots of movies in this folder. So in there is a show called 12 Angry Men, directed by Sidney Lumet. This movie is about 12 jurors deliberating on a case. The cast has classic movie heavyweights as Lee J Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman and Henry Fonda. I have heard of this film in passing but I have never seen it, so I give it a look, thinking if I am interested I will keep it and watch it later. I turned it on and watched it completely through. I than sat my wife down, and had her watch it completely through and that weekend I purchased a copy for my collection.

The move starts out as the judge is giving the Jury its instructions before they go into the jury room. The rest of the picture takes place in the jury room, with all 12 men in this room they go over the case point by point to get to a decision. Each person in the room has a unique portion of the population represented and each of the actors do an excellent job of making them interesting. With the excellent camera work and shot composition it gives this movie tension and excitement from just one room.

I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a deep evolving story and great characters. I was on the edge of my seat and enjoyed this film from start to finish. Henry Fonda did an excellent job bringing this case through his journey of discovery and also played his part with little to no flare, the character did seem to be more interested in the facts. It’s a compelling story and shows our legal system at its best and almost its worst.


Movie Quote
Juror #3: You're talking about a matter of seconds. Nobody can be that accurate.
Juror #8: Well I think that testimony that can put a boy into the electric chair SHOULD be that accurate.

No comments: