12 Angry Men: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Jack Warden, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec, Robert Webber, Boris Kaufman, Sidney Lumet, Carl Lerner, George Justin, Reginald Rose: Amazon.ca: Video

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Sidney Lumet's directorial debut remains a tense, atmospheric (though slightly manipulative and stagy) courtroom thriller, in which the viewer never sees a trial and the only action is verbal. As he does in his later corruption commentaries such as Serpico or Q & A, Lumet focuses on the lonely one-man battles of a protagonist whose ethics alienate him from the rest of jaded society. As the film opens, the seemingly open-and-shut trial of a young Puerto Rican accused of murdering his father with a knife has just concluded and the 12-man jury retires to their microscopic, sweltering quarters to decide the verdict. When the votes are counted, 11 men rule guilty, while one--played by Henry Fonda, again typecast as another liberal, truth-seeking hero--doubts the obvious. Stressing the idea of "reasonable doubt," Fonda slowly chips away at the jury, who represent a microcosm of white, male society--exposing the prejudices and preconceptions that directly influence the other jurors' snap judgments. The tight script by Reginald Rose (based on his own teleplay) presents each juror vividly using detailed soliloquies, all which are expertly performed by the film's flawless cast. Still, it's Lumet's claustrophobic direction--all sweaty close-ups and cramped compositions within a one-room setting--that really transforms this contrived story into an explosive and compelling nail-biter. --Dave McCoy

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110 Reviews

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4 star:		(6)
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4.9 out of 5 stars (110 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Dialogue, Feb 29 2012

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Steven Aldersley (Oshawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 12 Angry Men (Criterion) (Blu-Ray) (Blu-ray)

12 Angry Men (1957)
Drama, 96 minutes
Directed by Sidney Lumet
Starring Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb and Martin Balsam

Sidney Lumet passed away in 2011, but he left us with 72 films, shorts or TV series. This was his first feature for the big screen and it's definitely among his best work.

For me, one of the signs of a good film is to take a subject in which I have no interest and hold my attention for the duration. The story takes place in one room, apart from a couple of minutes at the beginning and end of the film. It succeeds because of the strength of the dialogue and the acting ability of all involved.

After a very compact 96 minutes in which no scene is wasted, the credits roll. I'm left with the feeling that I have just seen something important. The film deals with racism and highlights the good and bad points of the American justice system. Henry Fonda leads a strong cast and every member has a significant role to play.

Lumet used a variety of camera angles to make the viewer feel like a member of the jury and it's easy to be drawn in. This is one of those rare stories where dialogue is actually exciting. It's really something that has the potential to be enjoyed by any audience.

Criterion's recent Blu-ray release offers a wonderful presentation and includes a good supplemental package.

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5.0 out of 5 stars 12 Angry Men Review, Feb 21 2012

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Andy - See all my reviews

This review is from: 12 Angry Men (50th Anniversary Edition) (DVD)

An excellent classic movie. Seen it several times and now own it. Great film and bought it on the strength of demonstrating persuasive talking to my wife who is a teacher. Thought it may be useful for her students. Simple set, all done in one room and no names of characters are ever mentioned until the end. One bum note - there seemed to be a fault on my disc at chapter 19 so ended up skipping a couple of scenes. Worth watching.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The best drama movie ever made, Feb 4 2012

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tomycanuck - See all my reviews

This review is from: 12 Angry Men (50th Anniversary Edition) (DVD)

The all star cast of this original movie version does the subject justice. It has compassion, anger, despair, hope and empathy in abundance.

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