Review of 12 Angry Men (1957) by Samuel H — 24 Sep 2016

When you begin 12 Angry Men one thing seems clear to you: the man is guilty. You are given all of the evidence and the verdict seems clear that he MUST be guilty. However, as the film progresses the evidence that you the viewer have been given gets picked apart one by one. Thoughts you would never come up with are drawn to attention. As the film builds so does your excitement! Even though by this point you realize where the film is going, the thrill of it does not disappoint. The cry for "not guilty" is both redemptive and stirring. If only from the level of a case study, 12 Angry Men is exhilarating.

But then you begin to look at the movie as not just a script, but a film itself. The characters are rich and engaging, each and every one of them. The staging, which involves only one room, against all odds works brilliantly and is compelling. You forget that you are watching a film that has no scene changes! And the raw emotion among the men, the study of depravity and biases, all of this make for a classic film that would be a terrible shame to miss.