Review of 12 Angry Men (1957) by Joe C — 05 Jul 2015

Turns out the film that put you to sleep in 8th grade civics class wasn't half bad. Reginald Rose had already won acclaim for his teleplay about a jury room where a lone juror slowly persuades the others to change their minds, but when he made minor alterations to make it suitable for a feature-length film, a legend was created.

Simple in outline, but incredibly complex in construction, 12 Angry Men expertly calibrates the tension via an incredible amount of detail and strong characterization, while Sidney Lumet began the film with an overhead, wide-angle lens and gradually lowers the camera to eye-level with a telephoto lens to supplement the already high level tension and claustrophobia.

Filmed almost entirely in one room, there was no place for gimmicks to move the story along, but there didn't need to be. 12 Angry Men is a staggering example of a master working in a minimalist mode, but no less thrilling for that.

Also, this was the film debut of Sidney Lumet, who would go on to be one of the most celebrated and eclectic directors in history.