Review of 12 Angry Men (1957) by Brett C — 14 Jul 2014

Review In A Nutshell:

I was sceptic at first, thinking 12 Angry Men is over-hyped and that it wouldn't be as amazing as everyone says it is; which is how I felt with synonymous films like No Country For Old Men and North By Northwest, but right from the start, it captivated me. It starts off with the audience knowing very little of the situation aside from the fact that these men were appointed to decide whether or not the young boy accused on trial is guilty. Sidney Lumet's, the film's director, choice of having us know nothing of the trial is a smart approach that keeps our judgement pure, and also he wanted the audience to understand that our opinions have no place in this trial.

The film speaks about the difficulty of making a life and death decision, on a person that nobody even knows except for what is established in court. The film shows us that people cannot separate their own personal feelings and prejudices from the true facts; sometimes it is easier to succumb to our subjective emotions rather than see things in an objective view. It is not easy to be self-aware and this film captures that perfectly. It hit me in such a way that made me recall back on all of the decisions I have made in the past, though not as drastic as the one in this film, as maybe I didn't choose my decision as wisely as I hoped, letting my deep feelings about the situation cloud my judgement.

The film featured remarkable dialogue that easily established and distinguished the characters. This is definitely something crucial as we are not treated to any sort of back story on these individuals, so what we hear or see from them during this film are the only aspects we have in shaping our perspective towards them, similar to how they feel about the case; as they go in deeper into the case and understanding what exactly happened and who the accuser really is, we do the same for these characters, we are getting deeper and deeper into their inner thinking and feelings, allowing us to understand them better.

It is remarkable how Sidney Lumet handled this film; he never let us out of that room, aside from going into the bathroom with the characters. In doing this, Lumet allows us to see the situation in real time, having us feel the atmosphere that these individuals feel; the heat, the frustration, the confusion. To support this, Lumet uses the photography to amplify these feelings, choosing black and white to emphasise the frankness of the decision they would have to make, there are no other options aside from guilty or not guilty. The film also features dynamic movement that makes the room feel both cramped and spacious, depending on the atmosphere of the situation. It also features great use of angles that allows the audience to feel immersed; take a look at that final speech by Juror #3, that low angle captures it so perfectly, giving off this sense of deep judgement on the character.

The acting in this film was astounding, with brilliant performances from all of the twelve actors. They were able to bring something unique to each of their characters, allowing us to feel that each of these individuals is important, and not just Henry Fonda's character. Even Martin Balsam, who I feel do very little in this film, was perfect in the role. I could go on forever on how great these performances were but this would be one of the rare times where I'll keep it short and simply urge you to watch the film.

In short, 12 Angry Men is riveting.