Review of 12 Angry Men (1957) by Dustin D — 24 May 2014

While a superbly directed film, I think this is one of the most over-rated movies of all time. Henry Fonda comes off as smug, not righteous or intelligent, and it grates on my nerves. In real life, he would have been kicked off the jury for breaking the law by gathering outside evidence. I also found it irritating he dismissed the two witnesses' testimonies because "the old man probably made up his story to feel important for once," and the woman across the way "might not have had her glasses on." There's an uncomfortable feeling they just let a kid get away with murdering his father. Luckily, once the prosecution learns of Fonda's antics during deliberation, they would declare a mistrial and the next jury would find the boy guilty.

It's still a memorable film and I still give it four stars on the strength of its cinematography and acting.