Review of 12 Angry Men (1957) by Danny R — 09 May 2012

Sidney Lumet's engrossing, atmospheric courtroom American classic, which is skillfully brought to the screen by Lumet in his brilliant directorial debut. Henry Fonda delivers a commanding and memorable performance as Juror, number 8 who expresses his reasonable doubt and tries to convince 11 other Jurors that their guilty verdict for a teenaged Puerto Rican boy accused of killing his father with a switchblade should be reconsidered, but Fonda's Juror, number 8 comes up against Lee J.

Cobb in a powerhouse performance as Juror, number 3; a bullying, pitiless, self-made-man, who has estranged himself from his own son and desperately wants the accused boy to burn in the electric chair for his own selfless personal reasons, thus begins the finest court-room classic in cinematic history.

Tremendous performances from a magnificent cast of character actors that includes Ed Begley, E.G. Marshall, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Joseph Sweeney, George Voskevec and Robert Webber.

The extraordinary black & white cinematography by Boris Kaufman adds to the film's great intensity. A fascinating, absorbing motion picture that leaves a tremendous impact: it richly earned three Academy Awards nominations including Best Picture, Best Director: Sidney Lumet, Best Adapted Screenplay: Reginald Rose.

Highly Recommended.