Review of 12 Angry Men (1957) by Uditha D — 22 Feb 2012

12 Angry Men instantaneously comes to my mind as the single greatest courtroom drama ever conceived, far surpassing To Kill a Mockingbird and Witness for the Prosecution, among others, by an insurmountable margin. The clashes, the personal prejudices, and of course all those memorable plot twists, were beautifully brought into the screen within 95 minutes by the depth and perception of director Sidney Lumet. Truly, this is one of the greatest works of art in cinematic history. It would be a severe shock if that were not the case.

But all this would have swept away without the onscreen force garnered by its superb cast - specifically Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb. How the former unites the 12-man jury to his conviction, with a keen sense of justice and fairness, can be readily interpreted as a bulwark against many of the mass-scale extremist movements that were gathering momentum in the 50s - among them Communism, Fascism, and of course McCarthyism. Not once does he let the shortcut and the "quick fix" gain him supporters - on the contrary, he lets his own keen sense of fair play and observation guide the others to the truth (some of whom are swayed by personal bias) - with the ultimate exception of one: Lee J. Cobb, whose Juror #3 is finally convinced with a personal experience of regret involving his only child.

In all, the timing and precision of this classic, tuned to perfect real-time reminiscent of High Noon and Rope, had many twists and turns (firstly being that instant where Fonda's Juror #8, against a severe argument regarding the rarity of the type of switchblade the defendant allegedly used, calmly but swiftly brings one right from his pocket and places it on the table - a classic scene!). And although it had no proper conclusion, as to who actually DID murder the father (unlike the staple of other like-minded courtroom dramas), I thoroughly dispensed with all that, and needless to say, enjoyed this even as a parable on justice and equity. It remains my favorite courtroom film, and when looking at it, I don't see why it shouldn't qualify for the best in its genre!