Review of 12 Angry Men (1957) by Swannng — 21 Dec 2021

12 angry men is one of the most entertaining and interesting court room drama films that I’ve seen. Indeed, even if it was released more than sixty years ago it sounds very current and contemporary. Themes of racism, acceptance of the others and their differences, death penalty, to quote only these ones, are approached by the director, Sydney Lumet, in a very pertinent way : every juror represents one or more aspects of the society or human characteristics, faint or praiseworthy.

For example, we can find in the character of the juror #6 a representation of quiet workers who think that they don’t deserve to express their opinions, we can see too in the juror #8 the illustration of the Platonic idea that the debates and considered discussions allow to find the truth or the best thing to do to find a solution to a problem.

12 angry men is very deep because of that, but also because of the many parallels made with the New Testament of the Bible (for example, the jurors are 12 like Jesus’ apostles) and well-made camera angles and movements, which reinforce the multiple feelings that the director conveys by way of his characters’ behavior and speeches.

In short, I think it’s not too much to say that 12 angry men is a piece of art of chief importance ; it’s very successful, especially for a first movie.