12 Angry Men

Years ago I saw the ‘95 remake of this the original film first. Not being a fan of old films I resisted watching this one—until now. Whether old or new this film is just as relevant today as it was when Henry Fonda starred in the original. If I were a Social Studies teacher/professor I would assign extra credit for any student of mine to craft an analysis of the issues presented here. That’s how poignant it is.

An amazing film that managed to be as compelling as a movie can be with the entire plot taking place in a single room through the dialog of 12 actors. The stories underneath the story (duty, responsibility, flaws in the criminal justice system, truth, doubt, bigotry, bias, manipulation, and so many more!) ring as true today as they ever have. A legitimate masterpiece.

It came early and is perfectThank you so much!

The story, the acting, the all star lineup...this is an absolute classic. Should be on everyone's top 100 films of all time list, right up there with "Citizen Kane", "The Godfather", "All About Eve", and other gems.

It is the absolute antithesis of everything the Hollywood studios are releasing today. There is no senseless violence, no special effects of any kind, practically no music and not a woman cannot be seen during the entire film. Heck, "12 Angry Men" was a box office flop when it was first released back in 1957. But to those who study and appreciate the fine art of movie-making "12 Angry Men" remains a shining example of how a motion picture should be crafted. It is a film that will grab your attention in the opening scene and simply never let go."12 Angry Men" first appeared on television on CBS's "Studio One" program in the early 1950's. Actor Henry Fonda was so taken with the play that he immediately launched a campaign to bring it to the big screen. When all of the major studios declined Fonda and the author of the play Reginald Rose decided to do it themselves. They recruited highly respected director Sidney Lumet and inked a deal with United Artists. Remarkably, this film was made for less than $350,000 and was shot in less than three weeks. Save for the opening and closing scenes the entire 95 minute movie was shot on one set consisting of the jury room and the adjoining bathroom. Moreover, this film was shot in glorious black and white which proved to be remarkably effective.The matter at hand is the deliberation of a 12 man jury who must determine the guilt or innocence of a young Puerto Rican teenager who has been charged with the murder of this father. The remarkable 6 and 1/2 minute opening scene sets the tone for the entire film. As we watch these 12 men assemble in the jury room we immediately begin to get a psychological insight into each one of them. And when the foreman of the jury (Martin Balsam) decides to take an initial vote to see where things stand we learn that only juror #8 (Henry Fonda) believes tthat he young man is innocent. Thus the stage is set for a rock-em, sock-em debate as Fonda attempts to convince the other 11 jurors that they are wrong. This is courtroom drama at it's absolute best. I must tell you that the writing is nothing short of extraordinary and the acting is superb. There are truly remarkable performances by E.G. Marshall, a very young Jack Klugman, Ed Begley, Jack Warden and most especially Lee J. Cobb who plays juror #3, a highly opinionated and prejudiced man who for his own personal reasons is determined to see the defendant fry. And of course as one might expect Henry Fonda is unforgettable in the role of juror #8. During the course of the deliberations these 12 ordinary men must confront their own personal prejudices and shortcomings and make a series of moral choices. It is positively spellbinding! Meanwhile, the imaginative camera work conveys to the audience the sense of what it must be like to have to operate in such closed quarters for an extended period of time.Although a disappointment at the box office "12 Angry Men" was nominated for three Academy Awards. The play continues to be performed by theater companies and high school groups all around the country. These days for rather obvious reasons the name has been changed to "12 Angry Jurors". If you have never seen this film I urge you to make it a point to see it. You will definitely not be disappointed and you just might discover that there is more to good film-making than special effects. Very highly recommended!

Released in 1957, this crime/drama or rather legal/ drama is still relevant today. If you love movies and haven't seen this, you must watch it for what it is. There are some great performances and the directing is superb. Most of the movie takes place in one room; it's a low budget movie, but with great stars. It was a box office flop, but still received three academy nominations.

The movie is outstanding but it’s worth noting the shipment was missing the slipcover it’s pictured with. Not a big deal to me personally but I know there are some serious collectors out there who care about that so it felt worth mentioning.

I use this film in my seminar class to teach my students all about conformity, groupthink, bias, critical thinking, and discussion. This movie is a masterclass in all of those topics, and is one of the best films ever made. With my classes, I watch this 8 times a year!

One of my favorite movies.

L'avoir permet de le revoir n'importe quand. Même si à force on connaît la trame, c'est cool.

Film per veri amanti della psicologia, da seguire attentamente

The movieFor a movie to take place almost entirely in a small room with 12 people to be this powerful is a testament to the writing and directing but above all else, the acting. It never feels dated or like a product of its time and is unique in that it never feels like the message is "racism is bad, don't be racist" but rather that racism can come in many forms and is prevalent in all of us to a certain extent.The discA wonderful restoration. It looks great without looking fake (usually happens when a release had the de-noising cranked up to 11). It even comes with the 90s made for TV movie and while I was reluctant to give it a shot, it is a fine film in its own right with performances that feel like they have a high level of respect for the source material.

Buen precio