
The defense and the prosecution have rested, and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young man is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open-and-shut case of murder soon becomes a detective story that presents a succession of clues creating doubt, and a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, AND each other. Based on the play, all of the action takes place on the stage of the jury r... (Full plot summary below)
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The defense and the prosecution have rested, and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young man is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open-and-shut case of murder soon becomes a detective story that presents a succession of clues creating doubt, and a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, AND each other. Based on the play, all of the action takes place on the stage of the jury room.
Leave your thoughts about 12 Angry Men.
| Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe movie plays like a textbook for directors interested in how lens choices affect mood. |
| Apollo GuideBrian WebsterWhile the composition of juries might change over time, the issues and attitudes that are explored here are timeless, as is this classic film. |
| UK CriticIan Waldron-MantganiAn intense concentration of power, and my all-time favourite film. |
| Arizona Daily StarPhil VillarrealA masterful work of debate and dialogue; of shifting momentum and the ideal of sticking to your scruples in the face of antagonistic groupthink. |
| CineVueChristopher MachellAlthough 12 Angry Men dismays at human weakness, it is fundamentally an optimistic film, celebrating reason and basic human decency in equal measure. In an era when both seem in short supply, Lumet’s film is a reminder that there is never a bad time to stand up for what is right. |
| The New York TimesA.H. WellerA penetrating, sensitive, and sometimes shocking dissection of the hearts and minds of men who obviously are something less than gods. It makes for taut, absorbing, and compelling drama that reaches far beyond the close confines of its jury room setting. |
| Slant MagazineGlenn Heath Jr.What's most interesting about the intense deliberations that ensue, specifically when a piece of seemingly indisputable evidence is brought back into question, is how a fresh angle and perspective, usually born from Juror 8's critical thinking, can permanently alter the tone of the discussion. |
| The TelegraphMarc LeeFew film directors can resist the urge to "open out" a story, to broaden the view and bring in as wide a variety of sets and locations as the narrative - and budget - will allow. The genius of Sidney Lumet's astonishingly powerful 12 Angry Men is that he does exactly the opposite: he takes an already small, claustrophobic space - a jury room - and makes it even more confined. |
| Time OutJoshua RothkopfToo few films take on the art of arguing as a subject; we could certainly use more of them, but until then, Lumet’s window into strained civic duty will continue to serve mightily. |
| ColliderShane RomanchickHenry Fonda, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, and Jack Warden lead a cast that glues you to the screen and never lets you go till the final verdict. |