Rating: 
Summary: And justice for all
Review: Henry Fonda leads an all star cast in this still relevant classic from 1957. Fonda plays a 12th juror, who is the only one who thinks that the man on trial for murder, is innocent. He spends almost the entire film questioning the others and why each man thinks the defendant is guilty. Flawlessly acted, the film boasts a powerhouse cast, that can't be beat. Lee J.Cobb, Ed Begley, Jack Klugman, Martin Balsam, to name but a few. Directed by Sydney Lumet, the movie works because of the simplicity, with which it is told. 95% of the movie takes place in the jury room. There are a lot of tight close shots that help add to the tension of the situation. The movie deals with a lot of the same issues that we as a nation are still struggling with today. Our justice system is an obvious theme of the film, but it also touches on race, our treatment of the elderly, Father and Son relationships, war, and doing one's best to honor truth above all else. Given the state of the world today, it never hurts to examine these issues, every now and then. The climax of the movie is unforgetable and still packs a whallop.It is great to have this movie on DVD. There are no extras on this edition (save for a vintage trailer). That's o.k. though because the movie is so good that it almost doesn't need any bonus stuff. It's a "special edition" already. The film is a must see and the DVD is a must own.
Rating:
Summary: Brimming with Tension
Review: One of the first and finest movies from the courtroom drama era of the late 50s and early 60s, 12 Angry Men is a marvel of moviemaking. Henry Fonda plays the famed juror #8 with the perfect mix of reason, naivety, dignity, and diligence. The claustrophobic feeling of being stuck in the jury room provides an overabundance of suspense, doing an even better job than one of my other favorite claustrophobic films, Hitchcock's experimental Rope. Even with the constraints of being stuck within a small room, Lunet's direction of 12 Angry Men is masterful, with some of the simplest and yet some of the most artistic camera shots ever translated to film. The human interaction between the jurors is the main story, and is played out beautifully, providing plenty of tension as the vote changes Fonda from an underdog into the majority's leader. Keeping in mind that a dozen different men are crammed into one small room, it is essential that the film provides well-rounded character development, and in 12 Angry Men we see an example of perfect character development in film. As the stories of the mens' lives are filled in, we find that not only do we know these people, we are these people. The meek, the bombastic, the apathetic, the prejudiced. Symbolism at its best. Even with the unending idealism that makes the story a bit too Capraesque, you can't help but feel emotionally redeemed when they finally walk out into the courtroom
Rating: 
Summary: fascinating
Review: 12 angry men is about 12 angry men. A 18 year old boy just was charged with murder and the jury had to make a descision. To all of them it seemed like the 18 year old boy was certainly guilty. But when they all vote on it one man (Henry Fonda) votes not-guilty. When they all got upset everyone asked him why. He replied that they must discuss it before we come up with a verdict. Once they discussed many things and everyone thought it was a joke that they were still going on about it. The one man (Henry Fonda)offered them that they'd have a ballot type of vote. Everyone agreed and one person changed his mind to not-guilty. As it goes on they make points about what happened while one by one they change to not-guilty. What makes this movie great is that each man has a totally different personality than the other. The whole film is filmed in one room. The movie is an hour and a half and goes really quick. What also is nice is that ya never think when is the movie gonna be over. Once you recognized that you haven't said that in your head ya know its a good movie.
Rating:
Summary: HUMAN NATURE REVEALED
Review: I agree with most everything the other reviewers have said, so I'll just add another observation about this film--it reflects human nature accurately. You get the entire range of human experience in the 12 men on this jury, the cankerous one who vents his personal rage on strangers, the apathetic, the silent but wise, the businessman, the good man and everything in between. The motivations and drives of not just the characters we see, but the unseen defendant, DA, defense attorney, witnesses and the general public reflects true human nature. You just don't see that type of honesty in movies often enough anymore. Or this caliber of acting, directing and production. The only thing you could say bad is that there are no women or minorities on the jury, but as this is 1957, it's no surprise. Despite this, the relevancy of 12 Angry Men is still valid, especially with our justice system continuing to imprison and execute innocent people.
Rating:
Summary: Technical Work Ensured This Movie as a Classic
Review: '12 Angry Men', originaly based on a TV series, was a groundbraking movie of the 50s'. Henry Fonda lead a great cast as the cool, well collected juror who dared to cast a vote against 11 other men who saw the murder trial of a young Puerto-Rican teen as an open-and-closed case. Fonda sat among great character actor Lee J. Cobb, and other small time names that built the stereotypical ladder of society in that time. You know, the middle-aged overweight men with the Brooklyn accents who live for a great baseball game and share strong characteristics with Jackie Gleason...the smooth-talking 'Clark Kent' like salesman with the thick glasses and the metaphorical one-liners...and of course the stone-faced buisness men who look like they've been entranced most of the time. But these twelve men who dedicated themselves greatly to their parts, were really I think only half of what made '12 Angry Men' so great. The mood throughout the movie almost never exceeded a strong argument, and there was no heavy musical blasts that interrupted the feel for any certain part. Also an interesting thing were the camera angles...I was once told just how many different angles that camera was pointed throughout the entire movie but I forgot. The many different shots help focus you better on just the dialogue the director had in mind for that scene, so you can easily put everything together as it happens. The camera also never leaves the jury room, so just as they're stuck there until the verdict is in...so are you. I dont want to start going over the entire plot, but as each little bit of the trial is looked over by the jurors and then usually argued by Henry Fonda..you begin to get to know each character personally. Once another cigarette is lit, once it suddenly starts to rain heavily, or once the daylight fades and the lights go on you get the feeling at each of these points that there's much more to come. One of my favorite shots is at the end, when the camera pans over the table and you see the 'wreckage' of a jury deciding a tough case...ash trays filled with cigarette butts, torn pictures from a distraught father, and dozens of little pieces of paper that say...well you figure it out. '12 Angry Men' I think used not only a great cast, but also a technical crew that made each and every scene perfect. Hats off to one of the greatest movies of that era.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic exercise for the left-hemisphere of the brain
Review: A classical study of logic in action. Watching this film will defintely increase one's own ability in structural reasoning and speech ability. The array of casts and characters were also excellent, and they drew resources from their age, occupation, personality, and ethic background to make the story line very dynamic.
Rating:
Summary: Cinema at its finest
Review: 12 Angry Men is one of the finest, yet most underrated movies of all time. The plot is gripping and keeps you interested throughout. However, what distinguishes this movie is the acting. Released in 1957, 12 Angry Men had one of the greatest casts ever assembled. Each actor gave a memorable performance with the more notable ones being Henry Fonda as the hero of the jury, Lee J. Cobb as his bitter opponent, and Ed Begley as a vicious bigot. This movie is as enjoyable watch as any, and I encourage any one who wants to see fine acting to buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes, less is more...
Review: In an era when movie have to be big, cool and pointless, It's nice to know that there are movies like "12 Angry Men", which focus less on eye candy than on plot, character development and acting. Although it's an hour and a half in length, "12 Angry Men" takes place only in a courtroom. Here, 12 jurors have to decide the fate of a boy accused of killing his father. On the surface, it appears that he's guilty. One of the jurors however (Played by Henry Fonda) has his doubts and wants to overview the case more thoroughly. As the story unfolds, the other jurors begin to look into the case and see faults in testimonies and in the evidence against the defendant, realizing the poor job done in the trial by the prosecution. Despite being manipulative and occasionally melodramatic (Especially Lee J. Cobb), "12 Angry Men" debates about our lives and the justic system. For example do any of us really care about jury duty? Sure it's boring and we probably have other things to do, but it should be taken seriously. Had Fonda not been so dedicated to his work, an innocent man would have been found guilty and executed. The movie also shows the well-executed drama can be just as thrilling as a big explosion. I am surprised that this is not among the American Film Institute's list of the greatest movies. It is, after all, ranked fairly high on the Internet Movie Database's top 250 list. Anyway, AFI list or no AFI list, "12 Angry Men" is a must watch. Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: A Glaring Omission!
Review: I have used this magnificent film ever so often to teach the basic concepts of social psychology to enthusiastic college students. If ever a classic film deserved a special edition DVD, this IS the one. I am still in shock that such a glaring omission has occurred, and the studio should address this mis-
calculation. If "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "High Noon" can be graced with such an elevated status, why not this matchless piece of acting genius?
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps the best film of all times
Review: At a time when Hollywood was producing giant epics with fantastic sets and "casts of thousands" there stands a monument to the essentials of great drama and film making. This film is perhaps the antithesis of its contemporaries. Like its main character and protagonist, it stands in quiet defiance against the multi-million dollar productions that have faded from memory. It was filmed in black and white at a time when color film was standard. There are three simple sets with one very long major scene taking place in one room. No casts of thousands. The only special effect is a little late afternoon shower that serves to ease a midpoint climax and help transition the various tensions to resolution. There is no great musical score either - no great soundtrack. One very plain jury room, twelve men, a hot day in July, no air conditioning, and more drama and tension than any film I have ever seen. You literally get sucked into the jury room even on a small screen TV. It is a pure masterpiece. I have watched this film dozens of times and I find something new each time. Even though I know the outcome, the suspense and emotional tension never fade. The acting is outstanding. Each actor was superb and well chosen for the role played. Each actor not only created a memorable character but portrayed, in classic Greco-Roman tradition, a moral-ethical standard. Twelve angry men is what is advertised and is what you get. Experience this great film and see that it out-shadows even today's productions. It is a must for anyone who loves drama and appreciates fine film. PS. I must confess - I find this film so enthralling that whenever I come across it while "channel surfing" I watch it. This despite the fact that I own a video and DVD. Its that good.
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