12 Angry Men

Rating:
Summary: 12 Impatient Men
Review: I will not dispute that these men were angry by the standards of their day - they raised their voices, exchanged hostile glances, and sternly opened and closed doors - but in comparison with today's anger, the anger of 1957 simply appears tame. I anticipated that these 12 angry men would find themselves locked up together in very small rooms, where their contrasting differences would provoke spittle-flinging outbursts of pure, savage anger; but this was not the case.

Rating:
Summary: Decisions - A reflection of who we are..
Review: A record hot day and a man's life is at stake as he is about to be sentenced to death by 12 jurors from various backgrounds. These 12 jurors, all men, represent Caucasian America of the 1950s, and the values within the American fabric. The 12 men are all assembled in a small conference room after the trial where they should all agree upon the man's guilt or innocence. Juror No. 3 (Lee J. Cobb) spits out that it is an open and shut case as the man is obviously guilty as the jurors sit down to discuss the man's guilt. The only person that seems to disagree is Juror No. 8 (Henry Fonda), who feels that the man might not be guilty after all.

The battle of persuasion begins as the majority of the group tempts to pressure Juror No. 8 into submission as they all want to leave the hot room without a fan and return to their daily tasks. However, Juror No.8 believes that when a man's life is at stake, one should take more than a few minutes to ponder the guilt as they could be wrong. This notion is exactly what the film wants to depict as it becomes a lesson of the Constitution and people's right to a fair trial.

12 Angry Men takes place in the small conference room where the audience is to be enlightened about the characters and their values. As the story unfolds it becomes apparent that the values of the jurors' influence their decision making. The decision of sentencing a man to death will be a reflection of their own background, education, and upbringing. In essence, the decision is a reflection of each juror. This decision making is drawn into the light through lengthy discussions based on their personal notions. This means that the audience is presented with meticulously brilliant character study.

Sidney Lumet directs a brilliant post-courtroom drama, which is supported by an excellent script. The cast carries the script to higher grounds as the cast's performance is outstanding. The cast consists of talented actors such as Martin Balsam, Jack Warden, E.G. Marshall, Henry Fonda, and Lee J. Cobb.

The cinematography enhances the hot claustrophobic atmosphere in the conference room, which pushes the film to the top. For example, the camera is being held with a slight superior angle in the beginning which progressively moves to an inferior angle toward the end. This intensifies the claustrophobic atmosphere as the ceiling is being observed within the shot with constant use a closed shot. The slow movement of the camera into an inferior angle also augments the importance of the characters, which is essential as character traits are a dominant part of the film.

In the end, the audience will have received an important political story of people's rights in a democracy, which will offer much to ponder. The film also offers a terrific character study as the many jurors' decisions will reflect upon their character. Lastly, 12 Angry Men offers a solid introduction into film making as it displays brilliant use of the camera, mise-en-scene, and performances in front of a camera, which comprises a complete and brilliant cinematic experience.