12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men
(1957) [Trailer]
Director: Sidney Lumet (IMDB)

I love Sidney Lumet as a director and I've honestly enjoyed every film I've seen of his. I saw 12 Angry Men a long time ago and remember liking it quite a bit, but honestly my memory was a litte fuzzy on the movie. So needless to say when I saw it got Criterion's blu-ray treatment I was excited to pick it up and revisit this film.

12 Angry Men is about 12 jurors picked to sit in on a murder case. The defendant is charged with killing his father with a switch blade...gangsta! If convicted he'll be sentenced to death. The jury has to come back with a unanimous decision of guilty in order for him to be killed. Everyone's thinks he's guilty except one man, juror #8....Henry Fonda! The room slowly starts to turn as Henry drops logic like a Vulcan, and well...lets just say the boy doesn't get the electric chair.

This is what movies are all about. Great direction and story, with acting that is about a perfect as you can get. The movie takes place in one room primarily and is a perfect example of how you don't need crazy set pieces in order to make a winner. It's crazy to think how you can so easily get fried based on how well some slimy lawyer sells your case. This movie really shows the flaws in our justice system but also the flaws within ourselves....I know, deep right.

I would definitely recommend you not sleep on this flick if you haven't seen it yet, and the Criterion transfer to blu-ray really warms the soul.