12 Angry Men (1957)

On paper, I shouldn’t like “12 Angry Men” as much as I do. It’s a film about a group of men shouting at each other for 90 minutes over events that the audience never see, but somehow, the film manages to be an enthralling watch that kept me invested in the narrative from start to finish. If you want to watch a nearly perfect classic movie, “12 Angry Men” is for you!

What makes “12 Angry Men” so brilliant is that (aside from the first and final scenes) the entire movie takes place in one room. This may sound like a recipe for complete and utter boredom, but the powerful and surprisingly complex characters and claustrophobic cinematography keep the story moving at a very brisk pace.

“12 Angry Men” does a stellar job of introducing its characters and outlining its plot in the simplest possible way. Usually I find it annoying when a film gives the audience very little information to work with, but here, the experience of watching this film is made more intriguing as we learn about the story and characters through context (and it’s just as captivating during the second-viewing.)

The cast all give incredible performances, each one of them manages to craft a 3-Dimensional and believable character in a limited amount of time. It’s amazing that, even though we aren’t told what any of the Juror’s full names are, we are still able to understand their motivations and worldview. The most impressive performance (I believe) is Lee J. Cobb as Juror 3 because the gradual reveal of his troubled mental state is done in a subtle and extremely effective way.

The cinematography and lighting in “12 Angry Men” build a stifling and suffocating atmosphere; the extreme close-ups of the juror’s sweaty faces make some of the key scenes in “12 Angry Men” quite uncomfortable to watch.

There are many themes and messages in “12 Angry Men”, each of them expertly woven into the character drama and storyline of the film. These themes range from the idea that a minority can, with a strong enough argument, convince a majority to see events in a different light (Henry Fonda’s character, Juror 8, manages to dissuade his fellow jurors from simply declaring the defendant guilty so they can quickly return to their daily lives.) Another message of “12 Angry Men” is that prejudice should not be allowed to interfere with matters of life and death (Juror’s 3 and 4 are deeply prejudiced towards the defendant, which causes them to believe that he is guilty.) As with many great films, “12 Angry Men” can be interpreted in a multitude of ways.

To summarise, “12 Angry Men” is one of the best black-and-white movies ever made. It’s a gripping and psychologically intense drama/ thriller that creates suspense with its superb dialogue and story, rather than with nail-biting set-pieces. Considering how tedious some films of its era were, it’s astonishing that “12 Angry Men” is as compelling as it is, even after 62 years!