12 Angry Men (1957)
As Reviewed by Keith G.
With my first foray into the Please Rewind Reviews, I chose my all time favorite black and white film. Originally written as a teleplay by Reginald Rose in 1954,
12 Angry Men was brought to film in 1957. It starred a host of popular leading men for the time including Henry Fonda, EG Marshall, Jack Klugman, Ed Begley and more, all working as jurors on a young teens murder trial. It was a simple film with an easy to follow premise, but for those who have seen it, you know that sometimes simplicity can be phenomenal.
The film begins just as the judge is ordering the jurors to be fair and impartial in their deliberation. He reminds them that a young man's life is on the line if he is found guilty. Already 2 minutes into the film and the pressure is on. The jurors proceed into the deliberation room knowing that they must be unanimous in their decision or risk a mistrial. The plot reaches it's main point when they open the discussion with a initial vote. Who thinks the boy is guilty? Eleven hands go up, one hand stays down. One man, Henry Fonda's character, thinks there's room for discussion. This is where the films tension begins and where the story really gets good.
Throughout the rest of the story, Fonda verbally spars with all these other men, back and forth until one by one, he starts to make them realize his side of it. We as viewers are already on his side from the beginning. He's played with such genuine sincerity and passion for what is right and wrong that we immediately want to hear his side. The other jurors are all played perfectly as well. They each have their own personalities - some we hate, some we loath, others we're indifferent about, but not because of how they're played, but because initially they don't express themselves much. As the film continues on, we start to see the motivation behind each character's personalities and why they believe what they believe. Some saw the evidence and decided right away the boy did it. Others thought he was guilty based on their own prejudices. Others still said he was guilty just because they had better things to do besides talking it out. It's these kinds of different agendas that Fonda's lone juror has to work through. The more he builds his case, the more he really believes that the boy is innocent and the more we as viewers believe it as well. The really interesting thing about the way it was done, was that we don't know any facts of the case going in to the film. Each aspect of the trial is given to us via the jurors as Fonda brings up different questions. The witnesses, the weapon, the scene of the crime are all talked about as the film progresses so we as viewers are made to rely on Fonda's arguments to understand the whole case. We didn't see the crime committed early on in the film, we don't know if the boy killed his father or not. We just know that one man thinks he didn't do it and everyone else says he did. As more and more evidence is brought to light, more and more of the story achieves greatness.
What can I say? This is just a truly awesome film. It doesn't have any flashy effects or camera tricks. No big chase scenes or dastardly villains. It's just 12 guys sitting in a room talking. The simplicity of it may not have sounded good on paper, but it works so well on screen that you're surprised at how something as basic of a concept can reel you in so well. It's really a testament to the story, the director and the actors all together. The film was directed by Sidney Lument and was his first feature film. Prior to directing he had worked as a director of photography and it's evident in the camera work displayed here. Throughout the films progression, we get closer and closer to the actors as we get find out more and more about them. It works well visually as a means of getting a clearer understanding of the personality and in turn getting a clearer picture of the man.
The story is very well written with superb moments of tension as arguments break out, personalities clash and more eveidence is discussed. We as viewers watch in awe as Fonda throws out more evidence to discuss and when truthes are revealed, we gasp in revelation just as the other 11 men do. Keep in mind, this is not a courtroom drama with loads of law jargon thrown around. It's written for the laymen. I first saw this film as a freshman in highschool and with no real understanding of law and court systems aside from the basics, yet I still instantly caught on to this film and was hooked. It all made sense and not once did I question anything. It's just that good.
If you have never seen this one, I urge you as a film lover or just a lover of a good story, go get it. Netflix it, eBay it - whatever, but just go watch it. You'll thank me and be kicking yourself for never watching it sooner. Thats the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Acting :
Story :
Directing :
Fun Factor :
Overall :
