Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenplay: Reginald Rose
Based on a Story by: Reginald Rose
Starring: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, Jack Warden, Ed Begley
Country: USA
Running Time: 96 min
Year: 1957
BBFC Certificate: PG
A jury comprising of 12 men meet following a trial to give a verdict in the case of a young Puerto Rican boy accused of murdering his father. When all but one of them deem the boy guilty, a heated discussion begins which will not only decide the fate of the accused, but will test the morals and will of every man in the room.
If you’ve been anywhere near the internet in the last year or so, you may have seen a meme doing the rounds – it’s a black and white still of Martin Scorcese, hands raised, captioned with the text “Absolute Cinema”. While this image is often used ironically, there are a number of films which could genuinely use said meme as a seal of approval – a recognition that they are “Absolute Cinema”. Sidney Lumet’s 1957 courtroom drama is one of them.
12 Angry Men has long been a film that’s sat on my “to watch” list, so I was very keen to check out this new 4K release from Criterion; what I discovered was easily one of the best character drama’s I’ve ever seen. Both Lumet’s direction and the screenplay by Reginald Rose, adapted from his 60 minute 1954 teleplay, combine to form a tight story that starts in motion and never stops moving until the credits roll. Rather than spending time establishing the case our unnamed jurors are deliberating, the script moves us almost immediately into the jury room with the judge predising over the case informing them that if there is any reasonable doubt in the evidence provided they must return a “not guilty” verdict. It’s the decision of Henry Fonda’s “Juror 8” to question the evidence that starts our cast about unpicking things.
But the film is ultimately less about whether the boy is guilty or not, and more about exposing the men involved in deciding whether he lives or dies; their morals, their prejudices, the biases their personal lives cast on the way they view the boy, his background and his possible motives for murdering his father. Each intricate inspection of the evidence and the case sheds subtle light on each of the characters in a true “show, don’t tell” masterpiece of screenwriting.
This, of course, would all be for naught if it weren’t propped up by a stellar set of performances from our 12 leading men. Of course, we have Fonda, the voice of reason in the room who largely carries the weight of the film, but this ensemble gives space for the whole cast to shine from Martin Balsam’s foreman, wearily trying to lead the jury to their decision, and a remarkably young Jack Warden who’s wisecracking contrarian approach to his decisions threaten to undermine the democratic nature of the jury process. But it’s Ed Begley and Lee J Cobb who stand out in particular, both of whom play characters displaying varying degrees of prejudice, with Cobb’s conflicted anger undercutting a large part of the narrative.
It’s a fascinating spectacle, watching these great actors go at it, and Lumet uses the camera to heighten the tension in the room. It’s established early that this is the hottest day of the year, and the visible sweat and claustrophobic camerawork only go towards strengthening that, while the encroaching storm that the jury ends up sitting out brings subtle audio cues to the heightening tension.
12 Angry Men is a story that will make the audience think and one which, sadly, more increasingly resonates in modern society. Do you really believe what you are being told, the “evidence” that is being presented to you? How tainted is that evidence by prejudice and how are your own prejudices skewing your views of it? Ultimately – should the life of one person be determined by other people who may not have their best interests at heart? It is, indeed, Absolute Cinema, and a film that deserves to be watched by everyone.
Bonus Features
- New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Television version from 1954 of 12 Angry Men, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner for the series Studio One, with an introduction by Ron Simon, curator at the Paley Center for Media
- Production history of 12 Angry Men, from teleplay to big-screen classic
- Archival interviews with director Sidney Lumet
- Interview with screenwriter Walter Bernstein about Lumet
- Interview with Simon about writer Reginald Rose
- Tragedy in a Temporary Town (1956), a teleplay directed by Lumet and written by Rose
- Interview with cinematographer John Bailey about director of photography Boris Kaufman
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by writer and law professor Thane Rosenbaum
This double disc set from Criterion features the same Blu Ray release that David reviewed back in 2017, so there are no additional bonus features for collectors looking to double dip. What sells this set, however, is the fabulous 4K restoration of the film which is crisp and beautiful, the black and white photography properly popping from the screen. If you’ve not picked this up, this is an essential disc to add to your collection.