"12 Angry Men" [Sidney Lumet, 1957] - movie review

One of those unique evergreens that no one can dislike. It is a truly minimalist movie, basically without a plot, all taking place in the same room 98% of the run-time. This is the key idea of the cinematography, the isolation from the outside world, the claustrophobia enhanced by a heatwave, which at the same time bring the jurors on their edge as the apparently clear cut case against a young man accused of killing his father, might not be as clear cut as it looks on the surface. (spoilers ahead)

The plot as it is, is just that - a defence by one juror of an apparently sure case against a murderer. He turns the other eleven over to his side one by one until the emphatic half of the room is with him, while the narcissistic and psychopathic other half fortifies themselves in their prejudice, even when the evidence and witness accounts are shread to pieces one by one.

Henry Fonda plays his role with a confident stoic character, who never trembles under the pier pressure of those who just want to get this case over with and send the boy to the electric chair as he "deserves". Fonda´s confidence inspires the other´s to hear his arguments and against all odds, even for you as a thirteenth juror as the viewer, he succeeds. The point is not really whether or not he is guilty, but rather an account of all the anonymous people in the system who has been handed an incredible responsibility and power ... and how their mentality and not least prejudice, may have huge consequences for their surroundings.

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The genius of the story is that it is only described by the persons in the room, but you as a viewer relive and recreate the scenarios in your head and is forced to enter the mind of the jurors and be handed the same responsibility and is unable to get away from it. No other film that come to mind for me, manages to get away with this in such a vivid fashion as in 12 Angry men. It is truly a stroke of storytelling perfection.

The characters are carefully chosen to highlight very different personalities so that we feel both relief that there are some who we can identify with but at the same time some we could really get almost in a fight with as their idea of responsibility is exposed for what it really is. Fonda is an obvious hero type, but the rest of the cast is balanced so well with no one standing out particularly, while they all get their say along the way.

This is a celebration of skepticism and rigid reasoning and boy is that ever more needed than in the emo times we live in now. One reason, apart from the obvious other qualities of the direction and cinematography, is the eternal importance of the message that the protagonist carries. One hopes that cooler heads like his always prevails whenever judgment is to be passed on other individuals, where the consequences are not carried over to those who judge. Only the judge should swing the sword.

10/10