12 Angry Men (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

12 Angry Men is a film that’s so good and so powerful that, as the credits roll, you actually feel like you’ve gained a deeper understanding of humanity, our justice system, and life in general. I mean it. It’s really that good. Twelve jurors of varying ages, personalities, cultural backgrounds and social standings enter a deliberation room to determine the guilt or innocence of a troubled teenage boy accused of murdering his father. It’s quite a simple premise – a jury’s deliberation – one that occurs daily all over the United States. But the film manages to wring every last drop of tension, drama, and social commentary from this commonplace scenario that it’s impossible not to viscerally experience the true weight and implications of such a task – to search for the truth in a case of life and death. First things first: let’s just appreciate how entertaining 12 Angry Men is. This is a film that takes place entirely in a single room, and tells its story completely through dialogue. And yet, it manages to be significantly more absorbing and enthralling than your average film with dozens of different locations and set pieces. The dialogue is so well-written and the characters so well-realized (and acted) that you become completely swept up in the proceedings. The pacing is also pitch perfect. The film rises naturally to a few emotional climaxes and confrontations, which are punctuated by quieter moments as the characters (and we as the audience) catch our breaths and process what has developed. And for a film that takes place entirely in such a confined space, there are a pretty incredible number of interestingly-composed sequences and long takes as the camera maneuvers from character to character and the drama unfolds. So yes, 12 Angry Men is a superbly entertaining film that absolutely flies by over the course of its brief hour-and-a-half running time. But it’s also so much more than that. It’s a film about “truth”: its elusiveness, malleability, and vulnerability to the subjectivity of the human mind. Yes, there is a single objective truth to this, and likewise any real-life case; but the jurors don’t know it, and neither do we. The objective truth isn’t the point. The point is the impressionability of the “truth” – how it morphs in the minds of the characters (and in ours) over the course of the film, and how significantly it can be informed by our emotions, past experiences, memory (and its limitations), prejudices, and a myriad of other factors. The film is able to crystallize both the beauty and the folly of our judicial system. The beauty, as Henry Fonda’s character points out, is that the scales are heavily tipped in favor of the innocent, that no man can be found guilty unless that guilt is beyond any reasonable doubt. The folly? The subjectivity of reasonable doubt, and the unavoidable reliance on a human jury who are influenced by all of the aforementioned factors. But ultimately, 12 Angry Man a film about us – people. Each juror in the film has a unique personality, temperament, and background which informs his opinion and motivates the role he plays in the story. Every juror gets his time to shine and the result is an ensemble that feels both diverse and extremely well-balanced. The strength of the characters in the film and the way they play off of one another is key to perhaps its most important theme: the danger of assumption, and the ease and quickness with which we judge one another. We watch as the jurors expose their biases and prejudices through their assumptions and judgments of the defendant, as well as one another. But even beyond that, the true brilliance of the film is that it subtly provokes the exact same snap-judgments from us as we watch. It’s extremely easy to start to view the more critical jurors as the “good guys” and the dissenting, guilty-proponent jurors as the “bad guys.” To invoke a psychiatric concept, we engage in splitting – seeing some of the jurors as “all good” and others as “all bad.” We automatically begin to judge the seemingly more prejudiced and willful jurors, confining them to a box of our construction without knowing barely anything about them. But in its revealing final moments, the film snaps us back and urges us to look beneath the surface of those who we judge and ask an important question: why? Why does one juror spew prejudice and anger while another sits silently? What drives them to act in the way that they do? No one is born prejudiced, bigoted or racist. These are things we learn and which become incorporated into our personalities often through no fault of our own. The angry, prejudiced juror isn’t inherently “all bad,” but simply reacts in a way that is informed by his accumulated life experience (much of which is subconscious). Of course, that doesn’t mean that people can’t and shouldn’t be held accountable for their negative attributes and beliefs – we can always introspect and take action to improve our worst qualities. But that isn’t the point. The film simply asserts that we should strive to understand before we judge, as understanding and empathy fosters connection where judgment simply divides. As Juror #3 – who we’ve likely judged and grown to despise throughout the film – weeps over the torn photograph of himself and his estranged son at the conclusion of the film, the message couldn’t be clearer. 12 Angry Men is a masterpiece. It is a film that marvelously succeeds on all the facets that every great film should. It’s fabulously entertaining and engrossing, fantastically shot and acted, perfectly paced, and extremely thought-provoking. An undeniable classic whose themes will never lose their relevance.

Getting through the holidays, and finally having a chance to sit down and catch up on some Criterion movies has proved to be an absolute treat. On the top of my list was Sidney Lumet's, 12 Angry Men. This, ladies and gentlemen, is minimalism at its very best. I am not at all surprised that this 1957 film was nominated for multiple Academy Awards. I am also not surprised that this cinematic masterpiece inspired modern day court dramas such as Law and Order and The Practice. Because of the minimalist production, and despite the many accolades, I was doubtful as to whether this picture could hold my attention. I mean, no gunfights, no super heroes, or beautiful damsels in distress, no CGI, or Jack Nicholson telling us about not being able to handle the truth? How in the world would this film keep me interested for the full 96-minute duration? I will tell you how. Screenwriter Reginald Rose and director Sidney Lumet put on an absolute clinic. That's how. The writing is impeccable, and the acting is a timeless delight. There was never a dull moment, which is surprising since we never get to see a murder scenario played out, or the dramatics of a closing courtroom argument. What we did see were 12 angry men huddled around a table in the jurors room deciding the fate of a young man, on the hottest day in New York, with a fan on the fritz. The acting was so persuasive that I found myself inspired by those jurors who took their civil duties seriously, placing moral responsibilities above all other happenings in their life at the time. The character development was very thorough as I found myself liking Henry Fonda's character, and disliking a few of the others. Lumet challenges the viewer on morality and social justice, and does it quite well. This movie, while made many years ago, will still stir moral emotions in today's viewer. Overall, I consider this movie a cinematic masterpiece. For that reason, and combined with Criterion's work in the blu-ray transfer, 12 Angry Men receives Five Stars from me. This is a must see for those that appreciate great cinema with a quality blu-ray picture. Add it to your collection today!

Excellent movie. Should have been boring as it is just some guys in a room, but it surpasses itself. Some of the characters are a bit exaggerated but the movie shows truth of life in the jury room. I have been on 4 jury's (in New Zealnd) and it felt true even though it is set in New York. I would have found it very boring as a child I think.

I had seen this movie on a cable channel (TCM I think) with my husband some years ago. I bought a collector's edition of this film a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. When I saw the Criterion Collection one for sale I bought it. The film arrived promptly and the picture and sound were quite good. I was somewhat disappointed in the special features which did not have a audio commentary like the other copy of the film I own. I did enjoy the 1954 tv version, but it did not compare to the 1957 movie version directed by Sidney Lumet. The photography and the acting by the cast in the movie were far superior, even by 2 actors who were in both the tv and film versions. All the characters were better fleshed out in the movie and you could empathize with them much more than in the tv version. Each time I see this film I see something new about the characters /or the situation. A truly great film.

Llegó muy bien, en plástico y con el libro. Todo completo y se ve muy bien

This is old, dated, and excellent. Set in one room, with lots of dialogue. No explosions or car chases. Just good old solid acting and a great script. Classic movie.

Good old Criterion.

La película es un clásico, una de las mejores de la historia aunque tenga u a premisa muy simple y una sola locación. Esta edición Criterion se ve excelente.

12 Angry Men (1957) Drama, 96 minutes Directed by Sidney Lumet Starring Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb and Martin Balsam Sidney Lumet passed away in 2011, but he left us with 72 films, shorts or TV series. This was his first feature for the big screen and it's definitely among his best work. For me, one of the signs of a good film is to take a subject in which I have no interest and hold my attention for the duration. The story takes place in one room, apart from a couple of minutes at the beginning and end of the film. It succeeds because of the strength of the dialogue and the acting ability of all involved. After a very compact 96 minutes in which no scene is wasted, the credits roll. I'm left with the feeling that I have just seen something important. The film deals with racism and highlights the good and bad points of the American justice system. Henry Fonda leads a strong cast and every member has a significant role to play. Lumet used a variety of camera angles to make the viewer feel like a member of the jury and it's easy to be drawn in. This is one of those rare stories where dialogue is actually exciting. It's really something that has the potential to be enjoyed by any audience. Criterion's recent Blu-ray release offers a wonderful presentation and includes a good supplemental package.