HEFE'S REVIEW OF:
12 ANGRY MEN (1957)

OPENING THOUGHTS

    This movie is old. How old you ask? Well, to put it into perspective, age wise this movie would almost qualify to eat off the senior menu at Shari's. This movie is old enough to be my mother, in fact this film came out the same year that my mom was born. The only reason that I am mentioning it, is that in all that time I have never bothered to watch this flick. In fact the only reason I watched this is because my wife turned it on while she was playing on the computer. But now that I have seen it, I am very glad that I did.

ACTING

    HENRY FONDA plays Juror #8, he is up against 11 other members on a jury who believe that a man on trial for murder is guilty and should be sentenced to death. His performance is flawless in this film. He commands the screen without ever having to shout. This is a performance that he will be remembered for and rightly so. I can't think of a single thing I would have changed about it.
    LEE J. COBB played a great bastard in this film. Sometimes I love a good bastard, and this guy played the part so well that it was almost like a cartoon. I know that probably sounds bad, but it isn't. I just mean that to look the part and sound the part so convincingly you would think it would have to be drawn because it would be impossible to find someone that perfect for the part in nature. His weird square mouth and temper-tantrums clashed perfectly with Henry Fonda's calm and collected demeanor.
    THE SUPPORTING CAST is like a wet dream. It is so varied and so good. All of the characters work well off of each other, and each one adds something to the film. I particularly enjoyed George Voskovec who had a small but powerful exchange with Jack Klugman, who you might know from The Odd Couple television show. Both of them played their parts convincingly and were a real treat to watch. I also thought it was funny that the guy who voices Piglet, John Fiedler, was in this movie. Every time he opened his mouth it felt familiar and I wasn't sure why until I looked up on the internet later and my mind exploded.

DIRECTION AND SCRIPT

    SIDNEY LUMET did a fantastic job directing this film, especially given the year that this movie was shot. One of the main reasons I don't like watching older movies is because the way they are filmed irritates me. I know as a film critic I am supposed to not let things like that bother me, but dammit they do. Lumet's expert camera work really made me feel at home watching this movie. I also really appreciated how much he made the actors rehearse their scenes before filming, I think that really paid off because everything on screen felt very organic and natural. Superb work.
    REGINALD ROSE is the real superhero behind this movie, and one of the main reasons this film rocked my socks right off. I really liked the choice of not actually ever showing the trial, it makes the audience form an opinion based solely on what the jurors are saying. It's also a bit dangerous though because it makes this movie rely solely on dialogue to move this story forward. If you are going to do that you better make sure your dialogue is flawless, because if it isn't the movie is going to tank. Thankfully the dialogue was as solid as... well I probably shouldn't say, but believe me, it is really hard. I have to be honest I was talking about my penis just then.

THE VERDICT

    If you haven't seen this movie you are only robbing yourself of a great experience. The only thing more unbelievable than how amazing the cast is, is how incredible the script is. Don't let the age of the film scare you away, if you are in the mood for a good drama, then you should see this movie. Just don't expect explosions, F-Bombs, or vag-shots and you will be ready for some good old-fashioned classy entertainment.
 
 

THIS FILM HAS BEEN RATED

A
 This is movie perfection.
Whatever you are doing, it's not as important as watching this film.
TO VIEW OUR RATING SYSTEM CLICK HERE
 

DISAGREE? HAVE A QUESTION OR A REQUEST?
TELL HIM!
hefe@hollywoodguys.net
 


FOLLOW US ON

GET INSTANT ACCESS TO NEW REVIEWS, MOVIE NEWS AND FAN DISCUSSIONS