#25: 12 Angry Men (1957) review

Keeping a spot in the top 10 of IMDb's infamous top 250 list, 12 Angry Men is definitely a must see for all  movie fans. Most definitely not your everyday film, 12 Angry Men plays out in the most interesting of ways for a movie- The entire film takes place in one room during the same day! 

I myself, prior to seeing it for the first time, remember that I desperately needed to see this movie. It was also the first black and white film I had seen and the first film of its era that I saw. For that, this film is very special for me. 12 Angry Men is near perfection, in my eyes, and is one of the few instances that despite the plot to the film being very basic, keeps me more than entertained for the entire duration. The film is masterfully directed, which is evident right throughout the film. For such a concept to work, the film must be superbly directed and that's exactly what happens with this film. 

What good is great direction without great writing? The dialogue in the film is absolutely amazing. Being a dialogue crucial film, 12 Angry Men is written in such a way that it resembles Tarantino's best writing...of course, without all the profanity! The film is not only extremely funny, but also intriguing, intense and exciting. How often can it be said for a movie that takes place in one scene with 12 men sitting around a table and discussing whether or not a verdict is guilty, to be tense. The film is definitely tense, especially Lee J Cobb's character. The film contains a few big stars, mainly Lee J Cobb and Henry Fonda as the protagonist and antagonist. 

The acting is unbelievable in my eyes. Each character has enough screen time to remember and to care for, despite the fact that none get names save for two characters by the end of the film. This could either come off as horrible or confusing but thankfully, is neither. From the dialogue alone, we are able to clearly tell the personality of each of the juries. 

'12 Angry Men' is definitely a classic, and one of the very best of the 1950s. It defines how amazing a movie can be with the simplest of concepts executed to the best of abilities. Everything about this film works, and works to its maximum level, whether it be the characters, story, acting or execution. 12 Angry Men is a near perfect masterpiece.