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Directed by: Sidney Lumet Starring: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E. G. Marshall 12 Angry Men is a truly great film. It is the story of a jury of 12 men deliberating on whether or not a boy is guilty of murder. Aside from the short court opening and the shorter "leaving the courtroom" epilogue, the movie takes place entirely within the Jury Room of the court. The movie isn't actually about if the boy is guilty or not, and you never really find out if he is. It's about whether or not there is a reasonable doubt that he is guilty, based on the evidence presented. The dialogue in the film is simply spectacular, and the film's style is fantastic as well. The movie is shot with lenses of increasing focal length as the film goes on, so that the walls of the jury room start to close in on the characters and you feel more and more claustrophobic. The movie was made in 1957 but there's nothing in the film that is irrelevant and obsolete despite how long it has been since it was made. It is most definitely a timeless masterpiece of film, one that sits at a nice #22 spot on the IMDB Top 250. RATING: 5 PROS: One of the greatest dramas of all-time, with excellent dialogue and cinematography CONS: None ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050083/ Roger Ebert's Great Movies
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May 24, 2004 19:06
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Great, great film. Excellent acting from the whole cast. 5
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May 24, 2004 21:24
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We had to watch his movie in school. The whole class groaned about seeing a old crappy movie. By the end of the film, we were all just amazed by this movie. I recommend this movie to anybody. Excellent acting in this one.
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May 25, 2004 04:22
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A wonderful version of the play. The actors were all good and the changes made to the script were barely noticeable. An extremely effective drama. Henry Fonda rocks my world. 5/5
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May 25, 2004 16:15
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This movie truly is excellent. More directors of today should take note of how much can be accomplished without explosions and breasts. Also worth to note is that the TV movie remake (from 1995 I believe) is pretty drat good too, so don't be afraid of that one if it comes in your way. 5/5
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May 26, 2004 22:21
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Just got done seeing this film. I thought it would rely too heavily on the acting. Also, it was filmed in only 17 days and was Sidney Lumet directing debuet. With all these factors in mind, I expected it to be rather mediocre, yet I was blown away at how well this movie worked. I loved it.
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May 28, 2004 21:53
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One of the best peices of dramatic work, ever. The location and cinematography keep the tension between the *amazing* ensemble cast spot on all the way through the film. easily a 5/5
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May 29, 2004 21:23
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Very compelling, though I thought the ending wrapped things up a little too quickly and neatly. Seemed like they had a really good movie up until that point and then realized they didn't know how to make the last guy change his mind. Rating: 4
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Feb 18, 2005 22:36
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I saw this recently in my ninth grade social studies class. I was blown away by the acting and storyline. Everything fits so perfectly together. I wish I would have known about it sooner. Pros : Everything. Cons : Black and white movie (.....sorry, thats all I could find!) 5/5
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Feb 19, 2005 08:14
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Sadly I have to say that I also only saw this movie in high school during Government class. I know its a movie before my time, but honestly after movies I've seen today, I kind of wish there were more movies that had a plot as simple and good as this. That's actually kind of an odd statement that I can't really explain, maybe I'm saying this film was better than a lot of the stuff put out today. I mean, there's no romance, there's no violence, and there's only subtle comedy, and there's really nothing epic about it. The script and plot drew me in though, and in the end I hadn't been as satisfied as I was before. 5
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Feb 22, 2005 12:42
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I watched this about a year ago on the reccomendation of some people here at SA. I must say, this is one of, if not the finest films I have ever seen. The drama is perfect, the dialogue is brilliant, and the cinematography is wonderful (the beginning of the film is filmed at a high angle so the room looks larger, and as the film goes on, it gets lower and lower so the viewer becomes claustrophobic.) I cheered for joy last night at the Oscars when Sydney Lumett got the achievement Oscar, because this film alone is enough to warrant it. 5.5/5
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Feb 28, 2005 23:19
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Fine acting from the entire cast. The portrayal of Jurors 3 and 8 are my favorites. Each individual personality seems represent every corner of society. Probably one of my top ten films. 5/5
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Mar 3, 2005 15:59
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I too had to watch this film in high school during English class. It's been so long I forget the reason why but I want to thank my teacher for showing me this. This is probably my favourite black and white film. It's such a simple story acted so supurbly with all the cast leaving impressions. One of the finest films made with some of the greatest acting. 5.5/5
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Mar 4, 2005 12:35
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I've watched this recently as my quest to watch the top 100 films on the IMDB and it's really a fantastic film. It's really outstanding how a film that's set pretyy much purely in one room can be so gripping and tell such a great story. If you are intrested in great film making then this is one film you really need to see.
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Dec 7, 2007 22:23
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I remember seeing this movie in a film appreciation class in high school. I was really amazed and impressed with how the movie progressed, especially the characters and how they slowly came to a unanimous agreement. Any movie that can keep me completely entertained and interested with virtually only dialogue and a total of three scenery changes definitely has my vote. 5.5/5
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Dec 11, 2007 00:52
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Here we have a film that could EASILY come off as dated, or fail to hold your attention, but it's done so well from every aspect that it holds up and keeps you interested. I find most scripted debating (TV or film) to be unbearable because one side is a strawman or annoying; here even the "wrong" characters have humanity and (for the most part) logic. It's a bona-fide must-see.
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Dec 14, 2007 22:47
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Nash posted:We had to watch his movie in school. The whole class groaned about seeing a old crappy movie. By the end of the film, we were all just amazed by this movie. I recommend this movie to anybody. Excellent acting in this one. I was actually in the same situation, but was the only one who actually appreciated the movie by the end of the day. I still recommend it to anyone who doesn't need CGI to enjoy a movie. The acting was superb, and, as Boco said, does not center around whether or not the defendant is actually guilty. The main focus of the movie instead becomes the different biases the jurors have, and that several of them were willing to just call the boy guilty so they could leave sooner.
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Dec 15, 2007 22:42
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Definitely one of my favorite movies. Excellently done! 5/5
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Dec 23, 2007 10:30
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Flawless, timeless, and an incredibly powerful movie that is every bit as relevant today as when it came out. This should be required viewing for, well, everyone - but doubly so for anyone having anything to do with law enforcement. Especially jurors. 5 (5.5) / 5
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Dec 28, 2007 07:31
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this movie is a great example of how dialogue, and dialogue alone, can drive a movie forward. absolutely brilliant, 5/5.
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Dec 29, 2007 10:30
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I was watching this in my psychology class today. Havn't gotten all the way through, but from what w3e saw it's a damned good film. 5/5
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Jan 3, 2008 12:08
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Remarkable film. Only after beginning to watch truly great cinema did I even bother to watch this movie, and I'm glad I did. Films that have dialogue and much of nothing else be the substance of them really leave a lasting impression on me. Before Sunset and Before Sunrise are the only other two examples I can remember off the top of my head - they're both basically two hour long conversations between two lovers through Europe from the moment they meet till they part ways. The acting in 12 Angry Men though is like nothing I've seen before. 5.5/5
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Jan 6, 2008 02:32
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Not much more to add to others' assessments, except to say that this is a drat fine film. Probably one of the greatest ever committed to screen. Henry Fonda and E. G. Marshall alone are reason enough to watch it, but the rest of the cast certainly doesn't hurt. 5/5
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Apr 17, 2008 02:30
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