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Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786301976060
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, NTSC
ISBN: 6301976061
Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Release Date: September 26, 1995
Running Time: 92 minutes
Sales Rank: 280
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Theatrical Release Date: 1957
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video:
Sidney Lumet's directorial debut remains a tense, atmospheric (though slightly manipulative and stagy) courtroom thriller, in which the viewer never sees a trial and the only action is verbal. As he does in his later corruption commentaries such as Serpico or Q & A, Lumet focuses on the lonely one-man battles of a protagonist whose ethics alienate him from the rest of jaded society. As the film opens, the seemingly open-and-shut trial of a young Puerto Rican accused of murdering his father with a knife has just concluded and the 12-man jury retires to their microscopic, sweltering quarters to decide the verdict. When the votes are counted, 11 men rule guilty, while one--played by Henry Fonda, again typecast as another liberal, truth-seeking hero--doubts the obvious. Stressing the idea of 'reasonable doubt,' Fonda slowly chips away at the jury, who represent a microcosm of white, male society--exposing the prejudices and preconceptions that directly influence the other jurors' snap judgments. The tight script by Reginald Rose (based on his own teleplay) presents each juror vividly using detailed soliloquies, all which are expertly performed by the film's flawless cast. Still, it's Lumet's claustrophobic direction--all sweaty close-ups and cramped compositions within a one-room setting--that really transforms this contrived story into an explosive and compelling nail-biter. --Dave McCoy
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - One of the true great masterpieces
Excellent film with an extraordinary cast & plot regarding 12 jurors who have to deliberate on a man's fate. Well written & the performances by the cast are superb. Most notably Henry Fonda & Lee J. Cobb.
Robert Webber (Juror 12) was so handsome, sadly he passed away awhile back of ALS at the age of 64 (he bore a strong resemblance to Kevin McCarthy, though I find Mr. Webber to be the sexier of the two). It was an added treat seeing him in this picture even though I ... Read More
Rating: - 12 Angry Men a Winner
The Jason Robards/George C. Scott version is maybe even better (color). But this version has the special features that the Robards version does not.
Rating: - A masterful assembly of actors
This is a great film with (in my opinion) the most brilliant collection of actors ever assembled.
All but 3 minutes of this film takes place in the confines of the small jury deliberation room. The 12 white men of the jury retire to the room after the close of a murder trial. The verdict is a shoe-in because as far as the foreman and jury members are concerned the young man on trial (who appears to be Hispanic or Italian) is obviously guilty. But wait - while the foreman goes through ... Read More
Rating: - Fonda and the gang deliver flawlessly
In the thrilling drama 12 Angry Men, a young man has been accused of murder and his fate rests in the hands of the twelve jurors chosen to oversee the trial. The young man's lawyer doesn't seem to care about his guilt or innocence. The evidence seems condemning in the extreme. There does not seem to be any reason that the jury should be more than a few minutes in deciding his guilt and then...off to the electric chair he will go. Then one juror (Fonda) has the courage to voice his doubts about the case ... Read More
Rating:  - Enjoyable
There are so many versions of this movie that I figured that I'd start with the original-and I'm glad that I did. For it's time, I think this was probably a very gutsy movie. Strong performances and script. I can see why this has earned its classic status.
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Copyright © 2003-2008 Gunnar Bengtsson, Poetry Connection. All Rights Reserved.
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786301976060
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, NTSC
ISBN: 6301976061
Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Release Date: September 26, 1995
Running Time: 92 minutes
Sales Rank: 280
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Theatrical Release Date: 1957