Sidney Lumet was one of the great television directors of the early years of the medium. Lumet, the man who would go on to direct Al Pacino in two of his greatest films, Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico, and other fantastic films like Network, waited until 1957 to make his jump to feature film making. It only made sense that the New York-based director would tackle a project that began on television. 12 Angry Men might not be just one of the best court room dramas or one of the best directorial debuts, but also one of the finest films ever made. It was nominated for just three Oscars in 1958, including Best Picture, but lost all three to The Bridge on the River Kwai, which it had no chance against.
12 Angry Men is about as far from The Bridge on the River Kwai as you can get. The film is just 96 minutes long, features only 12 actors, with all but one being relatively unknown, who all interact in just one room. The film, written by Reginald Rose, who wrote the original tele-play in 1955, tells the story of jurors who must decide if a boy is guilty or not guilty of murdering his father. Sounds simple, right? The boy is a minority (Rose never specifies exactly what race he is) and lived in a slum. There were two witnesses, an old man who heard him yell “I’m gonna kill you” and a woman who actually saw it happen. The jury is ready to easily call him guilty, until Juror 8 (Henry Fonda) calls the case into question. He isn’t too sure and suddenly, one by one, the jurors begin to agree, with their own reasons. Suddenly, everyone begins to have ‘reasonable doubt’ as each juror begins to question every piece of evidence.
To some, this might sound boring, especially to those without the patience to see a delicate story transform from a straight line into a roller coaster. After all, the film takes place in one room and features a bunch of middle-aged men talking. Clearly, if that’s all you see, then 12 Angry Men isn’t for you. However, if you see the performances pulled off by Fonda and a collection of some of the finest character actors ever known as the film’s real calling card, then you will become engrossed. Lee J. Cobb, best known for On The Waterfront, plays the one juror who will not budge, while Martin Balsam, who would go on to have a key role in Psycho, plays the calm foreman. Fonda, who wanted this movie made so much that he actually co-produced it, pulls off one of the finest performances of his storied career. It’s a shame he wasn’t nominated, but, then again, he probably wasn’t going to beat Alec Guinness for River Kwai anyway.
The other key to the film is Lumet’s Oscar-nominated directing. His perfect use of close-ups and work with the great cinematographer Boris Kaufman keep the film constantly moving. The camera makes these perfect sweeps of the confined space, while close-ups only heighten the drama of the film. If there ever was a film that was so defined by its style, where both cinematographer and director are on the same page and achieving a single vision, it is 12 Angry Men.
Lumet kicked off a fine career with 12 Angry Men, but unfortunately, the film did little at the time, aside from winning the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. That’s why it is surprising that the film was recognized by the Academy at all. It is one of the most finely orchestrated films ever made, with everyone hitting their marks at the perfect moments, thanks to the editing that put these pieces together. These 12 men call into question our justice system, which asks 12 strangers to decide the fate of another stranger. Sure, there are no actual exploding bridges in this film, but the emotional volcanoes more than make up for it.
12 Angry Men was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. All three awards were won by The Bridge on the River Kwai. Although Lumet, who died in April 2011, would be nominated for Best Director three more times, he did not win an Oscar until his 2005 Honorary Award.