12 Angry Men (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Getting through the holidays, and finally having a chance to sit down and catch up on some Criterion movies has proved to be an absolute treat. On the top of my list was Sidney Lumet's, 12 Angry Men. This, ladies and gentlemen, is minimalism at its very best. I am not at all surprised that this 1957 film was nominated for multiple Academy Awards. I am also not surprised that this cinematic masterpiece inspired modern day court dramas such as Law and Order and The Practice.Because of the minimalist production, and despite the many accolades, I was doubtful as to whether this picture could hold my attention. I mean, no gunfights, no super heroes, or beautiful damsels in distress, no CGI, or Jack Nicholson telling us about not being able to handle the truth? How in the world would this film keep me interested for the full 96-minute duration? I will tell you how. Screenwriter Reginald Rose and director Sidney Lumet put on an absolute clinic. That's how. The writing is impeccable, and the acting is a timeless delight. There was never a dull moment, which is surprising since we never get to see a murder scenario played out, or the dramatics of a closing courtroom argument. What we did see were 12 angry men huddled around a table in the jurors room deciding the fate of a young man, on the hottest day in New York, with a fan on the fritz.The acting was so persuasive that I found myself inspired by those jurors who took their civil duties seriously, placing moral responsibilities above all other happenings in their life at the time. The character development was very thorough as I found myself liking Henry Fonda's character, and disliking a few of the others. Lumet challenges the viewer on morality and social justice, and does it quite well. This movie, while made many years ago, will still stir moral emotions in today's viewer.Overall, I consider this movie a cinematic masterpiece. For that reason, and combined with Criterion's work in the blu-ray transfer, 12 Angry Men receives Five Stars from me. This is a must see for those that appreciate great cinema with a quality blu-ray picture. Add it to your collection today!

This is my favorite film and I've seen it over fifty times. Today I watched the Blu-ray version for the first time and the detail is stunning. Yes, it's grainy; showing more detail of the original print means allowing the grain to come through in high definition, unless you run it through noise reduction, which does more harm than good. This grain is part of the atmosphere of the film, and I actually find it aesthetically pleasing.When I saw the detail in Jack Warden's hat, I nearly flipped out. All the times I've watched the movie on DVD and I never saw this intricate, flashy design in his hat. It fits his character perfectly, too: salesman, goofy, etc. And there are details to be found all over the film that enrich the themes like that.Also, if you're like me and had a full screen DVD (that was by far the easiest one to find, inexplicably), you can finally see the whole 1.66:1 aspect ratio, and this makes a big, big difference in the feel of the movie.The clarity and aspect ratio of this Blu-ray make this, already an intimate film, all the more intimate. If, like me, you've known and loved these characters for many viewings, you might be stunned at how much closer this version brings you to them.I own some really beautiful Blu-rays (The Searchers, Hellboy II, The Incredibles, and True Grit[Coen Bros] are some of the visual stand-outs), but none of those upgrades to Blu-ray have impacted the feeling of the film for me as much as this one.Oh, and the audio is nice. I heard a couple lines I never quite understood before.

I had seen this movie on a cable channel (TCM I think) with my husband some years ago. I bought a collector's edition of this film a couple of years ago and enjoyed it. When I saw the Criterion Collection one for sale I bought it. The film arrived promptly and the picture and sound were quite good. I was somewhat disappointed in the special features which did not have a audio commentary like the other copy of the film I own. I did enjoy the 1954 tv version, but it did not compare to the 1957 movie version directed by Sidney Lumet. The photography and the acting by the cast in the movie were far superior, even by 2 actors who were in both the tv and film versions. All the characters were better fleshed out in the movie and you could empathize with them much more than in the tv version. Each time I see this film I see something new about the characters /or the situation. A truly great film.

12 Angry Men is one of the most powerful and effective movies ever made about prejudice and the US justice system. The entire movie takes places inside a room with 12 jurors (hence the title) who are gathered to reach verdict about a young Puerto Rican boy who is being accused of murdering his father. All the evidence is against him so it should be an easy decision to reach by all 12 jurors....that is until a juror, juror #8 (Henry Fonda) decides to question some of the evidence and throws a doubt on the kid's guilt. He is one guy against 11 guys. One juror against 11 jurors. At first, he is mocked and ignored by the other jurors who just want to reach a decision as quickly as they can (not just because the guilty decision is all they have in mind but also for other personal reasons). As juror #8 takes on all the other jurors and refutes their theories, the dynamics start to change in the room, and momentum shifts to another direction. As more jurors change their minds and join juror #8, the tensions rise and people start to get angry. Excellent film - a must watch by everybody. Criterion blu ray edition is the best version to watch.