12 Angry Men: 50th Anniversary Edition | Christian Toto saw, Drama | ENTERTAINMENT

12 Angry Men: 50th Anniversary Edition

March/03/08 10:39 PM Filed in: Christian Toto saw | Drama
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12 Angry Men: 50th Anniversary Edition from MGM Home Video: NR, $14.99 to $19.98. Feeling blue about the U.S. legal system? Then it's the perfect time to revisit "12 Angry Men," the 1957 classic which serves up an imperfect valentine to law and order, American style. Henry Fonda leads a sterling cast in this courtroom-free drama which earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. A young man is accused of stabbing his father to death, and the evidence against the defendant appears overwhelming.

12 Angry Men: 50th Anniversary Edition
Inside the jury room, the first vote is 11-1 guilty, with Fonda's character the lone dissenter. At first, he's taunted for his stance. But he slowly starts to unravel some of the damning evidence set before them. Soon, some of his fellow jurors change their votes. But will it be enough to set the man free? And is the defendant innocent or guilty?

"Men" marked Sidney Lumet's first directorial effort. He would later lens classics like "Dog Day Afternoon" and "Serpico," far darker tales of a culture gone awry. His story here is much more simple, a plot without the messy shades of gray that crop up in actual court cases. But as drama boiled down to its essential elements, it remains captivating.

Is "12 Angry Men" dated? A quick look at the cast - all white, all male - gives you your answer. But it's still timeless, as it takes the system's presumption of innocence framework and populates it with compelling characters.

Lumet had previously directed plenty of television projects, so his work behind the camera here is far from rudimentary. He makes the most of a confined set, letting loose his assemblage of character actors without allowing any one to hog the limelight. It's democratic in doling out meaty scenes. And Lumet's creative camera work, a close-up here, a bird's eye view there, opens up what should be a claustrophobic experience.

12 Angry Men
1. The goods: We're inundated with fictional law stories - just consider the countless "Law & Order" episodes running on TV at any one time. But "12 Angry Men" still feels fresh. It's a dream union of legal simplicity and stark, fascinating characters. Lee J. Cobb's Juror #3 is a one-dimensional lout, but he's a lout you can't take your eyes off. And Fonda commands the screening without any of Cobb's histrionics. There's not a clunker in this jury room. Watch for Jack Klugman's sensitive turn as a man who overcame the same kind of upbringing the defendant endured.

2. The Mandatory Extras: 50th anniversary editions don't have the luxury of cast reunions. Only Klugman lived long enough to see this edition hit video shelves. But the disc offers three DVD goodies. The best is a "making of" segment that tells how Fonda helped shepherd the story from a live TV teleplay into a feature film. Better yet, we hear Lumet discuss how the film's screenwriter, Reginald Rose, believed in the inherent goodness of man. The director disagrees, witness his subsequent films, but the first-time director deferred to Rose's script. The second feature, a breakdown of the actual jury process, is a mildly interesting excuse for modern legal eagles (Gloria Allred, Robert Shapiro) to chime in about themes touched on during the film. Finally, film historian Drew Casper is included in a commentary track, which while educational will prove far too dry for most viewers' tastes.

3. Above and Beyond: Some clips from the original teleplay would have been nice. Instead, we're left with Casper comparing it to the film during the commentary track portion of the disk.

— Christian Toto

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