Reginald Rose wrote the absolutely engaging and captivating script for Lumet’s 12 Angry Men from his own source material and received an Oscar nomination for it as well as a Best Picture nomination with his fellow producer Henry Fonda, both of whom deferred their salary to get the film made. The film was also nominated for Best Director but didn’t take that one either.

But what that tells you is that this one is absolutely worth your watch, has stood the test of time, and remains incredibly relevant today.

Twelve jurors, no names are given, are sitting on a murder trial, and for almost the entire length if the film, but for its opening and closing, the viewer is held in an increasingly claustrophobic jury room as one man, Juror 8 (Fonda) holds on to his reasonable doubt, and verdict of ‘not guilty.’

Arguments and discussions break out, evidence and testimony are reviewed, and a variety of personalities clash and struggle not only with the case but their own personal beliefs and biases.

The cast is stacked with recognizable faces and names joining Fonda, Lee J. Cobb is the angry Juror 3, Martin Balsam is the Jury Forman, Juror 1, John Fielder (who will always remind me of his classic Star Trek episode) is the meek Juror 2, E.G. Marshall is the reserved, quiet, Juror 4, Jack Klugman is Juror 5, Edward Binns is 6, the fantastic Jack Warden is 7, Joseph Sweeney is the elderly Juror 9, Ed Begley is the racist Juror 10, George Voskovec is an immigrant watchmaker, Juror 11, and Robert Webber is the ad man chosen as Juror 12.

Locked in the room together facts and testimonies are batted around, examined, and discussed, and slowly reasonable doubt begins to overtake the room, even as tensions climb higher between the men holding the lives of a young eighteen-year-old in their hands.

Stunningly shot, with subtle changes in camera framing and lenses, the film becomes increasingly uncomfortable as the men hash things out. Some could care less, there’s a baseball game to be seen, some have prejudged everything, and some are incredibly angry at everything.

It’s a positively stunning watch, and every minute of it is magnificent. The moments when the characters seem to break the fourth wall and are speaking directly to the audience are chilling because they are inviting you into the case to judge for yourself and face your biases.

I remember reading scenes from the play, probably in high school in Lit class, but it didn’t have the same impact, which is too bad, because it’s a powerful script, and it’s also worthy subject matter, and probably should have generated more class discussion than it did at the time.

A tightly crafted piece Lumet’s work shines, as do every single one of the actors in this standout film. I know I watched this a long time ago on videocassette, but that was forever ago, and this time, I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.

A fantastic film.