Running only 96 minutes, this film felt neither too long nor too short, which is a feat in and of itself when 93 of those minutes were contained in one small jurors' conference room. Though this film - with that setup - could easily have turned theatrical and stagey, this film maintained a cinematic feel, largely due to a creative cinematic style and phenomenal acting. Henry Fonda led the crew, starting the film as the only dissenter among the otherwise unanimous jury, but each character (and actor) held his own within the progression of the plot. This film contained no sudden twists, no outrageous scenes, and certainly no modern thrills and frills, but it was intriguing and captivating. It challenged me in the way that I haven't felt in a while, and really made me wonder what is lacking in modern cinema to make me feel this way. I was impressed by the simplicity of 12 Angry Men and whole-heartedly agree that it earned it's place among the AFI top 100, as well as scoring second in AFI's top courtroom dramas (losing only to To Kill a Mockingbird). A well spent 96 minutes.
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1/4/2010
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