Quick opinion: This movie is the heart of True Cinema.
12 angry men is an old American movie. In fact, its so old that it is black and white. It was made in the year 1957. It revolves around 12 men arguing with each other to come to a collective judgement regarding a serious murder case, hence the name of the movie.
I came across the movie, when I was going through the list: “The best movies of all time” on the internet lol (pretty basic huh?).
PLOT: The murder case is regarding a teenage boy, who has allegedly killed his abusive father. The boy of course denies the allegation, whereas the police present a compelling case against him. Now, it is up to the wisdom of these 12 men, to decide whether the boy is guilty or not.
The issue is serious, and the stakes are high. Ruling guilty would ruin the boy’s whole life. Ruling innocent could let a potential murderer go free without consequences. Hence, the story is ripe for some intense arguments and passionate debates. And that is what, the movie precisely delivers!
GOOD THINGS: First of all, the movie is as compelling as it can get! Despite lacking colors, the movie manages to grip the audience’s attention and holds on it throughout its course. The acting in the movie is just superb. All 12 actors paly their characters well and the movie manages to portray each character’s unique personality despite the time constraints. There is no shortage of intense moments, loud voices, sharp remarks and near break out fights. It’s a joy watching the men struggle to maintain their civility during the heat of their arguments.
Secondly, the arc of the move is very well done. The movie has a good beginning, a great story and an awesome ending. The movie starts by 11 men in favor of guilty and only 1 in favor of not guilty, and by the end, things become very different indeed. In other words, the movie feels complete. All thanks to a well written screenplay.
BAD THINGS: I don’t know man. I’m no movie expert lol. It seemed all good to me XD
MY REMARK: The thing that impressed me the most is that, despite being seemingly so constrained, the movie manages to be one of the most exciting movies I have ever seen! The odds were not in its favor :
- It was all black and white.
- The movie had no action scenes or flashy VFX
- The whole movie takes place in a single room!
- There are very few camera cuts, it feels like a single take movie.
Hence, in the age of superhero movies and Bollywood musicals, a black and white movie that takes place in a single room thorough out its whole course doesn’t seem like a great candidate to hold one’s attention, does it? Yet, it manages to do it in a beautiful manner.
The movie is carried by its great screenplay and the stellar performances by the actors. And that, I feel like is the heart of true cinema. No flashy stuff, straight acting.
THE THEME: So, there were a couple of recurring themes in the movie:
- Bias: Some of the men had a predefined judgment of the boy’s nature because he was born and raised in a poor neighborhood. Hence, they had an inclination to assume he was rude and violent had hence, had committed the crime (despite the evidence). One man even had a personal reason to believe the boy the guilty.
Hence, the movie exposes how our personal judgement and biases, make it hard for us to make rational decisions. It highlights that all human beings (even the most respected people) are fundamentally flawed.
- Conformity: When all 11 men agreed that the boy was guilty and 1 did not, the men (forgetting their morality and responsibility to the truth) started to ostracize the “odd one out” by trying to force the man with the “different” opinion to conform with their judgement. Hence, despite being trusted to uphold the ideal of TRUTH in the court of law (a great responsibility indeed), the men started to behave like tribal animals, forming groups instead of remaining open minded to an opposing opinion.
Hence, the movie, in essence glorifies the one who dares to stand in face of conformity. And while doing so, it highlights the dangers of conformity in society as a whole. When everyone agrees with everyone no matter what, fundamentals of truth such as facts become meaningless, which is a recipe for disaster for the collective wellbeing of the society.
Hmm… sounds familiar doesn’t it?
COCLUSION: All in all, I really liked this movie. I wish more people would watch it; it is a really interesting movie with important message for all of us.
Cheers!
= )
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