12 Angry Men (1957) Reaction & Review! FIRST TIME WATCHING!!
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
- 12 Angry Men was easily one of the best courtroom dramas I’ve ever seen. The strongest point of the film was the writing followed by Sidney Lumet’s excellent direction. The performances, especially by Henry Fonda were top tier and the fact that almost the entire film took place in one single room definitely made this movie unique from a cinematic standpoint. This movie was about the importance of due process and more importantly Reasonable Doubt. The way everything unfolded on screen made this movie a riveting watch. Every single juror was an interesting character and had their own story arc. Thank you so much for the recommendation and please let me know what legal drama I should review next on the channel.
Full Length Reactions to ALL the films I've watched and Early Access at Patreon: / shanwatchesmovies
0:00 Intro
1:40 The Film
18:04 The Review
26:03 Outro
Hey guys, I'm Shaneel (Shan). Welcome to the channel!
My reaction and review to 12 Angry Men (1957) for the first time. Hope you enjoy the video!
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Lee J Cobb really hammers it home here. The whole cast is phenomenal but Cobb's final monologue really achieved the impossible. He makes you feel for the human being behind the wall of projection and bluster and willful blindness. At the end, behind it all, Cobb manages to show a father who's in tremendous pain. That's acting. That's a genuine performance.
Well said.
I have come to realize how great he was.
Lee J. Cobb- Det. Kindermann investigating Burke Dennings death in "The Exorcist"(1973).
Excellent actor!
I agree. He wasn't really trying to kill the boy. He was trying to exonerate the father. He knows he drove his own son away. The boy bring in the right means the father is wrong. He was projecting.
Yep a masterful piece of acting but despite the obvious pain I felt next to no sympathy for the character as it was a completely self-inflicted wound, even when his pride crumbles and says not guilty my only thought was if Henry Fonda character didn’t want to talk his pride would that kid the chair. Even the racist is more sympathetic as at least his view are out of ignorance, the only character that comes across less sympathetic is Juror 7 who’s just inconvenienced by the situation!
This movie is a masterpiece. Brilliantly written and shot. It's great to see it on your channel.
An absolutely fantastic movie - blew me away when first watched it - no action, no fancy effects - just great direction, script, characters and acting!
I love how the audience only learns about the evidence presented at the trial during the jury deliberation.
Usually it's the whole trial proceedings that is depicted in a movie.
At the conclusion of the movie, they don't take you back into the courtroom for the verdict for dramatic effect. That's because it's the story arc of the main jury antagonist that delivers the emotional payoff.
Yes!!! One of if not THE best courtroom drama movie EVER
Ps: what I loved is that unlike most courtroom dramas they never tell you if he was actually guilty or not because that’s not what matters what does matter is being able to take the case, break it down, discuss it, analyze it and then come to a conclusion
but this isn't a courtroom drama. it's a jury room drama. which makes it unusual from the start.
@@rmhartman I don’t know if you’re trying to be funny but a jury room is still part of the court and if you look up the movie on Wikipedia it clearly says *courtroom* drama so no need to be THAT specific
It was a lesson in jury process. The jury is a check against state power.
Lee J. Cobb was a phenomenal actor. You may recall him as Lt. Kinderman, the detective in "The Exorcist."
He was also good in On The Waterfront
@@richardjakubiszak1139 Cobb was a respected actor for 40 years both in film and on Broadway. He is known for example, as the definitive Willy Loman.
If you love single set movies or enjoyed Rear Window then you have to watch Hitchcock's Rope. It's so underrated and a personal favourite.
Also, if you love this movie and the movie "Rope", you would certainly love the movie "Compultion". It is about the same murder as "Rope", but the second half of the movie is about their trial. Marlon Brando is their lawyer. What a powerful movie.
@@richardhilliard5611 I couldn't agree with you more. Richard Fleischer's 'Compulsion' is an amazing movie. Bradford Dillman and Dean Stockwell are great in it.
@@richardhilliard5611 Orson Welles portrayed the Attorney in Compulsion not Marlon Brando.
@@robertocarbonvarela6387 Great film but Orson Welles played the Lawyer not Brando. In 1959 Brando was a young and trim guy about 35 years old.
Yes. Watch Rope! You'd love it!!
Lee J. Cobb, Jack Warden, E.G. Marshall Jack Klugman Martin Balsom, Ed Begley Sr. were very well known. I wasn't born till the 60s but this is an exceptional ensemble cast.
I was hoping you’d get around to watching this movie. It really is a masterpiece of film making. 12 actors and one set. It’s a testament to what good directing, great acting, and subtle camera work can do.
FYI, this movie bombed when it was released. I think it had a lot to do with the issue it tackles- racism, bigotry, and presumption. It really was ahead of its time.
I caught this film one day searching for something to watch and it kept me engaged the whole time. I love films set in one location. Twelve Angry Men is in my personal top 10 films.
Such an excellent and engrossing film, to this day. Sidney Lumet has a fantastic filmography, from this his first film, down to his final amazingly-cast film, Before The Devil Knows You're Dead.
The writer was Reginald Rose, who went on to create the 1960s television courtroom drama "The Defenders," which starred E.G. Marshall (the juror with the glasses). It's one of the most brilliant television dramas ever created. Most episodes achieved the same quality level as this film.
Cameo count!
Juror 1: Detective from Psycho
Juror 2: THE voice of Piglet from Pooh
Juror 3: Detective from The Exorcist
Juror 4: In-law from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Juror 5: Odd Couple + lots of Twilight Zone
Juror 6: Detective from North by Northwest
Juror 7: Bulworth, Being There, Muppet Caper, carrot top's movie, etc...
Juror 8: Never heard of him 😉
Juror 9: Butler from The Philadelphia Story
Juror 10: Ed Begley Jr's dad. From many westerns and noirs.
Juror 11: doctor from Arsenic & Old Lace
Juror 12: Played Edward Norton (wait...what?) in Double Indemnity
The Accused Kid: ironically he's nobody
Coincidentally Juror 2 and 3 are also in Double Indemnity
Go a little further back for #7. From here to eternity. All these actors you could list a full page of good roles.
@@craigplatel813 Jack Warden indeed had a helluva career. And Martin Balsam and Cobb and Klugman - and _most_ of the rest of the cast; you're quite right, Craig. I wrote my stupid list (mostly) off the top of my head and just tried to make it poppy and simple.
Juror 3 is most famously the gangster in On the Waterfront and Willie in Death of a Salesman
Juror #5 = Quincy!
Just a note: The chairman of the jury is the same actor who played the dectective in Psycho.
I think you’d really like Dog Day Afternoon if you haven’t seen it. Kind of an off the wall Al Pacino bank robber movie, but based on a true story and really, really good Sidney Lumet movie. But I’m amazed that in a 1950s movie, they actually dealt with racial and cultural issues and prejudice in America. I’m used to Hollywood around that time just embracing embarrassing stereotypes. But this is refreshing.
Attica! Attica! Attica!
Big +1 to the recommendation of ‘Dog Day Afternoon.’ Great movie.
I keep wanting to see the reaction to this one as well. My favourite Pacino performance.
Yes please! A great (true) story and every performance is excellent. I never tire of rewatching this film.
Oh man! You were in for a treat with this one. One of the best films ever made. No action or special effects to rely on just pure talented acting in a character driven script.
For something a little lighter, I'd like to recommend *The Thin Man* from 1934 starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. It's based on the novel by the same name by Dashiel Hammett. A blend of mystery and humor with sone amazing on screen chemistry between the starring couple.
"He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids."
If you want to see a great movie from the same era with great performances including from Lee J Cobb (the last juror to vote not guilty) and Marlon Brando (Vito Corleone in The Godfather) in his prime then I highly recommend watching On The Waterfront. It's an all time great movie that won multiple awards.
An absolute classic!
If you like movies like this, i recommend "The Caine Mutiny" from 1954.
Another great movie!
Old Yellowstain
I love how they blocked the "Rant scene". They clearly all wanted to distance themselves from the man, but couldn't because of being in the same room. But the way they all moved to the outer edges, some turning their backs on him... and how the more people who refused to listen to him, the more he desperately tried to convince them to listen to him.
The second best scene is the last juror's ranting. You knew something was "off" about him the whole time. But it isn't until he breaks down over the picture of his son that you realized that all of his anger was projected outward, not aimed at the root cause of his problems which was himself. And because of that, he wanted to punish someone, even someone who may have been innocent just to punish his son for how he had treated his son.
Other excellent Sidney Lumet films: Dog Day Afternoon, Fail Safe, The Verdict, Serpico.
Don't forget murder on the Orient express and the underrated overlooked and forgotten "Prince of the city"
I would also throw in his little gem of a film “Running On Empty” featuring a great cast and a heart tugging performance by River Phoenix.
Also The Anderson Tapes.
I suggest the Comedy "Murder by Death" from 1976. It's with David Niven, Maggie Smith, Truman Capote, James Cromwell, Peter Falk, Peter Sellers, Alec Guinness.....
Oh my god! Almost no one knows about this movie but I love it! Jamessir Bensonmum!
Of Sidney Lunet's classic works I'd recommend, to continue the courtroom theme The Verdict with Paul Newman or Lumet's other great films Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon both with Al Pacino and of course Long Day's Journey into Night with Katherine Hepburn and Ralph Richardson.
The Pawnbroker with an excellent rod steiger performance as well.
Long Day's Journey into Night taken as it is from a play also restricts itself as to the setting and is equally powerful and concentrated.
Nominated for 4 Oscars including Best Picture but lost to the WWII epic, The Bridge On The River Kwai.
Shan should definitely react to Bridge on the River Kwai too.
@@stevemccullagh36 "Be Happy in Your Work!"
Henry Fonda is one of my favorites actors. 12 Angry Men is one of his best movies. Some Henry Fonda movies that i like and would like to see you react to them:
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
War and Peace (1956)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
My Name Is Nobody (1973)
Once Upon a time in the West is a fantastic film. The opening is unmatched.
I would add "Drums Along the Mohawk" to this excellent list.
Your first Henry Fonda film!!?? Awesome! Shan, I have another suggestion "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940), and it's based on a best selling novel by John Steinbeck of the same title where Fonda plays the lead role. Just so you won't have to research it, it's about a poor Oklahoma family dealing with the Dust Bowl era and Great Depression. It won Best Director, Jane Darwell won Best Supporting Actress, 5 other nominations, and it was in the first group of 25 films selected for the National Film Registry in 1989. There's an earlier film where Fonda played a supporting role as Alexander Graham Bell's assistant Watson in "The Alexander Graham Bell Story" (1939) one of many inventor/scientist type movies made in the 30s and 40s, and one you should consider because of Don Ameche's dynamic lead performance too, and it also stars Loretta Young.✌😎
Four Sidney Lumet films definitely worth watching:
"Fail Safe" (A riviting and shocking senario also staring Henry Fonda, also filmed in a single room with just two main characters.)
"Serpico"
"Prince of the City"
(one of my favorites) "The Verdict", a really excellent film.
Each one…excellent.
every actor on that jury has a cinematic history
see henry fonda in sidney lumet's "Fail Safe" 1964; see lumet's "The Pawnbroker" 1964; see lumet's "The Hill" 1965; see jack warden/kurt russell in "Used Cars" 1980
So glad you did this classic.
Since you haven’t seen other Henry Fonda movies, at some point you must do Sergio Leone’s masterpiece, “Once Upon A Time In The West”. It’s one of the greatest Westerns ever, with Henry Fonda in the villain role, opposite the hero, Charles Bronson.
This film was truly a comment on the time period. In the late 50's, prejudice and assumptions about race especially were being highly challenged. Racial integration and the Civil Rights movements certainly pushed that conversation. Also Rock n Roll was in it's infancy. And causing antagonizing rifts between youth and adults. The "old ways" were being challenged. This was clearly colored during the scene with the racist rant of the old man. And the others moving away from that thinking. As courtroom/juror films go. 12 Angry Men is one of the very best. Leading me to recommend the court drama of all court dramas. Judgement At Nuremburg -1961. The cast of talent are too much to mention. All were superb. Another film to recommend. Which also is a comment on the politics of the time period. On The Waterfront-1954.
Fantastic that you're watching this. I am sure you will enjoy it.
Murder on the orient express great film by Lumet. Great reaction to this film shan . 🚄
What a great movie! You should watch The Rope too, by Alfredo Hitchcock with James Stewart, it takes place in real time, also in the same place, and was edited so as to appear as a single shot, amazing. Oh, and rewatch Killing a Mockingird! One of my favorites movie/books of all time!!
Knew you’d love this movie. Glad you finally watched it. All time classic and iconic film!
For another fantastic Lumet movie, I highly recommend "Fail Safe" (1964), also with Henry Fonda, but this time with the fate of the world in his hands! One of the scariest movies I"ve ever seen, but I grew up during the Cold War era. I've noticed people who grew up after the Cold War ended don't quite get the fear of imminent nuclear annihilation many of us had at the time, so I'd be interested to see how you react to it and how you think it holds up. It also has more great, claustrophobic cinematography by Lumet. I don't think any of the other popular youtube reactors have done it, but quite a few have done videos on Dr Strangelove, a comedic version of the same premise.
IIRC a large part of Fail Safe is also shot in one room.
@@roberttaylor5997 Yep.. and if I remember right, the rest is in another room.. and inside a bomber!
@@ThreesecondHero There are some flashback scenes out of doors. That may be all. My memory of it is pretty hazy.
I agree with your assessment that newer generations don’t relate to the palpable sense of dread created by the imminent threat of nuclear apocalypse. However, sad to say, that may be changing, even as we speak, given the events playing out in Ukraine these days. It should give everyone pause.
Another great movie, even the remake was pretty good!
Regarding the 1997 remake, Jack Lemmon lost to Ving Rhames then called Jack to the stage-gave his Golden Globe to Lemmon-class!
24:04 - I watched few Lumet movies (not everything) but most of them was about justice department, how was working/or not in form of court drama (The Verdict, Find Me Guilty) or crime drama (Serpico, The Offence, Prince of the City, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead). All of this is worth watching.
Some of the finest actors you’ll ever see. I recommend “Failsafe”, “Dog Day Afternoon”, and “The Verdict”.
This entire cast were among the best actors of their day. One person in another reaction channel pointed out that the camera was shooting down early in the movie, then level in the midlle and then upward shots at the end and that the room's height had less shown toward the end, making everything tighter.
Should watch what won best picture over this film, “A Bridge on the river Kwai” It’s with William Holden (From Network) and Alec Guinness (Star Wars). Made by David Lean who also did Lawrence of Arabia. Both are easily top 50 films of all time.
The greatest Director ever!
The chief reason that the film is set in one room for most of the running time is that it was adapted from a television play that was performed live on CBS television as part of the Westinghouse Studio One series earlier in the 1950s. The restrictions of live television in 1954 made it advantageous to present the main action in as few sets as possible, like a stage play, which also accounts for the heavy emphasis on character and dialogue. Although the play was rewritten for the 1957 film, it kept the conceit of a single room set, to tremendous effect.
While he did not direct the original television broadcast, Sidney Lumet had in fact come from live television, also having directed episodes of Studio One. 12 Angry Men was his very first theatrical film.
I’m stoked that you checked this movie out, it’s been a favorite for years! Love that you were caught up in the drama, it’s like seeing the movie for the first time. :)
I was fascinated to learn Joseph Sweeney, the eldest juror, was born in 1884. His father grew up during the Civil War. Also, Sidney Lumet had the actors run lines for hours in a small room, no camera. He really made them feel the discomfort of the scene. The actor who voiced Piglet was the juror with cough drops. And yup, Ed Begley Jr's father was the bigot in this film.
Another fantastic movie with Henry Fonda is Fail Safe (1964), very similar plot to Dr. Strangelove, but far more serious. Ending gonna make your jaw drop hard, man.
And now that Putin is rattling his nuclear saber, quite appropriate.
"Inherit the wind" is another great legal battle film.
So glad you chose this movie at last. It is a master class in filmmaking with more revealed with each viewing. I loved how early on there was a single take from the time the first juror walks in the room and each one files in forming pairs and having brief interchanges sprinkled throughout the room in a complicated but smooth pan and not being broken until they call to Henry Fonda at the window and there is a cut to him as he turns to take his seat. I knew you would really love and appreciate this art. Thanks so much.
Lee J Cobb's performance is brilliant. Watch "On the Waterfront" where he plays Teamster Union Boss Johnny Friendly, another masterful performance, where he overshadows Marlon Brando.
It's always exciting to see you react to classic films. I never know what to expect from you. "12 Angry Men" was Lumet's directoral debut since he did a lot of directing for the early days of television hence the reason why he chose to film one room with collapsing walls for the camera. Other Lumet films you might enjoy: "The Pawnbroker," "Fail Safe," " The Anderson Tapes," "Serpico," "Murder on the Orient Express," " Dog Day Afternoon," "Equus," "Prince of the City," "The Verdict," and "Running on Empty."
The e g Marshall character is the one I liked best. Trying as hard as humanly as possible to just use logic to decide the case
Powerful movie. Super writing, acting. Lumet's framing of each man's face throughout is brilliant. This one sits near the top of my list of favorite films. "Everything in the movie is still relevant today." Another great reaction, Shan. Suggestion for next legal drama - The Verdict, with Paul Newman.
A gem, a masterpiece, a true pinnacle of film.
65 years later and it's still just as engaging and relevant as ever.
Lumet's first feature film and his knocked out of park. When I watched first time i was blow away with precision of screenplay and how director built tension with many twist and turnes. Excellent movie - what can I say more?
This film is a minor miracle. Henry Fonda had to fight to get it made and it didn't do well at the box office. And seeing next generations connect with a black and white film shot in one room driven by character and dialogue alone -- and being riveted by it-- is amazing!
As a fitting final, humanitarian ending, I love it when Juror 8 (Henry Fonda) stayed back and helped Juror 3 (Lee J Cobb), the last and most emotionally devastated juror, with putting on his jacket. A gentlemanly gesture, to be sure.
Finally.. This movie … NEVER GETS OLD!
It's originally a stage play, not a screenplay. That accounts for the limited location and the emphasis on character. It's been staged many times, and was adapted again for the screen in 1997, starring Jack Lemmon in the Henry Fonda role. Another very good version, more tuned to the issues of the time but for all that, it was hardly changed at all. That's sad when you think about it.
While I think it was Henry Fonda's best acting. I actually prefer the remake with Lemmon. George C. Scott's performance is just fantastic.
@@splinter579 I agree. Scott takes Cobb's theme and fine-tunes both the pathos and the aggression. I'd really love to see it onstage someday, to see what other actors would do with the roles.
L.J. Cobb was the Inspector in the Exorcist. The Lead Juror counting the votes (Martin Balsam) was the Private Detective who got killed on the staircase in Psycho. Ed Beagly's son played in movies also, he went by Jr.
There was a made for TV remake of this film in 1997 with the great actors Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott. Of remakes, it's one of the really good ones. I recommend watching and comparing!
This was first presented on the Broadway stage, where the jury room was the entire stage. It was very successful, and was then done as a movie.
OMG...this movie should be required watching in every school!
The thing that always sticks out for me regarding reasonable doubt and innocent until proven guilty is (Even setting aside the tragedy of punishing an innocent person "just to be sure".) how so many people don't understand that convicting an innocent person also guarantees the true guilty party will go free. And the conviction also closes the case so there can be no ongoing investigation or another trial. It really is the worst case scenario.
This is by far my all time favorite courtroom drama. Excellent writing, acting and directing. Superb performances all round. What a timeless classic!
'Runaway Jury' - with Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman and John Cusack is another cracking courtroom thriller.
Great review! Another courtroom drama you should review is Inherit The Wind. Be sure to see the b&w version, starring Spencer Tracy.
One of my all-time favourite movies. I love how characters represent aspects of human personality. We can all be lazy or frivolous, short-tempered or coldly logical, 12 Angry Men just assigns a trait to each character for emphasis.
I also like how evenhanded it is as well because it doesn't truly demonise any one juror, they all have reasons for why they are the way they are, they're just flawed people like everybody else. Just put 12 random people into a room when it's uncomfortably warm and they have busy lives, and other things on their mind and you'll get pretty much what you see in the movie.
I think about and quote this film all the time. In "Dune" when the Fremen are referred to as dangerous and unreliable, I thought, "Oh, there're some good things about 'em, too. I've known a couple who were okay."
I forgot to add a very underrated Sidney Lumet movie, that being Q@A (1990), with Nick Nolte, Timothy Hutton and Armand Assante.
Oh and a 70 year old Clint Eastwood said it best at an award ceremony honoring a 90 year old Sidney Lumet. Eastwood said about Sidney Lumet that Lument was still making movies and he, Eastwood was still a kid directing.
Last September I played Juror 4 in a local stage production of the play. Tremendous response by the audience. Yes, still very relevant today.
FYI, the original was written for a TV drama. That video is available on CZcams. It's fascinating to see how the script evolved over time. There also is a more "recent" version made, but I don't think it is nearly as good as this version; what a cast!
Simply a fantastic movie. Like you mentioned; It is still relevant today, and probably always will. That is something you can't say of many movies.
What gets me the most, that people rarely point out, is that we never know if the boy is guilty or not.
All we know are the reasons given by the jurors for why he may not be.
They started with all the evidence saying he's guilty, then came up with reasonable explanations for why he might not be and their final verdict is based on that.
In a real deliberation, this would not be allowed, but it shows both how reasonable doubt can be manufactured, and how jurors can be reminded that they must be beyond any reasonable doubt.
As with every single word spoken in this film, the verdict itself is double-edged, with several meanings.
Lol they should have called this movie "why the jury system doesn't work". Most juries don't have Henry Fonda on them, unfortunately.
Would love to see more old movies from you Shan! I know they aren't as popular, but they're always a treat.
Sidney Lumet also also directed the musical film "The Wiz" (1979, with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson). (Lena Horne played "Glinda" in the film, and Sidney Lumet was at one time married to Horne's daughter Gail Jones.) Martin Balsam was Det. Arbogast in "Psycho". Jack Klugman went on to star in a couple of long running tv series; "The Odd Couple", and "Quincy" (about a forensic Medical Examiner).
Henry Fonda is the one hold-out jury. He also PRODUCED the film.
All he does is critically evaluate the "evidence".
I love that you finally reacted to this. You're one of the most introspective and observant reactors here and you're probabky my favorite of them. Uou are sooooo underrated!
Some hall of fame actors of the 20th century in this film.
Sidney Lumet, what a master. Even his last film, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, is magnificent. And it has an amazing cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei, Michael Shannon ...
The old drama movie trifecta for me is 12 Angry Men, Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men.
Lumet films I recommend are "Fail-Safe" (1964) - which I consider an absolute "must see", "Serpico" (1983), and "Prince of the City" (1981)
The Director here was brilliant, But also very fortunate. The actors here were amongst the very best of the 1940s and 50s actors in Hollywood. A tour de force.
Great reaction for an amazing movie! I recommend the all-star cast "The Great Escape" (1963) about Allied POWs.
Henry Fonda gets all the accolades, but Lee J. Cobb (3), Ed Bagley (10) and E.G.Marshall (4) are epic in this. Their performances are some of the greatest I've ever seen
There have been several remakes of this classic, and they’re worth seeing. The best of the ones I’ve seen so far, is the 2007 Russian version, which is simply titled “12”. The 1997 version of “12 Angry Men” is not the cinematic classic the original is, but it’s still decent, and it’s extremely interesting to see the similarities and differences between it and the original. There’s a Korean version titled “Juror 8” that I’m looking forward to checking out as well.
I saw the play at the Garrick Theatre in London with Tom Conti, Robert Vaughan and Jeff Fahey. It was amazing. This is a brilliant film.
For Sidney Lumet, I would suggest Failsafe (also with Henry Fonda) or Dog Day Afternoon (with Al Pacino).
For another Henry Fonda suggestion, The Oxbow Incident or Grapes Of Wrath.
One of the most perfect movies ever made. Good choice.
Henry Fonda’s Juror 8 is, in my opinion, the greatest hero in cinema history.
Legal Drama recommendation: "Anatomy of Murder" (1959), starring James Stewart is a must watch. One of the best ever, along with 12 Angry Men as mentioned in your review.
This was originally a stage play, hence the reason it's all set in the jury room - I remember seeing an amateur production a few years ago. Although the director certainly did a first class job enhancing the drama with the use of camera angles, close ups etc.
Incidentally, if you like claustrophobic, character-driven dramas, you might want to give the 1961 black and white Hammer movie "Cash on Demand", starring Peter Cushing and Andre Morell a try. It's a low-budget but extremely well-made suspense thriller, almost entirely set in a bank, where the drama comes mostly from the interaction between Cushing and Morell's characters.
For a great change of pace film from Lumet, sumptuous and elegant is the Original and Best version of "Murder On The Orient Express"(1974)- proof positive that he excelled at all Genres, from serious 'message' films to complete escapist fare...he even tackled a musical in '78, with "The Wiz", not considered one of his better achievements but IMO still enjoyable. LOVE YOUR CHANNEL ❤👏👍!
This is one of the few perfect movies ever made.
THANK YOU THANK YOU for watching the original! The Jack Lemmon and George C Scott TV version is great in its own right but this is a TRUE CLASSIC!
Sidney Lumet (its Lu met, either a hard "t") is one of my favorite directors.
He was incredibly prolific, having 75 directing credits on his imdb, which is way more movies than the average director.
Since he made during so many decades, his movies changed slightly as he switched cinematographers.
I'd recommend:
A Long Days Journey Into Night
The Pawnbriker
The Hill
Murder on the Orient Express (the only movie adaptation Agatha Christie approved herself)
Serpico
Dog Day Afternoon
Deathtrap
The Verdict
Prince of the City (just amazing)
Family Business
Night Falls on Manhattan
Find Me Guilty (proving Vin Diesel can't really act given the right director)
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
You should make a series of it, like you're doing with the Bond movies.
I enjoy your analysis and your movie selection.
Something else you might consider is reading some if the movies trivia in your closing remarks as well.
A true classic, showing that you don't need action to create suspense.
just so much tension, despite taking place in only one room (minus the beginning and end scene).
So glad to see you react to this classic, to me it really is a perfect film.
And a brief scene in the restroom….to wash hands.
I think it's pronounced Lumet with a hard t. I saw this film as a child when it was on TV i was too young to realise it was a classic but it gripped me right from the start and didnt let me go until the end. The last man to say "Not guilty" was Lee J Cobb he played Lt Kinderman in The Exorcist. Great reaction by the way, with very astute observations.
Hubby and I watch this movie. And I had remark to him that if this movie had been made in our days today every other word would be the f word.
Shan Great reaction!!!! i read that Sydney Lemet shrank the room as the film progressed, so you got that feeling of claustrophobia, it sure felt like it was getting smaller!!!
Excellent movie and very good commentary. Another great classic worth checking out is the 1964 political drama Seven Days in May with Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Fredric March and Ava Gardner. Directed by the great John Frankenheimer. Rotten Tomatoes gives it 92%, IMDB 8/10.
This is in my top 5 all time movies. Even the remakes are worth watching. You should watch some other amazing films like To Kill A Mockingbird and Cool Hand Luke.
When you have good writing and human nature is at the core of the story, you have the recipe for a story to be timeless.
People may have used different words and dressed differently 10 or 50 or 200 years ago, just as they will in the future, but people's concerns and motivations will always remain constant.
Lee J Cobb made an excellent menacing gangster in the 1954 film “ On The Waterfront “. It starred Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger, & the beautiful Eve Marie Saint. Brando made the line “ I could have been a contender instead of a bum “ in famous taxi ride scene in that film.
Essential Lumet: "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975) and "Serpico" (1973) are legendary and seminal, super iconic roles for Al Pacino in both. I'd hit those next, but after that, Lumet has lots of other great/good ones ("The Pawnbroker", "Murder On The Orient Express", "The Fugitive Kind", "Fail Safe", "Deathtrap" , "The Anderson Tapes", "The Verdict", "Long Day's Journey Into Night".....he even did "The Wiz" lol)