Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

12 Angry Men Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 13, 2013

Nominated for three Oscar Awards and winner of Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, Sidney Lumet's "12 Angry Men" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of MGM/20th Century Fox-UK. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; audio commentary with film historian Drew Casper; and two standard featurettes.In English, with optional optional English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese (Brazil), Italian, German, Spanish (Castellano), Mandarin (Traditional), Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, and Swedish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The men

Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men may well be the simplest yet most effective courtroom drama ever filmed. It takes place in a small room, on a hot summer day, and follows twelve jurors as they attempt to determine the fate of a young Puerto Rican man charged with the killing of his father. The focus of attention is entirely on the interpretations of the evidence the jurors have been presented with.

The names of the jurors are not revealed before they enter the room. They are also not mentioned after they enter the room. When the men address each other they use their numbers.

The foreman, Juror No.1 (Martin Balsam, Tora! Tora! Tora!), is an energetic and accommodating football coach. Juror No. 2 (John Fiedler, The Odd Couple) is a quiet but curious bank clerk. Juror No.3 (Lee J. Cobb, On the Waterfront) is an energetic and stubborn businessman. Juror No. 4 (E.G. Marshall, The Chase) is a respected and critical broker. Juror No. 5 (Jack Klugman, Days of Wine & Roses) is a young Baltimore Orioles fan. Juror No. 6 (Edward Binns, The Verdict) is a tough house painter. Juror No.7 (Jack Warden, All the President's Men) is a loud and fast-talking salesman. Juror No.8 (Henry Fonda, Once Upon a Time in the West) is a quiet architect. Juror No. 9 (Joseph Sweeney, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit) is an intelligent and observant old man. Juror No. 10 (Ed Begley, Hang 'Em High) is a loud and obnoxious garage owner. Juror No. 11 (George Voskovec, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold) is an East European watchmaker. And Juror No. 12 (Robert Webber, 10) is an energetic advertising agent who loves to crack jokes.

The first vote reveals that only one of the jurors, No. 8, is unsure whether the young man is indeed guilty. His uncertainty triggers a series of passionate discussions during which each juror reevaluates the evidence presented by the prosecution. Then a series of new votes follow.

The story that is told has two simple goals: to explain the jury process and the principle of reasonable doubt. Through the various discussions that follow the initial vote, the story tackles familiar social and cultural prejudices that could reshape the "truth". The ones highlighted after Juror No. 11 sides with Juror No. 8 are particularly interesting as they are very much alive and well today.

The resolution of the drama is reassuring yet quite sobering. Because of the mistakes made by the defense, it is up to the jurors to uphold justice. Naturally, there are two different trials underway -- one for the young man who is accused of killing his father, and another that judges the American legal system.

12 Angry Men is based on a television play by Reginald Rose and was director Lumet’s first feature film. It was released in 1957, three years after the television play directed by Franklin J. Schaffner had aired as part of the CBS series Westinghouse Presents Studio One.

Except for Fonda, at the time the only true star, and Begley, none of the other actors that played the jurors were particularly well-known in Hollywood. They were all stage actors that had done some TV work.

The acting, however, is uniformly superb. Fonda is incredible as the liberal architect who asks the majority of the difficult questions. Voskovec is very convincing as the naturalized American citizen as well. Cobb’s character transformation is absolutely breathtaking.

*In 1958, 12 Angry Men won Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2007, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

12 Angry Men Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of MGM/20th Century Fox-UK.

The basic characteristics of the high-definition transfer used for this European release appear virtually identical to those of the high-definition transfer Criterion used for their Blu-ray release of Sidney Lumet's classic film in the United States. Only compression is marginally better on the Criterion release.

The variety of different close-ups in the film look excellent - image depth and clarity are terrific. Contrast levels are stable. The blacks, whites, and grays are also well balanced. There are no traces of problematic denoising corrections. Edge-enhancement is also not an issue of concern. Needless to say, the film has a stable and very pleasing organic look. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review. (However, a slightly better compression would have made the film look even tighter when projected). Finally, there are no large damage marks, cuts, debris, or stains to report in this review. All in all, I think that this release is a very good alternative for folks residing in Region-B territories who could not take advantage of Criterion's excellent release. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

12 Angry Men Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are six standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. French, French DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, German DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, and Polish Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, MGM/20th Century Fox-UK have provided optional English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese (Brazil), Italian, German, Spanish (Castellano), Mandarin (Traditional), Cantonese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Icelandic, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, and Swedish subtitles for the main feature.

12 Angry Men is primarily a dialog-driven feature. Unsurprisingly, the lossless track's dynamic intensity is rather limited. However, the dialog is crisp, stable, and always easy to follow. Some extremely light background hiss is occasionally felt, but it never becomes distracting. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.

12 Angry Men Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: The supplemental features included on this release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray machines, including the PS3.

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for 12 Angry Men. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Making 12 Angry Men - a look at the production history of Sidney Lumet's iconic film. With comments from writer and Professor of Law at UCLA Michael Asimov, executive editor at AFI Patricial King Hanson, film historian Robert Osborne, director Sydney Lumet, actor Jack Klugman (Juror #5), and Court TV anchor Jami Floyd, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (23 min, 480/60i).

• Inside the Jury Room - additional comments from the interviewees in the making of featurette listed above addressing the criminal justice system in the United States and how it is portrayed in Sydney Lumet's film. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - this is the same audio commentary with film historian Drew Casper that also appears on MGM's 50th Anniversary DVD release of 12 Angry Men, which was produced in 2008. In English, not subtitled.

12 Angry Men Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think that this European release of director Sydney Lumet's iconic film 12 Angry Men is a very good alternative for folks residing in Region-B territories who could not take advantage of Criterion's release. Indeed, the film looks and sounds very good. I would also like to recommend the Blu-ray to those of you who do not have the R1 50th Anniversary DVD release of the film which has supplemental features that are not included on the Criterion release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.