Capsule Film Review: 12 Angry Men (1997)

In 1957 Sydney Lumet directed 12 Angry Men, arguably the best courtroom drama ever made. Four decades later William Friedkin directed remake in the form of television film. The plot is again set in one New York courthouse during hot afternoon. Protagonists are twelve jurors set to make the verdict on a young man accused of killing his father. The case seems slam dunk and everyone expect quick gulity verdict, but one of the jurors (played by Jack Lemmon) has his doubts and starts the long and painful process of convincing other eleven to consider acquittal. The new version is set in modern times, and the cast of jurors is racially more diverse (but again exclusively male). Friedkin’s version tries to spice things up by setting the plot firmly in 1990s, with characters discussing Mike Leigh’s films and having one of the jurors, played by Mykelti Williamson, portrayed as black suprematist. Those bizarre details only harm the film, making inevitable comparisons between two versions inevitably in favour of an older film.

RATING: 6/10