12 Angry Men (1997) (TV)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

William Friedkin

Writer (WGA):

Reginald Rose (teleplay)

Release Date:

17 August 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

Twelve men must decide the fate of one when one juror objects to the jury's decision.

Plot Keywords:

Jury | Law | Real Time | Murder | Courtroom

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Courtney B. Vance	...	Foreman
Ossie Davis	...	Juror #2
George C. Scott	...	Juror #3
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Juror #4
Dorian Harewood	...	Juror #5
James Gandolfini	...	Juror #6
Tony Danza	...	Juror #7
Jack Lemmon	...	Juror #8
Hume Cronyn	...	Juror #9
Mykelti Williamson	...	Juror #10
Edward James Olmos	...	Juror #11
William Petersen	...	Juror #12
Mary McDonnell	...	Judge
Tyrees Allen	...	Guard
Douglas Spain	...	The Accused

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Finland:K-8 | South Korea:12 | UK:12 | Germany:6 | Australia:M | Iceland:L | Netherlands:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

MGM Television

Trivia:

Filmed in sequence.

Goofs:

Continuity: After it starts raining, and they take a break, Juror #7 picks up a piece of wadded up paper twice between shots.

Quotes:

Juror #10: The kid's a punk, he don't even speak good English!
Juror #11: He doesn't even speak good English

Movie Connections:

References "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" (1972)

Not great like the original, but an honest effort

If you have seen the original "12 Angry Men," it's hard not to classify this film as inferior. The acting was better, the cinematography was better, the pace was faster. The cast in the remake is talented, just not as talented. Even the great George C. Scott couldn't quite measure up to Lee J. Cobb. Even the great Jack Lemmon couldn't compare to Henry Fonda. The only actor I felt was an improvement was Mykelti Williamson, who delivers a powerful and disturbing speech towards the end. I see him in mostly small, supporting roles, where he doesn't really get to show off his talent. In this film, Williamson gets the chance to flaunt his overlooked acting chops. One actor who I felt was a big step down was Tony Danza, who doesn't measure up at all to Jack Warden. Danza does an OK job, but dramatic acting isn't his forte. Sitcom acting is his strongsuit. Edward James Olmos does a fine job, but it took time getting over his phony accent. That's right, he's been in this country so long that his Latino accent sounds phony.

Nevertheless, the acting is good and the film really muscles up during the third act. If the director sped up the pace and the camerawork wasn't as clumsy, this could've been a much more compelling film. But to be fair, it's a tough job measuring up to the original. We've all seen and heard much of the dialogue (which is almost word-for-word from the original script, only with a few obscenities, one racial slur and modern references like "Fat Albert" added), so hearing it again is like listening to a stand-up comedian using his old material. Funny stuff, but we've heard it before. Only a good comedian will usually maintain a good delivery of the joke, while the delivery of some of the old dialogue is limp this time around.

My score: 7 (out of 10)