The Director's Series: Sidney Lumet, No. 1


Throughout 2025 I'm turning my focus to Directors. They help craft the vision on screen that makes a movie work. This year I'm looking at five favorite films from 18 directors I admire and 10 films directed by different women that I have enjoyed. Join me Fridays and Saturdays throughout 2025 as we take this journey.

12 Angry Men (1957)
Starring: Martin Balsam, Lee J. Cobb, Henry Fonda, E.G. Marshall, and Jack Warden
Director: Sidney Lumet
About: Lumet made a lot of incredible films. He had a great run of films that he directed in the 1970s, many of which I have included on this list. But the one at the top for me is this 1957-courtroom drama. Well, more accurately, it's a jury-room drama. I love the way this comes together, the tension in the deliberations, and how it concludes. This has become an iconic classic in American film that has been made and re-made a number of times. Many are good, but none comes close to topping this original version. 

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