12 Angry Men (1997)
Director: William Friedken
Starring: Courtney B Vance, Ossie Davis, George C Scott
Synopsis:
A lone dissenter holds out in jury deliberations in a capital murder case.
Impressions:
Like many cinephiles, I love the 1957 version of 12 Angry Men. When I found out about this version, specifically George C Scott as Juror #3, I knew I needed to check it out. I hadn't done further prior research, so I was surprised to see how many notable actors are in the cast, so that might serve as a lure for a wider audience. The performances will make or break a character-centric story like this and I'm happy to say that the cast pullls it off admirably. Even Tony Danza, who I'd taken for a lightweight, actually shows off a bit more range than what I've seen from him in the past.
With some modernization to the setting, we introduce a more diverse cast and ramp up the tensions to go with it. I found it a little amusing setting Mykelti Williamson as a black militant too radical even for the NOI against Ossie Davis, a real-life acquaintance of Malcolm X. A lot of the script wouldn't fly these days, so that alone might be further inducement for people who are fed up with the current pablum they ooze into the trough for us. If you want character conflict with real teeth, this is it.
I was quite happy with what we got overall and would gladly put this in the collection next to the original. Give it a watch at the very least.
Rating:Own It