12 Angry Men

1957.

Unlisted / #87

Nominated for 3 Academy Awards.

Juror #8 (Henry Fonda) convinces the other eleven jurors to re-consider their guilty verdict of a young Puerto Rican man accused of murdering his father.

Eddie: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Ninety-two percent of it takes place in one room, but Sidney Lumet and Boris Kaufman manage to photograph it in a fresh way, so you never feel like they got lazy and stuck a tripod in the corner of the room. The dolly moves really keep the movie's pace alive. The writing is also superb. In a room with twelve characters, it's difficult to flesh out each one, but Reginald Rose manages to give us a clear sketch of each (angry) man. In terms of palpable drama, this is up there with any of the best, but my guess is that it made the AFI list because of its star power - Lumet and Fonda, especially.

Sarah: The first time I saw this movie I thought it was borrrrriiiiinnng. I wasn't looking forward to watching it again for our challenge. However, things improved the second time around.

Despite the inherent narrative obstacles of the film (one location, no real character names, talking about a character who appears only for a few seconds), thanks to the crafty writing of Reginald Rose, the movie still has emotional arcs and relationships. Each juror is well-defined. I especially liked the quiet Juror #5 (Jack Klugman, playing opposite of his famed TV role as Oscar Madison), and timid Juror #2 (John Fiedler, but you might know him as Piglet).

Even though I've grown to appreciate this film I still think it's an on-the-nose fable. I prefer the homage to the film that HAPPY DAYS did. It's much shorter, and the Fonz gets to be Henry Fonda.

Why You Should See It: As the jury stands deadlocked at 9-3 in favor of acquittal, Juror #10 (Ed Begley) launches into a bigoted tirade about Puerto Ricans. One by one, the jurors stand up and turn their backs to him. It's one of the few times that the camera is locked off, and the result is stunning. Finally, Juror #4 (E.G. Marshall) tells him, "I have [listened]. Now sit down and don't open your mouth again." Yeah. Fuck racism.

On The Waterfront

1954.

#8 / #19

Winner of 8 Academy Awards.

ON THE WATERFRONT follows washed-up boxer Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) as he stands up to the mob as a longshoreman.

Sarah: By the end of this film, you will be clapping and yelling at your television. Marlon Brando's performance is a masterpiece. He is such a well-constructed hero. He is also really sexy. But really, one of the best performances I have ever seen. It is complicated and simple all at once. Throughout the film, Terry cares for a coop of pigeons. Later he tries to care for Edie (Eva Marie Saint) in the same way he looks out for his pigeons. My favorite part is when he tries to feed her. You can't not fall in love with him in this movie. He is too good.

Eddie: When Sarah and I started this little venture of ours, I thought that I must've already seen all the good movies on the list. ON THE WATERFRONT proved me wrong. This is easily one of the ten best films ever made. I've been kicking myself for not having seen it sooner. Marlon Brando's performance is so moving, it's almost unfair to the other actors. He's acting circles around them. The scenes between Brando and Saint show him at his best. He plays Terry Malloy the way a concert pianist plays Mozart. It's just incredible. For someone who had really only known Brando as Don Corleone, it was mind-blowing to see him so good at such a young age.

Why you should see it: It's been imitated ad nauseam, but the Contender Speech is probably the greatest monologue in any movie ever made.