Review: This Version of '12 Angry Men' Rises to Adequacy

In 1957, Sidney Lumet made his unforgettable feature directorial debut with Reginald Rose's searing adaptation of his own teleplay, "12 Angry Men," starring Henry Fonda and a cast of luminous supporting players. The film, Lumet, and Rose would all receive Oscar nominations. Any notion of a remake would need to have the same heft as the original and give the material some kind of new spin, at the very least.

In 1997, William Friedkin, a filmmaker with an erratic track record at best ("The Exorcist," "Cruising") directed a new version by Rose himself that reimagined four of the men as Black. The basic plot remained the same, as did the confined, enclosed space. A young man is accused of murdering his father, and his fate is now in the hands of 12 jurors, 11 of which, initially, want to convict him and send him to die. The race ante is raised, and there is some profanity, but not much else changes.

What makes this incarnation so riveting are the performances, as strangely out-of-sync with one another as they are. Friedkin shows no desire to make certain his actors are on the same page, or even in the same book, when it comes to tone and style, so we get all the bluster, growl and scenery chewing of George C. Scott (I think he took a bite out of the wall at one point) mixed with the soft spoken eerie calm of Armin Mueller-Stahl combined with the disconcerting sitcom nature of Tony Danza and the one-note anger of Mykelti Williamson. Does it work? Not always. But it's sure fun to watch.

Jack Lemmon anchors the piece in the Henry Fonda role as the one juror who isn't willing to let a young life be snuffed out before, at least, some discussion is held about his innocence or guilt. James Gandolfini also shines as a pre-Tony Soprano version of, well, a non-mob version of Tony Soprano.

I was gobsmacked to see that Scott won a Golden Globe and Emmy Award for his histrionics. I mean, it's a performance, for certain, a loud, boisterous one reminiscent of his over-the-top antics in "Exorcist 3: Legion."

The Blu-ray looks and sounds fine. It's a TV movie, and there's nothing spectacular about the look. Friedkin's directing style is in no way comparable to the intensity of Lumet's in the original. It's adequate.

The telefilm also starred Courtney B. Vance, Ossie Davis, Dorian Harewood, Hume Cronyn, Edward James Olmos, and William Petersen.

There are no extras.

Pick up "12 Angry Men" to see this diverse dozen actors tossed together and given virtual free reign.

"12 Angry Men" is currently available on Blu-ray.