12 Angry Men (1997) ***1/2

40 years after Sidney Lumet's brilliant 1957 film (review) of Reginald Rose's 1954 teleplay, William Friedkin adapted 12 Angry Men as a made-for-TVmovie. While the cast is excellent and the added diversity is appreciated, I had a hard time buying Juror #10 in this adaptation. Friedkin chose to give the camera more movement than the original film but some of the compositions feel devoid of emotional impact. Additionally, by sticking too closely to the original dialogue, not enough is updated to make this version feel justified. Overall, this is an entertaining and very good reenactment of a classic story with a who's who of actors but the combination of what was changed and what wasn't doesn't quite gel to make this a classic in its own right.

William Friedkin Feature Films Ranked