Movie No.20 (2016): "12"

"12" (2007)
Director: Nikita Mikhalkov
Cast: Sergey Makovetskiy, Nikita Mickhalkov, Sergey Garmash, Apti Magamaev

In Russian and Chechen, with English subtitles

It's quite obvious that the movie was inspired by Sidney Lumet's great film, 12 Angry Men. Seeing it, one would realize Nikita Mikhalkov's 12 was not a remake. Both film however would show the dramatization of how the 12-man jury reached a verdict and decided the fate of a boy accused of a murder. 

Initial voting reveals only 11 believe that the accused guilty. Then we get to hear the argument of the only person in the jury who believes that the accused is innocent. But a unanimous decision decision is needed to acquit or convict the accused. One by one each justifies his vote. Some tell anecdotes that may or may not be related to the present predicament they're into. One by one some jury change vote, some unsure, some vote just get it over with. But, will they ever reach a unanimous decision?

It is interesting how the movie gives the viewers the current state of contemporary Russian society from the anecdotes and dissenting arguments of the juries in trying to make sense of their stand on whether the accused is guilty or not. The occasional flashback scenes involving the accused and the people he had associated with are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that surely make this movie experience more interesting and exciting. Yes the juries in this film are angry but they're not as angry as those in 12 Angry Men. Maybe because the place where they deliberate is not as claustrophobic as as that in 12 Angry Men. There should be reason why the jury do the deliberation in a school gym, which is wide. The metaphors of the the basketball that get stuck on the ring, the bird that got trapped inside the gym, the old pipes, the piano behind bars, the knife dance, and power outages are well-placed in the movie.

Rating: 4.0/4.0

Date seen: April 17, 2016