Ask Movie Slate - 12 Angry Men

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This drawing took an awful lot of time to get done. This was probably one of the most taxing pictures I've worked on this year, but I loved the challenge to draw up to 12 characters within one drawing. I was worried that Movie Slate would get lost in the shuffle, but that's one of the points of 12 Angry Men, is that no character is more or less important than the other, which is why Movie Slate is placed in the far right side of the drawing. This served as a very enjoyable exercise and I hope I can put this group shot style of picture to use in the future. Also, yes, they are playing "Cluedo". Why wouldn't they be?

I've been wanting to talk about "12 Angry Men" for quite some time, and that's not just because I like to ramble. You see, "12 Angry Men" isn't just a movie I think it's good. "12 Angry Men" is the movie I re-watch every now and then to remind myself that for all the prequel, sequel, remake, reboot, soft-reboot, cinematic universe, dark universe, Sony Pictures, Emoji Movie bullshit that plagues cinemas nowadays movies are still worth defending. If I was Yahtzee Croshaw "12 Angry Men" would be my "Silent Hill 2" if you see what I mean. Which is funny because as far as cinematic-looking movies go this one is rather lacking. The entire movie takes place inside a room, it stars twelve men that dress rather similarly, and the camera movements are so minimalistic it's like they are being operated by an arthritic ant. This is mostly due to the fact that this is based on a theatre play, and it carries many of its elements from there, but the thing that makes it stand out as a movie is the way that it's paced, performed, edited and shot. I did say that the camera moves very little but there are scenes in this movie that go on for several minutes without a single cut as the actors just blend with their characters and disappear, and when the arguments get heated up that's when the minutely calculated editing comes into place.

This movie is like looking into the mechanism of a Swiss watch, where the cogs are the characters that fall into place as they discover more about each other than about the crime itself. The scene where all the jurors step away from the table as a sign of protest against one of them is one of my favourite movie scenes of all time, and one that stayed with me even years after I first watched this movie. Of course it's not a perfect movie. Sometimes the performances can get a bit over the top, and there's a plot-hole in the beginning of the movie regarding one piece of evidence. But as a character study and an ensemble piece this movie is very much flawless, and even though it's garnered a bit of a bum rep in later years (what is with being all cynical about good movies that are popular anyway?) I still consider this one of my favourite movies of all time.

"12 Angry Men" stands out as a classic movie that manages to stand the test of time by giving us great characters portrayed by great actors, all choreographed thanks to a concise script and tight film editing. Its few dents don't even make a chip on the surface of what I consider to be one of the best films ever made.

I hope you guys enjoy the picture!

You can check Movie Slate's post on Tumblr right here.

You can also check the Making of Post right here.

Please, let me know what you think of it in the comments. I appreciate and every single one I receive.

Thank you!

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