Anatomy of a Murder - 9 stars out of 10

Anatomy of a Murder - 9 stars out of 10

"Twelve people go off into a room: twelve different minds, twelve different hearts, from twelve different walks of life; twelve sets of eyes, ears, shapes, and sizes. And these twelve people are asked to judge another human being as different from them as they are from each other. And in their judgment, they must become of one mind - unanimous. It's one of the miracles of Man's disorganized soul that they can do it, and in most instances, do it right well. God bless juries."
“Anatomy of a Murder” is the classic courtroom drama, pushing the boundaries of censorship in the 50’s through its graphic discussion of rape and sex.  Its script that is so honest and detailed in its descriptions that it might still make you blush today.  While the film is not family friendly, the dialogue is subtle enough that it does not distract from the amazing story that is told.  It is important to note that the film has been well received by both film critics and members of the legal field.  It realistically brings the courtroom to life and exposes the trickery that sometimes results in a man walking free as the jury (and consequently, the audience) can never be sure of this man’s guilt.  The story is very strong but the biggest take away from this film is the opportunity to watch Jimmy Stewart and George C. Scott act together.  Their strong acting performances leave you wanting to hear more and wondering who will get the last word.  The questioning of the witnesses borders on interrogation and the constant objections from either side prevent the judge from keeping the room under control.  There is real acting finesse in this film and it feels like watching real life.  We even get to enjoy Duke Ellington, composer of the film score, trading lines with Stewart.  I feel that this film is important to the jazz world as it preserves Duke’s legacy as a representative of great jazz musicians from the 50’s.  “A Few Good Men” will always be my favorite court film and “12 Angry Men” comes above all trial films, even though we don’t see any of the trial; regardless, there are few greater compliments that I could give to a film than to mention it in the same sentence as the aforementioned masterpieces.  “Anatomy of a Murder” is just one that you have to see.