Three Reasons: 12 Angry Men

This 1957 movie directed by Sidney Lumet, his first feature, is a tour de force of direction, performance, editing, and staging. Basically, it is a perfect film. And once you see it, jury duty—among other situations—will never be the same. The film’s portrait of 1950s America also puts today’s ongoing and troubled race issues into sharp perspective. It is one of those fantastic experiences in which knowing exactly where you’re going does not interfere with the enjoyment of the journey. To that point, we share the basic arc of the story with you in this Three Reasons, but I promise that it will not diminish your enjoyment of the film.

And then there’s Amy Schumer, whom I love. On her show Inside Amy Schumer, she did an episode-long parody of Twelve Angry Men. It is brilliant and funny and topical and daring, even if you’ve never seen the original. Of course, it’s even more deliciously awesome if you have seen the movie, so I am wholeheartedly recommending a double feature. Watch these two trailers—our 12 Angry Men Three Reasons for Criterion and Comedy Central’s teaser for 12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer—and then watch them both in full, two perfect representations of their times, nearly sixty years apart.