theres no jury in russia tf
Soviet Movie Club™ kinda still refuses to crawl out of the twilight new year zone mood, with the next film may or may not serving as a counterpoint to that. 12 is back, almost exactly two years later.
One of the two films by The Very Nikita Mikhalkov that are not only my favorites from his works, but also my personal all-time favorites, 12 is a remake of the legendary 12 Angry Men that came out exactly 50 years later, a hello from 2007 to the distant 1957. Gaining a whole extra hour compared to the original film and now standing at hefty 2.5 hours, 12 is an incredible and strong work that, in my opinion at least, surpasses the original by a long shot. Surely made to talk about Russia-specific issues perhaps, surely dated by 2007 in that particular aspect, surely not without faults. But, in my opinion again, it’s a deeply engaging film that was done masterfully, from a brilliant use of the one-room setting to its main selling point, the acting.
And as for the actors, not only is Mikhalkov himself is back with his bestie Adabashyan (aka soviet sir Henry and Barrymore return), the film features Valentin Gaft, Alexey Gorbunov aka nrh Moriarty, Viktor Verzhbitsky aka Zavulon himself, Alexey Petrenko (no affiliation), and legends perhaps unfamiliar to you but to us such as Sergey Makovetsky, Garmash, Stoyanov and even Yefr*mov junior. I may not have any respect for Mikhalkov as everyone else, but my deep admiration of 12 is unbending.
If you want to talk Russia, join us on tutturu this Saturday, 9th January at 8pm UK time.
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