12 (2007 film)
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Nikita Mikhalkov |
| Produced by | Nikita Mikhalkov Leonid Vereschtchaguine |
| Written by |
Reginald Rose Nikita Mikhalkov Alexander Novototsky-Vlasov Vladimir Moiseenko |
| Starring |
Sergei Makovetsky Nikita Mikhalkov Sergei Garmash Valentin Gaft Alexei Petrenko Yuri Stoyanov |
| Music by | Eduard Artemyev |
| Cinematography | Vladislav Opelyants |
| Distributed by | TriTe |
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Release date
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Running time
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159 minutes |
| Country | Russia |
| Language | Russian, Chechen |
| Budget | $2.5 million |
| Box office | $7.5 million |
12 is a 2007 crime film by Russian director and actor Nikita Mikhalkov. Mikhalkov was awarded the Special Lion at the 64th Venice International Film Festival for his work on the film, which also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. It is an adaptation of Reginald Rose's play Twelve Angry Men and a remake of Sidney Lumet's film 12 Angry Men.
The jury decides whether a young Chechen boy is guilty of the murder of his stepfather, a Russian military officer. Initially it seems that the boy was the murderer. However, one of the jurors (Sergei Makovetsky) votes in favour of acquittal. Since the verdict must be rendered unanimously, the jurors review the case, and one by one come to the conclusion that the boy was framed. The murder was performed by criminals involved in the construction business. The discussion is repeatedly interrupted by flashbacks from the boy's wartime childhood.
In the end the foreman states that he was sure the boy did not commit the crime but he will not vote in favour of acquittal since the acquitted boy will be subsequently killed by the same criminals. In addition, the foreman reveals that he is a former intelligence agency officer. After a brief argument, the foreman agrees to join the majority. Later the foreman tells the boy that he will find the murderers.
The movie received mixed critical opinion in Russia and abroad. The Venice Film Festival jury defined the movie as "confirmation of his [Mikhalkov's] mastery in exploring and revealing to us, with great humanity and emotion, the complexity of existence". Russian president Vladimir Putin together with the film crew, Chechnya's president Ramzan Kadyrov and Ingushetia's president Murat Zyazikov watched the film in Putin's residence in Novo-Ogarevo. After the screening Putin remarked that the film "brought a tear to the eye".
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