Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Sep 24, 2020 3.5/4.0

A powerful and beautiful film that matters.

Go to Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens Nov 9, 2019

You feel the performances. You feel the emotional power. You feel.

Go to Full Review

Brandy McDonnell The Oklahoman Aug 8, 2018 3/4

Mighty performances keep the film engrossing even as the movie's runtime crosses the 2 1/2-hour mark.

Go to Full Review

Nicolas Rapold Film Comment Magazine Oct 20, 2014

Old soul Nikita Mikhalkov's appropriation of the 12 Angry Men template is a bloated series of harangues that feels too long even before its full 154 minutes have shuffled by.

Go to Full Review

Ben Kenigsberg Time Out Nov 18, 2011 2/5

Go to Full Review

Joshua Rothkopf Time Out Nov 17, 2011 3/5

Go to Full Review

Jean Lowerison San Diego Metropolitan Jul 6, 2010

12 is a mildly interesting exercise in cultural translation, but it's difficult to understand why the film was made.

Go to Full Review

Nick Davis Nick's Flick Picks Jan 3, 2010 B-

I've sampled this core material twice now, and even left to my own devices, I'm still a hung jury.

Go to Full Review

Matt Soergel Florida Times-Union Sep 18, 2009 3/4

2 1/2 hours of Russian men, middle-aged and up, stuck in one room, pontificating and pleading and challenging. Yes, that means subtitles, lots of them. Still with me? Congratulations.

Go to Full Review

Sonny Bunch Washington Times Aug 30, 2009 2.5/4

Though long-winded and repetitive, there's much to like in Nikita Mikhalkov's movie.

Go to Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid Jul 24, 2009

A surprisingly energetic, kinetic and gripping film, filled with an enviable selection of great character actors.

Go to Full Review

James Plath Movie Metropolis Jul 21, 2009 7/10

Unlike Lumet, Mikhalkov doesn't seem to trust 12 angry (or disturbed) men in a room to pull this off.

Go to Full Review

Shawn Levy Oregonian May 22, 2009 B-

The performances, as I say, are wonderful.

Go to Full Review

Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette May 15, 2009 89/100

Slavic gloom and Russian dukh - a word that can be loosely translated as "cunning spirit" - permeate ...

Go to Full Review

Keith Cohen Entertainment Spectrum May 1, 2009 2.5/4

There is a lot of material to absorb in one sitting with no breathing room as you must rapidly read the subtitles to keep up with the story.

Go to Full Review

Sarah Boslaugh Playback:stl May 1, 2009 9/10

Shot in sequence and featuring many long takes, it retains some of the feel of the television original despite the broadening of context ...

Go to Full Review

Dan Zak Washington Post May 1, 2009

The film transforms Rose's play into a ballet of sorts. The story is as much about movement as it is about words.

Go to Full Review

Jeff Vice Deseret News (Salt Lake City) Apr 30, 2009 2/4

Much of it is done so clumsily that the characters verge on becoming caricatures.

Go to Full Review

Calvin Wilson St. Louis Post-Dispatch Apr 30, 2009 4/4

Those who seek a drama as provocative as it is captivating will find much to enjoy.

Go to Full Review

Peter Keough Boston Phoenix Apr 23, 2009 1.5/4

Never known for his restraint, Mikhalkov takes kitschy liberties with the stark drama about a jury deliberating the fate of a minority youth.

Go to Full Review