It is a performances centric movie

Absolutely Fantastic

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

"12", became one of my personal favorites as it's very well put together with excellent acting and a representation of humanity at its full complexity and uncertain nature. It explores, through the stories of which characters, many human expressions and feelings like hope, terror, faith and kindness. The master's touch is explicit in the way that this all plays out, not only in the excellent performance but also in the very subtle way the story is told. Mikhalkov gives us a remake with something more, a Russian touch, with a critic to the Russian way. 12" won a Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival, and with every right. This movie has a powerful acting and a compelling story-line. Is definitely worth watching.

It should have been a great movie for several reasons. Because it is a remake of a great movie. Because all the best Russian actors star in it. Because it is a film by Nikita Mikhalkov. And most importantly, because it is a psychological drama, not a big budget historical epic like "The Barber of Siberia" or "Burnt by the Sun".I suggest that it is legally prohibited for Nikita Mikhalkov to film big budget historical epics, because he invariably turns all this big money to crap. He is not able to film epic. His greatest talent lays in meticulous representation of psychological soul movements. It was breathtaking to watch his early (anti-)soviet movies with every character's development expressed finely to the state of the art. I was really amazed. Alas, now Nikita Mikhalkov can attract infinite sums of money from the government for his films, which works for the worse.As I have stated, it should have been a great movie, but it isn't. It is only by a thin hair above than mediocre. Why? 1. The characters don't develop. They stay as they were presented in the beginning – a group of standard types of Russian men. Their character traits are simplified as much as possible, which means that Mikhalkov became lazy and relaxed. There is only one type of truth in the film – Nikita Mikhalkov's truth, and other truths are nowhere to be seen.2. Juryman mostly tell their stories, which explain their past, but hardly help investigate the case. Their solution in the end seems groundless, and there are a lot of questions left. Why did the suit buy this awesome knife – for a present, or was he planning something? And how did the Chechen boy got not to know Russian if he lived in Moscow for so long? Did he even attend school or something?3. Chechnya reminiscences were absolutely needless. They even were harmful, because they distracted my attention from the boy's case. Well I see that if you have some extra money it may be difficult not to spend them somehow. But next time, if you have that extra money, would you please give them to me, Nikita? 4. I was very disappointed of Mikhalkov's getting even with his personal enemy by casting the most famous clown for the role of the TV producer. After watching all those "Gorodok" TV shows I cannot observe Oleynikov's performance without a grin, which is probably Mikhalkov's exact intention. That's not fair, Nikita. If you want to make fool of your personal enemies, you should do it elsewhere, but not in your films.Eventually, the film title is too translucent of Alexander Blok's "12", which actually means that Nikita Mikhalkov plays a role of Jesus Christ Himself. But you are not Jesus Christ, Nikita. You are just an old man with a glorious past. Maybe you have become too old for this. Maybe you should try getting yourself some rest already.

I really like the storyline. However it could be just me because I don't speak Russian but i thought half of the Jurors were over acting. Like i said, i watched it with English subtitles and i know translating a language could lose some of the 'gist' of what people are actually saying or meaning. To me, apart from the constant 'laughter and joke' majority of the jurors lacked emotion; or what they were saying didn't make sense with there actions. e.g: when each told there own story. There emotions didn't 'fit' with what they were saying or when one got hot headed it seemed it was over nothing. I do blame the translation. Overall I really enjoyed the whole storyline and the way it all headed. Although i must admit the 'near' ending shocked me. Thank God they made the decision that they did!

Characteristic feature of Russian philosophy - self-criticism and not stopping internal struggle. Can therefore we have replaced less than for hundred years at least 3 forms of government. Of infinite search think also feelings. 12 Mikhalkovs, certainly it is impossible to name ideal expression of Russian soul, but the certain features and qualities the director everything, has managed to express, having put 12 person before a dilemma to rescue the person from prison and to give on worry of businessmen from the hypothecary company and thus to hammer in a voice of conscience somewhere deeply or to charge the shoulders with the responsibility from and its destiny. To rise on its protection not only in court where from them it is required to answer only, it is guilty or not, but also still to begin cares of the child until the Office of Public Prosecutor will not undertake the present murderers. Mikhalkov the actor certainly above Mikhalkov of the director, likely because even when it stages film, it remains the actor, creates a role, instead of all film. The open end, sad, but leaving confidence that indifference - a shaving flies from soul. The American cinemas academicians have not given it "Oscar", likely and the truth, will suffice from it 12 premiums from the Russian cinemas of academicians, it is too much premiums harmfully for creativity of the director and the actor then they still have that internal not calmness and неустройство which allows them to do masterpieces.