I considered Sidney Lumet one of the great directors whose films shaped my sensibility when I was young and became interested in movies. So it was certainly a blow to me when he recently passed away. I decided a fitting tribute would be to do a video essay for one of his classic films. I had planned to tackle another one of his films later in the year, but this was one that came together quickly in the last week. I hope this essay appropriately responds to the auteurist film writers out there who did not quite give the man his due because he did not have a style that called attention to itself.

Please note that there are some SPOILERS, particularly past the 10 minute mark. Then again, if you haven't seen the movie yet, then you probably should.