Twelve angry Russians

“Twelve Angry Men” remains a monument of American filmmaking, and more than 50 years after it was made, its story is still powerful enough to inspire this Russian version — not a remake, but a new demonstration of a jury verdict arrived at only because one of the jurors was not angry so much as worried. “12” by Nikita Mikhalkov is a powerful new film inspired by a powerful older one.

You know the story. A jury is sequestered. The men are hot and tired, and impatient to go home. It is assumed that the defendant, a young man accused of murder, is guilty. A quick vote is called for. The balloting shows 11 for convicting, one against. This generates a long and dogged debate in which the very principles of justice itself are called into play.