Sidney Lumet, the director of such film classics as 12 Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, The Verdict, and Network, passed away Saturday morning in Manhattan at the age of 86 from lymphoma. “While the goal of all movies is to entertain,” Lumet once wrote, “the kind of film in which I believe goes one step further. It compels the spectator to examine one facet or another of his own conscience. It stimulates thought and sets the mental juices flowing.” Lumet received four Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and was presented with an honorary Oscar in 2005 for his stellar body of work. Much of his oeuvre was set in New York, and many of his films tackled important social issues of the time. His last film, 2007’s Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, was a riveting tale of greed that received heaps of critical praise.
