Legendary director Sidney Lumet died this morning at his Manhattan home of lymphoma. He was 86.

Lumet’s films, from his debut 12 Angry Men (1957) to his final film, 2007′s Before The Devil Knows Your Dead, not only charted changes to the physical landscape of New York City over five decades, but the moral landscape of the country as well. His films Dog Day Afternoon (1975) and Serpico (1973) captured the corruption of the Big Apple that was rampant in the 1970s in their stories that were inspired by real headlines and people. His 1976 caustic satire of television news -as-a-business, Network, served up a bravura performance from Peter Finch (See clip below) as a deranged newscaster which has become sadly prophetic in this era of competing ideological 24-hour cable news channels.

Although nominated five times for an Academy Award – for 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, Network and The Verdict (1982) – he would never win an Oscar trophy. He was awarded an honorary Oscar in 2005.

Lumet got his start directing live television in New York City in the 1950s for such shows as You Are There and The Alcola Hour. His early films were often adaptations of stage plays such as 1962′s Long Day’s Journey Into Night or social issue dramas such as The Hill (1965).

Lumet used the city as a backdrop for a majority of his films, the streets and skyline often acting as a vital character in such works as The Pawnbroker (1964) and Prince Of The City (1981). He even re-imagined Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs as the magical land of Oz for 1978′s The Wiz.

To say that Lumet was a talented director would be an understatement, especially considering that his very first film takes place in one enclosed location, but remains as visually gripping as it is narratively gripping. And while his output in the 1980s and 90s wasn’t always the strongest on his filmography, they would still have something within them for film scholars and critics to discover and celebrate.

Released in 1971, director Sidney Lumet’s thriller The Anderson Tapes shows that concerns over illegal wiretapping and eavesdropping by the government on its citizens is not a concern that was born with the passage of the Patriot Act.

The movie opens with Sean Connery, in one of his attempts to separate himself from his iconic role of James Bond, as Duke Anderson, a con just being released at the end of a ten year stretch in prison. As would any red-blooded male would do after such an incarceration, he heads directlyto his ex-girlfriend Ingrid (Dyan Cannon) who is now living in a swank apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, her expenses paid by one of her current lovers. As he checks out her cozy and posh surroundings, he hatches a plan to rob the entire building using a group of handpicked men. However, as he goes about recruiting his gang, he is unknowingly being audio and videotaped by various government agencies. Fun trivia note- The Anderson Tapes was released on June 17, 1971, exactly one year to the day before the break in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters which resulted in the Watergate scandal and the revelation that President Nixon often secretly recorded conversations in the Oval Office.

The Anderson Tapes may be one of Lumet’s lesser remembered titles, but is still a capable little thriller. It moves along at a good pace and tension builds you begin to wonder whether the various government agencies will piece together Anderson’s plan. When they do realize what he has been up to, their reaction just may draw a cynical laugh.

Lumet has assembled an interesting cast for the film. In addition to an early film role for a pre-Saturday Night Live Garrett Morris, the film also features the debut of Christopher Walken as one of the team of thieves assembled by Connery. Conversely, Margaret Hamilton makes her final film appearance here with a character whose disposition is not far removed from her Wizard Of Oz role of Miss Gulch.

The Anderson Tapes arrives on DVD as one of the inaugural titles in Sony Home Entertainment’s new Martini Movies series. Unfortunately, though Sony has gone to the trouble to launch this line, they aren’t going out of their way to make these titles anything special. To describe the extras on the disc as minimal would be a charity. Outside of the film’s original trailer, the only thing else the disc sports are two short featurettes under the umbrella of “Martini Minutes.” Basically, these two spots – titled “How To Play The Leading Man” and “How To Hold Your Liquor” – are nothing more than promos for the other titles in the Martini Movies line with a martini recipe tacked onto the end.

The DVD sports a pretty clean transfer and is definitely recommended for Connery and Lumet completists. While not either of the two’s best work, the film still has some value to be found in watching. At worse, it is good for a rental.

A closing note- The Anderson Tapes is currently set for a remake, though presumably it is still in the scripting stage. Given its subject matter and today’s political clime, this might be one of the few times where a remake has the opportunity to truly add something new to the story.

Director Sidney Lumet is firing on all cylinders with Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, a tale of two brothers and how their jewelry store heist goes horribly wrong in devestating and unexpected ways. Sure, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke may not bare much of a physical resembllance, but they turn in a pair of outstanding performances that suggest a deep and rocky relationship that informs every action taken.

You can read our full length review for Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead here.