Sidney Lumet, maybe the greatest American filmmaker of the second half of the 20th century, has died at the age of 86.

I won’t even try to write an obituary for such a brilliant director.  For those of you interested or who need a primer on his life and work, the New York Times has an obit that covers the bases fairly well.

He was the man behind some of my favorite movies of all time: Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, 12 Angry Men, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, and the prophetic work of genius that is Network.

For anyone who is a fan of smart, angry, and subversive filmmaking, Lumet’s passing should be seen as a great loss.

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