The 25 Greatest Legal Movies - ABA Journal
To Kill a Mockingbird
The setting is a dusty Southern town during the Depression. A white woman accuses a black man of rape. Though he is obviously innocent, the outcome of his trial is such a foregone conclusion that no lawyer will step forward to defend him-- except the town's most distinguished citizen. His compassionate defense costs him many friendships but earns him the respect and admiration of his two motherless children.
12 Angry Men
Depicts a jury of men who must decide the fate of a teenage boy who has murdered his abusive father. The jurors are from all walks of life, and bring with them their own opinions, prejudices, fears, and personal demons.
My Cousin Vinny
Two carefree pals mistakenly arrested and charged with murder are defended by the cousin of one of them (Vinny), a former auto mechanic of Brooklyn who just passed his bar exam after his sixth try. Vinny's never been in court and this case quickly turns into a hysterical escapade.
Anatomy of a Murder
A courtroom drama of premeditated murder as a jealous army lieutenant pleads innocent to murdering the rapist of his beautiful wife.
Inherit the Wind
A small Tennessee town gained national attention in 1925 when a biology schoolteacher was arrested for violating state law and teaching Darwin's theory of evolution in the classroom.
Witness for the Prosecution
A man is accused of murdering his wealthy woman friend in order to secure his inheritance. The defendant's mysterious wife stuns the courtroom by giving damaging testimony against her husband. The web of intrigue is finally unwoven in a shocking, chilling conclusion.
Breaker Morant
Three Australian lieutenants are court martialed for executing prisoners as a way of deflecting attention from war crimes committed by their superior officers. Based on a play and true story.
Philadelphia
A young Philadelphia lawyer stricken with AIDS seeks assistance from a homophobic personal injury attorney when a prestigious Philadelphia law firm fires him for incompetence.
Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich is a feisty young mother who convinces attorney Ed Masry to hire her and promptly stumbles upon a momumental law case against a giant corporation. Erin's determined to take on this powerful adversary even though no law firm has dared to do it before. The two begin an incredible and sometimes hilarious fight that will bring a small town to its feet and a huge company to its knees.
The Verdict
A cynical lawyer on the skids fights for justice when a mysterious accident at a hospital destroys the life of a vital young woman.
Presumed Innocent
Rusty Sabich's been swept up in an obsessive affair with a coworker in the prosecutor's office. When she is murdered, he's asked to lead the investigation. Then, astonishingly, he's accused of the crime. He's the perfect suspect and his fight to clear his name pulls him into a whirlpool of lies and secrets.
Judgment at Nuremberg
American judge Daniel Haywood presides over the trial of four German jurists accused of "legalizing" Nazi atrocities. But as graphic accounts of sterilization and murder unfold in the courtroom, mounting political pressure for leniency forces Haywood into making the most harrowing and difficult decision of his career.
A Man for all Seasons
Chancellor of England, Sir Thomas More, is placed in a difficult position when Henry VIII breaks with the Catholic Church over its refusal to annul his marriage to Katherine of Aragon so he can marry Anne Boleyn. Henry demands More's endorsement of this act. Torn between his conscience and duty to the crown, Sir Thomas chooses to say nothing.
A Few Good Men
A brash Navy lawyer is teamed with a gung-ho litigator in a politically-explosive murder case. Charged with defending two Marines accused of killing a fellow soldier, they are confronted with complex issues of loyalty and honor - including its most sacred code and its most formidable warrior.
Chicago
At a time when crimes of passion result in celebrity headlines, nightclub sensation Velma Kelly and spotlight-seeking Roxie Hart both find themselves on Chicago's famed Murderess Row. They also share Billy Flynn, the town's slickest lawyer with a talent for turning notorious defendants into local legends.
Kramer vs. Kramer
When his wife walks out, Ted Kramer and his six-year-old son have a chance to really get to know each other. Then Ted's wife returns and she wants her son back.
The Paper Chase
A moving story of a first-year Harvard Law School student who comes to terms with his dreams in America's most competitive school. Hart finds he must survive much more than the pressures, all-night cramming and insecurities he expected. He becomes fearful of a brilliant professor, who terrorizes some, inspires others and who easily separates the men from the boys.
Reversal of Fortune
Movie version of the events surrounding the trial of Claus von Bulow for the murder of his wife, Sunny at their luxurious Newport mansion in 1980.
Compulsion
A riveting true story about the notorious 1924 Leopold-Loeb murder case. Brilliant attorney Clarence Darrow defended two wealthy Chicago teenagers who thought their superior intellect would enable them to execute the perfect crime. Darrow's history-making and controversial defense against capital punishment saved the boys from a death sentence.
...And Justice for All
A young lawyer battles not only one-on-one injustice in the courts, but the whole system as well.
In the Name of the Father
Fact-based film about Gerry Conlon, a young Irish punk who is caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and forced to confess to a terrorist bombing. He and his father, along with friends of Gerry, are found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. There, his father shows his true strength, and Gerry works to prove their innocence and clear his father's name.
A Civil Action
A high-priced personal injury attorney takes on a case that becomes an epic legal battle ... one that may cost him his career, reputation and all that he owns.
Young Mr. Lincoln
In this unforgettable portrait of the early life of the Great Emancipator, young Mr. Lincoln, after teaching himself law, has barely started practicing when an Independence Day celebration ends with a stabbing. Abe first stops a lynch mob from killing brothers Matt and Adam Clay, and then defends them against a seasoned prosecutor and his crafty adviser.
Amistad
Chronicles the 1839 revolt on board the slave ship Amistad bound for America. Much of the story involves the court-room drama about the slave who led the revolt.
A Miracle on 34th Street
The real Santa is hired by Macy's to play the department store's Santa in the Thanksgiving Day parade, but has to prove in court that he is who he says he is.