When I was a newspaper beat reporter, one of my first big assignments was covering a murder trial. The case: A mother and her daughter had killed their mother/grandmother while she slept. Stabbed her 57 times. Planned it for two months. Sounds compelling, right? While the crime was sensational, the five days in court were not. This murder trial was tedious, dull, and not at all like the movies.
The funny thing is, I have yet to see a film that accurately portrays what it’s like inside a real courtroom. Yet we let these movies get away with it. Why? Because when done right, few things are more compelling than a solidly written courtroom drama.
Note: The only rule for this list was that the majority of the film’s running time had to be set in a courtroom. Movies with compelling single trial scenes were not considered.
By far the most hilariously amusing film ever set in a courtroom. My Cousin Vinny is one of those flicks I can watch over and over, and never grow tired of. Marisa Tomei received a lot of flak when she surprisingly won the Oscar for her performance as Mona Lisa Vito. Me personally, I don’t think the detractors’ defense holds water.
The trial sequences in Kramer vs. Kramer have got to be some of the most brutal scenes ever featured in a PG-rated movie. As Ted and Joanna Kramer suffer tumultuous custody battle, their respective lawyers rip the other Kramer to shreds. The result is simply horrifying. It makes me weep for anyone who has endured something like this.
Philadelphia wasn’t the first film to openly discuss AIDS, but it was the first mainstream Hollywood movie to do so. In that regard, I’ve always considered this film the most daring one Jonathan Demme ever made. It’s also one hell of a gripping courtroom thriller, with tension and emotion achieved through a tight script and Oscar-worthy acting. Few movies hit me like this one.
Sidney Lumet’s The Verdict doesn’t spend nearly as much time in a courtroom as some of the other films on this list, but what it achieves during its trial scenes is something few movies do. Take, for instance, Paul Newman’s lengthy closing summation, in which he presents his definitive case to the jury, while also proving his life worth. The scene is a technical ballet of non-editing, camerawork, and an actor who always knew how to hit his mark.
6.) Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
Judgment at Nuremberg is a tough ride. It’s emotionally taxing and tediously precise, resulting in as epic a courtroom drama ever made. Every single player of the impressive cast is on point here, but the standout is Montgomery Clift. Nearly unrecognizable after suffering a debilitating car accident a few years earlier, Clift’s problems off screen nearly forced director Stanley Kramer to recast him. But the director stuck with his star, and encouraged some of Clift’s best work. It breaks my heart every time.
I’m a huge fan of Gregory Hoblit’s Primal Fear. Richard Gere, the wise ass. Edward Norton, the tortured white trash. Laura Linney, the cunning career woman. John Mahoney, the relentless jerk. And that’s just the acting; there is much more that makes Primal Fear worthy, including twisting and turning courtroom battles that always keep you guessing. The final courtroom scene, in which Gere berates Norton into a psychological episode, is pure manic joy.
4.) Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Sure, by the end of Witness for the Prosecution, the movie seems more interested in shock than anything else, but by and large, most everything about Billy Wilder’s film shines like cinematic gold. You’ve got Charles Laughton seriously hamming it up as a master barrister, Tyrone Power as a convincing deer in the headlights and the great Marlene Dietrich as the blonde puppeteer playfully controlling the strings. The script is bold, the acting is persuasive, the direction is tight – the whole film just sings.
3.) To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
There’s a horrifying acceptance that kicks in about halfway through To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s when the audience realizes that, despite Atticus Finch’s best efforts, his black client is going to be wrongly convicted of raping a white girl. At this point, we can’t help but ask ourselves – if a similar crime occurred today, would the people deciding the fate be so quick to judge? To Kill a Mockingbird was released more than half a century ago, but it remains as topical as ever. And that is damn hard to stomach.
2.) Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Otto Preminger pulled out all the stops for Anatomy of a Murder. He assembled a perfect cast, pushed for a wildly audacious script and secured a running time that was usually reserved for period piece epics. The result is as extended, complex, and deceitful a film that has ever been set inside a courtroom. For me, Ben Gazzara is the main selling point, I never know when to trust him, when to fear him, and when to follow him. A cold and calculating master of deception.
I can hear cries afoul already, but give me a moment to save face. Do I think Rob Reiner’s A Few Good Men is a better movie than To Kill a Mockingbird? No, I do not. Is it better than Kramer vs. Kramer, The Verdict, or Anatomy of a Murder? Nope. But I do think it is the most entertaining and engaging film ever set inside of a courtroom. The best way I can describe how I feel when I watch A Few Good Men is charged. I feel charged by the energy of Aaron Sorkin’s script, by the sarcasm in everything Tom Cruise says, by the fear Jack Nicholson instills with a look. I love this movie and I love the impact it has on me. Everytime, all the time.
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Did I leave anything out? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
24 thoughts on “Top 10 Courtroom Films”
Amazing list. I haven’t seen 4 of these but I really want to correct that. I am not that huge a fan of To Kill a Mockingbird actually, but I do still love the courtroom scenes. I just watched Anatomy of a Murder actually and it might top my list, though it is still hard to argue with your number 1.
I love courtroom dramas. One of the reasons of me loving The Social Network the amount I did was because of that aspect of it.
It wasn’t “courtroom” courtroom, but it did have that legal struggles aspect there.
Thanks! What’s amazing about The Social Network is that through writing, performance and editing, it made what are usually very dull deposition hearings extremely compelling. I loved that.
Great list and while I love To Kill A Mockingbird I would have to agree with your number 1. Everything about the courtroom scenes are perfect, the acting, the script, the tiny interactions between characters and the final explosion. Brilliant work from Sorkin.
Thanks! I did go back and forth with choosing that number 1. But in the end, it didn’t feel right for it to NOT be number one.
No 12 angry men in a courtroom film list , mmm
A jury deliberation room isn’t a courtroom.
A vote for the unconventional courtroom drama “A Matter of Life and Death.” Not your typical case but it’s a very compelling one.
Ohh I’m going to have to check that one out. Thanks!
Great list. I’m with you on “Primal Fear”. That was on TV recently. Definitely a great film and Edward Norton’s performance in his first film. Wow…
Thanks man. I love the hell out of that movie. Need to scope it out again.
My only reaction to this piece is this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9pEqEy80RA
Ha! I considered And Justice For All, but it just didn’t end up making the cut.
Serial Mom.
I can honestly say I’ve seen A Few Good Men up to 50 times, and it could well be more. It was the movie that I watched as an adolescent more than any other. Whenever I watch it now, I’m amazed how many sayings I use every day that I’ve forgotten I picked up from that film. Sorkin’s dialogue is razor sharp, and it’s no coincidence that The West Wing is my favourite television show of all time by a long, long way.
You touch on it with The Verdict, Alex, but I’d love to see a list of great closing courtroom speeches.
Max Von Sydow in Snow Falling On Cedars is probably the one that captivated me most, and from memory it was done in one take. I’m not sure it gets the recognition it deserves.
It is closely followed by Matthew McConaughey in A Time To Kill. MMC displayed so much talent in his breakout role, and then spent the best part of two decades wasting it. To his credit he has hit back hard over the last three years since The Lincoln Lawyer, dominating the screen whenever he’s on it in more demanding roles.
Dude, I definitely watched A Few Good Men that many times as a kid. That script is just perfect. Love that damn movie.
A list of closing speeches is a GREAT idea. My mind is racing now… Sydow, MMC, Kevin Costner…
I will engage in knock-em-down fisticuffs with anyone who thinks Tomei didn’t deserve that Oscar. (I will lose those fistifcuffs, but I will engage in them nonetheless.)
Could there perhaps be a special mention of Defending Your Life? Not a traditonal courtroom but still a delightfully memorable one.
You know, Defending Your Life would’ve been a really spirited choice here. You’re right, it’s not traditional, but it still fits. That’s a real gem.
Have you ever heard the rumor that Jack Palance couldn’t read the Oscar envelope, so he just repeated the last name he said of the nominees (which was Tomei)? So dumb. She deserved it!
Norton was robbed a the Oscars, he deserved it in 1997 ( I mean, why Cuba Jooding Jr.? Why? ) and in 1999 (Benigni, facepalm )
Yes, agree. On both. Facepalms all around.
Exactly. He was brilliant on Primal Fear…the last scene…what about THAT scene? Simply amazing.
Yes!
But no…”Show me the money.”
Although it sounds a bit far-fetched given the amusing nature of My Cousin Vinny, I’ve heard it is one of the most accurate portrayals of a courtroom and legal procedure. Director Jonathan Lynn was adamant he wanted to get that aspect of the film as accurate as possible.
Probably wouldn’t make this list but spare a thought for Breaker Morant, true story about Australian scapegoats of the British Empire in the Boer war