Legal Eagles
A natural breeding ground for tension, suspense and witty repartee, the courtroom has long been an obvious choice for filmmakers. Here you will find murder ('In Cold Blood', 'Murder in the First'), injustice ('The Trials of Darryl Hunt', 'In The Name of the Father'), corruption ('Runaway Jury', 'Damages'), bigotry ('To Kill A Mockingbird', 'The Accused') and a few laughs as well ('Legally Blonde'). All be seated! Court is now in session!
Pictured: Brock Peters and the inimitable Gregory Peck who won the Oscar for his protrayal of Atticus Finch in 'To Kill A Mockingbird'.
Suspect (1987)
6.6/10
Director: Peter Yates
Starring: Cher , Dennis Quaid, Liam Neeson, John Mahoney, Joe Mantegna
Cher stars as an attorney who becomes involved in a case that takes her outside of the law when juror Dennis Quaid provides information about drug tra... Read more
The Accused (1988)
7.1/10
Director: Jonathan Kaplan
Starring: Jodie Foster, Kelly McGillis, Bernie Coulson
A young woman is gang-raped in a bar while onlookers cheer on the attack. The subsequent court trials question her 'easy' lifestyle and whether she in... Read more
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
7.8/10
Director: Edward Dmytryk
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Jose Ferrer, Lee Marvin
Humphrey Bogart, as Captain Philip Francis Queeg, provokes Van Johnson to seize his ship during a typhoon. Van and fellow officer Robert Francis go on... Read more
The Chamber (1996)
6/10
Director: James Foley
Starring: Chris O'Donnell, Gene Hackman, Faye Dunaway
Chris O'Donnell plays a young lawyer who attempts to get a stay of execution for this grandfather (Gene Hackman), a racist KKK member and convicted mu... Read more
The Client (1994)
6.7/10
Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Renfro
A good adaptation of John Grisham's best-seller about an 11-year-old boy that witnesses a suicide and hears a confession that puts his life in danger.... Read more
The Exonerated (2005)
6.7/10
Director: Bob Balaban
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover, Brian Dennehy, Delroy Lindo, Aidan Quinn
Adapted from the highly acclaimed off-Broadway play, this film tells six true stories of death row inmates proven innocent and released after serving... Read more
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
6.7/10
Director: Scott Derrickson
Starring: Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott, Jennifer Carpenter, Colm Feore
Inspired by real events, this is as much courtroom drama as supernatural chiller. It tells in flashback the tragic story of 'Emily Rose' (Jennifer Ca... Read more
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (Blu-ray) (2005)
6.7/10
Director: Scott Derrickson
Starring: Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott, Jennifer Carpenter, Colm Feore
Inspired by real events, this is as much courtroom drama as supernatural chiller. It tells in flashback the tragic story of 'Emily Rose' (Jennifer Ca... Read more
The Firm (1993)
6.8/10
Director: Sydney Pollack
Starring: Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn
Tom Cruise is the Harvard grad lured to the small Memphis law firm with promises of a cheap mortgage and a flash new car who soon discovers that his b... Read more
The Gingerbread Man (1997)
5.7/10
Director: Robert Altman
Starring: Daryl Hannah, Embeth Davidtz, Kenneth Branagh, Robert Downey Jr, Robert Duvall,...
A southern lawyer's (Kenneth Branagh, with a terrific accent) entanglement with a young waitress leads to disaster in this thriller based on an origin... Read more