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'.
Inherit the Wind (1960)
8.2/10
Director: Stanley Kramer
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York
In this superb film based on the notorious Scopes Monkey trial, a biology teacher is put on trial for teaching the theory of evolution. The courtroom... Read more
The Life of David Gale (2003)
7.6/10
Director: Alan Parker
Starring: Gabriel Mann, Kate Winslet, Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney, Matt Craven
In this gripping drama, Kevin Spacey is a former philosophy professor and death penalty opponent who finds himself on death row for killing associate... Read more
Rumpole of the Bailey: Series 1 (1978)
8.5/10
Director: Herbert Wise, Graham Evans
Starring: Leo McKern, Derek Benfield
Leo McKern stars as 'the Old Bailey hack' Rumpole, in his best-known and best-loved role. The portly Rumpole refuses to prosecute in the cases he acce... Read more
The Staircase (2004)
8.1/10
Director: Jean Xavier de Lestrade
When Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her North Carolina mansion, her husband Michael claimed she had fallen, but he w... 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 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
Adam's Rib (1949)
7.6/10
Director: George Cukor
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Tom Ewell, Judy Holliday
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in one of their all-time great appearances as married attorneys who find themselves on opposite sides of a murder... Read more
McLibel (1998)
6.8/10
Director: Ken Loach, Franny Armstrong
Starring: Dave Morris, Helen Steele, John Safran, Rob Newman
When McDonald's decided to sue two young English protestors for libel, they didn't expect to be in court for years on end. The true story of England's... Read more
And Justice For All (1979)
7.4/10
Director: Norman Jewison
Starring: Al Pacino, Jack Warden, John Forsythe, Lee Strasberg, Jeffrey Tambor, Craig T Ne...
In a system where criminals go free, lawyers and judges make deals and the innocent sometimes go unprotected, young lawyer Arthur Kirkland (Al Pacino... Read more
Boston Legal: Season 2 - Part 1 (2005)
8.4/10
Starring: James Spader, William Shatner, Monica Potter, Rene Auberjonois, Candice Bergen,...
The resident bad boys of legal firm Crane, Poole and Schmidt are back for Season Two, dealing in their own inimitable way with assisted suicide, the I... Read more