Top 20 Courtroom Drama Movies

We want to see ‘justice served’! We want the guilty to be punished, the innocent to be set free and the victim to get justice – It may not happen all the time in the real world which is exactly the reason why people like Legal or Courtroom dramas! Courtroom dramas offer suspense, mystery, twists and turns in establishing who is right or wrong. Even if the situation is evident, we aren’t sure how the truth will come out. Listed below are my ‘Top 20 Courtroom drama movies’.

While most of these movies are centered around courtrooms, some are implied, but legal dramas.

20) The Pelican Brief (1993)

Runtime: 2h 21m
Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery
Rating: PG-13

Two supreme court justices are assassinated. A law student uncovers the conspiracy. A reporter pairs up with her to dig in deep. The Pelican Brief is a complex, but engaging political thriller.

19) Dark Waters (2019)

Runtime: 2h 6m
Genre: Biography/Drama
Rating: PG-13

A powerful company has been polluting water through chemicals for many years. Dark waters is based on the true story of a Lawyer who takes on an environmental lawsuit against the giant corporation. The pace of this biopic is kept intentionally slow to give a realistic feel. This is a good watch.

18) The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

Runtime: 1h 59m
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Rating: PG-13 for Intense and frightening sequences

A priest is convicted for an exorcism which went wrong resulting in the death of a young girl. An atheist lawyer takes up his case where she has to battle the natural and the supernatural. The question of fact or fiction aside, this movie has a rare, perfect blend of supernatural elements and courtroom drama.

17) Suspect (1987)

Runtime: 2h 1m
Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller
Rating: R for Violence, Profanity and Sexuality

A homeless, deaf-mute war veteran is accused of murdering a person from the Justice Department. A public defender out to prove his innocence and find the real culprit, gets help from a jury member. Suspect is an underrated courtroom drama which has enough surprises up its sleeve.

16) The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

Runtime: 1h 58m
Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller
Rating: R for Violence, Profanity and Sexuality

A Criminal defense lawyer has been defending low-end criminals throughout his career. Things change when he gets a high profile case defending a wealthy playboy who is accused of assaulting a girl. Even though ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ can be predictable at times, it’s still an engaging crime thriller.

15) The Firm (1993)

Runtime: 2h 34m
Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller
Rating: R for Violence and Profanity

Mitch is a talented young lawyer who is about to graduate from Harvard. He gets an offer from a law firm which is hard to refuse. The plot thickens when some members of the firm are murdered and Mitch founds himself in hot waters. He needs to save himself and solve the puzzle. The Firm is a complex suspense thriller with a strong cast.

14) Jagged Edge (1985)

Runtime: 1h 48m
Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller
Rating: R for Violence, Profanity and Sexuality

Jagged Edge tells the story of a lawyer who takes the case of a man accused of killing his wife. The distraught widower’s only hope is the lawyer. They fall in love and she has to defend the man she loves. As the title suggests, Jagged Edge can be jagged at times, but it’s a courtroom drama that has good amount of thrills and suspense.

13) Philadelphia (1993)

Runtime: 2h 5m
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13 for sensitive content

Andrew is a successful lawyer with a big law firm in Philadelphia. Fearing for his career, he hides his homosexuality and his status as an Aids patient. He gets dismissed when his condition is exposed. Andrew is out to sue the company on discrimination and wrongful dismissal, but no lawyers are ready to represent him until Joe takes up his case. Philadelphia is an emotional and powerful film with two superb lead performances from Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.

12) A Few Good Men (1992)

Runtime: 2h 18m
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Rating: R for Profanity

A Military lawyer defends two US marines charged with the murder of a fellow marine. Overseeing their defense is a person from Internal affairs who believes that the marines are innocent and there is a cover up. The defense team has their task cut out – A Colonel could be in play! A Few Good Men is an intense courtroom drama with excellent performances especially from Tom Cruise. But Jack Nicholson as the Colonel overshadows Cruise with his menacing act.

11) The Rainmaker (1997)

Runtime: 2h 15m
Genre: Drama/Crime
Rating: PG-13

Donny is dying of leukemia. A bone marrow transplant could have saved him, but his insurance company denies the claim. Now it’s up to an underdog lawyer to take up his case against the Insurance company and the system. It’s his first case! The Rainmaker explores a hard hitting theme with assured direction from Francis Ford Coppola. My personal favorite was Danny Glover as the Judge – Wish there were more judges like him around!

10) Runaway Jury (2003)

Runtime: 2h 7m
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Rating: PG-13 for Violence and Profanity

A widow takes a Firearms manufacturing company to court after a major family loss. She gets a good truthful lawyer to defend her case. The Firearms company ropes in a corrupt lawyer who is an expert in fixing juries in his favor. But things change when a jury member has other ideas. Runaway Jury is one of those rare movies where the focus is on the jury members and the possibility of a sabotage challenging the trials. This is an engaging thriller with a powerhouse cast.

9) Fracture (2007)

Runtime: 1h 53m
Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller
Rating: R for Violence, Profanity and Sexuality

A wealthy businessman shoots his unfaithful wife, admits the crime and insists on defending himself in the court. On the other side is a rising young lawyer with a brilliant conviction rate. He thinks this is an easy case, gets over confident only to realize later that his career could go down. Fracture has the face-off between Hopkins and Gosling providing a good ‘cat and mouse’ entertainment.

8) The Trial of Chicago 7 (2020)

Runtime: 2h 9m
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Rating: R for Violence and Profanity

The Trial of Chicago 7 tells the story about a group of people who heads to the Democratic convention in Chicago protesting the Vietnam war. A dramatized version of true events that happened in the late 60’s, this is an intense dialogue heavy movie centered on a courtroom with politics in play. A compelling watch with some fine performances especially from Sacha Baron Cohen.

7) Primal Fear (1996)

Runtime: 2h 9m
Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller
Rating: R for Violence, Profanity and Sexuality

In Primal Fear, a lawyer represents an altar boy accused of murdering a priest. Things get complicated when the lawyer finds out that his client has a multiple personality disorder. Primal Fear is an engaging crime procedural thriller with a standout performance from Edward Norton.

6) A Time to Kill (1996)

Runtime: 2h 29m
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Rating: R for Violence, Profanity and Sexuality

An African-American girl is raped and brutally assaulted by two white men. Her father takes the law into his hands and kills the perpetrators. A white lawyer takes his defense. The case gets national attention. Set in a time, where racial tensions are at an all-time high, the lawyer and his team fights a lone battle against an entire system which affects their personal lives as well. A Time to Kill is an emotionally engrossing crime thriller. The closing statement from Matthew McConaughey will melt your heart.

5) The Accused (1988)

Runtime: 1h 51m
Genre: Crime/Drama
Rating: R for Violence, Profanity and Sexuality

Sarah is gang-raped by three men in a bar. She and her attorney sets out to prosecute the rapists as well as the people who cheered on and encouraged them. The Accused shows that rape victims are often seen as suspects in their own cases. Why did it happen? What’s the triggering factor? Did she drink? Anything to do with the way she dressed? – and many more. The movie doesn’t show Sarah as a perfect person, rather she has her flaws like every other individual and in doing so, with the theme, asks some hard hitting questions! ‘The Accused’ is one of those rare films which shows that the people who aren’t directly involved, but encouraged the crime are equally guilty! It’s a harsh, painful reality that every woman in our life whom we love and respect would have an unpleasant incident to share. Jodie Foster gives a standout performance!

Bollywood movie ‘Pink’ seems to be inspired (Courtroom scenes) by this movie.

4) The Verdict (1982)

Runtime: 2h 9m
Genre: Drama
Rating: R for Profanity and Sexuality

The Verdict tells the story about Frank, a disgraced, alcoholic lawyer who tries to revive his career by taking on a medical malpractice case – a woman who is in a comatose state following a wrongly administered aesthetic. Frank gets a chance to settle this off-court, but he decides to take the case. Standing in his way is a huge law firm and other powerful people. The Verdict is an immersive courtroom drama with a fantastic performance from Paul Newman.

3) Michael Clayton (2007)

Runtime: 1h 59m
Genre: Crime/Thriller/Mystery
Rating: R for Profanity and Sexuality

Michael Clayton is an expert in fixing legal loopholes. But he gets something which is even hard for him to fix! This is not a straightforward movie, it can be complex at times and demands your unwavering attention. The movie manages to keep you involved without the chase or fight scenes you expect in a thriller, but still thrills with its absorbing narrative. Swinton, Clooney, Wilkinson and Pollack shines!

2) Erin Brockovich (2000)

Runtime: 2h 11m
Genre: Biography/Drama
Rating: R for Profanity

Erin, a mother of three children is desperate for a job. She gets injured in a traffic accident and tries to sue for damages, but loses the case as a result of her confrontational behavior in the court. She requests the lawyer Ed, who represented her, to provide a job in his law firm. Ed reluctantly agrees and soon Erin uncovers a big case of a multi-billion dollar company poisoning a town’s water supply. Julia Roberts is terrific as the foul-mouthed, emotional and eccentric titular character. Albert Finney as Ed deserves special mention. Their chemistry is superb! Erin Brockovich is an entertaining investigative legal drama.

1) 12 Angry Men (1957)

Runtime: 1h 36m
Genre: Crime/Drama
Rating: PG-13

My favorite from the list – 12 Angry Men tells the story of a jury consisting of 12 people evaluating the sentence of an 18-year-old. The defendant will receive a death sentence, if found guilty. 11 out of the 12 men vote against the defendant, but one man has a different take and he lays out his case. 12 Angry Men is set entirely in a jury room with all the 12 jurors having different character traits. Emotions, Tensions, Moral Biases are explored through some wonderful acting. A Cinematic Masterpiece!

Image source: IMDB, Pexels

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