Ten Great Lawyer Movies

6. Witness for the Prosecution, 1957

1. To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962
4. The Verdict, 1992

10. Judgement at Nuremberg, 1961

Movies about lawyers, about lawsuits, the good and
the bad...which is which, sitting at tables parallel and
equal before a judge, a jury ... is there anything more
patriotic, more totally USA, than getting all engrossed
in a lawyer flick? Our court system, the concepts of
justice, due process, protecting-the-rights-of-society
prosecutors, the filled-with-hope valor parallel to the
creeps-slipping -through-loopholes of USA's innocentuntil-proven-guilty code, a viable defense, the most
ethical and upright of judges, indisputable evidence,
reliable witnesses -- or not ... corruption within any of
these elements brings down the delicate system and makes for great plots, great characters, great
suspense, great faith in our system! Hope all movie buffs enjoy!
5. A Few Good Men, 1992
7. Anatomy of a Murder, 1959

3. Kramer vs. Kramer, 1979

9. A Cry in the Dark, 1988
8. In Cold Blood, 1967
First, here are AFI's selected Top Ten Courtroom Dramas. Just a list here, as you can get all the
details you want at http://www.afi.com/10top10/.
2. 12 Angry Men, 1957
The American Film Institute's recent television special listed it's Top Ten Courtroom Drama movies.
Nine of their ten made perfect sense for the category, but one of their choices for top "Courtroom
Drama" was Kramer vs. Kramer. Now, KvK is a great film, and one I've already covered in another
column (click here to see more on KvK). But categorized as a "courtroom drama"? That AFI decision
sparked my interest to highlight a selection of lawyer plots, characters, etc.