Trivia: The novel upon which the film is based was written by John D. Voelker (under the pseudonym Robert Traver), a Michigan Supreme Court justice. 4. The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) Directed by Brad Furman, The Lincoln Lawyer stars Matthew McConaughey as Mick Haller, a defense attorney who runs his law practice out of a Lincoln Continental.
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) Error: please try again. A lawyer defending a wealthy man begins to believe his client is guilty of more than just one crime. Director: Brad Furman | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy
A Little Thing Called Murder (2006 TV Movie) Error: please try again. Based on the true story of mother/son tag-team Sante Kimes and her offspring, Kenny, who crisscrossed the country and committed a string of crimes, among them robbery, fraud, arson, slavery, and murders that shocked the world. 19.
Director: Stanley Kramer | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich 4. Anatomy of a Murder (1959) Error: please try again. An upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?
Deemed one of the greatest courtroom dramas of all time and based on the novel with the same title, Anatomy of a Murder follows Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler (played by James Stewart), who has his work cut out for him after agreeing to defend Lt. Manion (played by Ben Gazzarra), who murdered a local bar owner after learning he’s been accused of rape.
At first, Mick assumes that the case will be an easy, open-and-shut affair. He soon learns, though, that there’s more to it than meets the eye and that it’s connected with a previous case of his.
McDeere finds himself in a jam when the FBI contacts him to gather evidence about the actions of his colleagues. As a result, he must decide between doing what’s best in the eyes of the law and making the decision that will keep him alive.
Trivia: Julia Roberts’ salary for her role as Erin Brockovich made her the first actress in Hollywood to earn more than $20 million.
Set in 1839, Amistad tells the story of a slave ship sailing from Cuba to the United States. In the film, directed by Steven Spielberg, Cinque (played by Djimon Hounsou) leads the slaves in an uprising, which results in them being held as prisoners in Connecticut.
Philadelphia (1993) Directed by Jonathan Demme, Philadelphia tells the story of lawyer Andrew Beckett, who struggles to hide his homosexuality, as well as his HIV status, for fear that they will have a negative impact on his career at a prestigious Philadelphia law firm.
2. 12 Angry Men (1957) This classic courtroom drama was directed by Sidney Lumet and details the deliberations of 12 men, all of whom are part of the jury deciding the fate of a poor young man who’s been accused of murder. If found guilty, he will face the death penalty.
Rudy Baylor : “Every lawyer in every case feels himself crossing a line he doesn’t really mean to cross. It just happens. And if you cross it enough times, it disappears forever. And then you’re nothing but another lawyer joke. Just another shark in the dirty water.”
3. Atticus Finch – To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
First was; “From this day forward, when your mother tells you she loves you – get a second opinion.”
They sit on all sides of the moral compass but we love them because they give us drama, action, humour, suspense and ethics all in one – they remind us of what it is to be human, to fight against the odds, to stick up for what’s right and, sometimes, what it feels like to cross that line.
Tom Cruise has taken a bit of a press beating since Scientology took hold. Like or hate him, though, his high octane performance as Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee in A Few Good Men is one of his greatest performances of all time.
5. Jake Tyler Brigance – Time To Kill (1996)
Rudy Baylor and Deck Shifflet – The Rainmaker Source: Paramount Pictures. An unlikely duo, Deck (Danny De Vito) and Rudy (Matt Damon) give us two lawyers for the price of one in an “insurance bad faith” case where the Davids take on the Goliaths in the quest for social justice.
This film is based on an autobiography called Proved Innocent: The Story of Gerry Conlon of the Guildford Four. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Emma Thompson, and you can rent it on Amazon or iTunes.
This Harrison Ford movie tells the story of a man who must prove his innocence of a crime he was wrongly convicted of committing. As you can tell from the film's name, he's on the run from the police, and it's a race-for-your life story that you can't forget.
Often when a wrongful conviction comes to light, you're hearing about it because a person is being exonerated for the crime which put them in jail. As exciting as it is that that person is finally receiving justice, it's infuriating that they were sent away for an act they didn't do.
IFCFilmsVOD on YouTube. A 1976 murder of a police officer is the subject of this documentary, which reveals a great deal of corruption within the criminal justice system. It's available on Netflix and Hulu for streaming.
While this 1994 film suggests that its protagonist, Andy Dufresne, was actually innocent for the crime that put him in jail, some people believe that Andy was a master-manipulator who actually was guilty. The dubiousness of innocence vs. guilt is part of its greatness, though. You can rent it on Amazon or iTunes for $3.99.
The Client - A small boy who saw the suicide of a mafia lawyer hires an attorney to help protect him when the DA tries to use him to take down the mob family.#N#Length: 119 minutes# N#Director: Joel Schumacher#N#Stars: Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Renfro#N#Watch Movie: The Client
Absence of Malice - When a prosecutor leaks an untrue story that a warehouse owner is involved in the murder of a local union head, the man's life begins to come apart.#N#Length: 116 minutes#N#Director : Sydney Pollack#N#Stars : Paul Newman, Sally Field, Bob Balaban#N#Watch Movie: Absence of Malice
Murder in the First - A young attorney defends an Alcatraz prisoner who has been accused of killing another inmate, despite his client having just spent over three years in solitary confinement.#N#Length: 122 minutes#N# Director: Marc Rocco#N#Stars: Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman#N#Watch Movie: Murder in the First