The 25 Greatest Legal Movies

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From the American Bar Association Journal:

To Kill a Mockingbird
12 Angry Men
My Cousin Vinny
Anatomy of a Murder
Inherit the Wind
Witness for the Prosecution
Breaker Morant
Philadelphia
Erin Brockovich
Verdict, The
Presumed Innocent
Judgment at Nuremberg
A Man for All Seasons
A Few Good Men
Chicago
Kramer vs. Kramer
The Paper Chase
Reversal of Fortune
Compulsion
And Justice for All
In the Name of the Father
A Civil Action
Young Mr. Lincoln
Amistad
Miracle on 34th Street

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@joefromchicago,

Hmm what about Gideon's Trumpet with Henry Fonda?

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@jespah,

I think Gideon's Trumpet was made for network television, Jespah. Such movies are usually ignored for greatest movie lists.

I am very happy to see Breaker Morant on the list.

The Verdict has a great line. James Mason, playing an unscrupulous defense attorney, advises novice defense attorneys: "You are not supposed to do your best. You are supposed to win."

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"The Star Chamber" with Michael Douglas and Hal Holbrook belongs on the list too.

Also "A Time to Kill" (Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson)

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Another I think deserves at least honorable mention is "The Rainmaker" with Matt Damon and Danny Devito,

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@joefromchicago,

This list contains every legal movie I ever saw. Can you give any example of a not-so-great legal movie?

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@Thomas,

Quote:

Can you give any example of a not-so-great legal movie?

Legally Blond
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde

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The Devil's Advocate

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@Thomas,

Thomas wrote:

This list contains every legal movie I ever saw. Can you give any example of a not-so-great legal movie?

Legal Eagles comes to mind.

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One great cinematic masterpiece that somehow failed to make the list:

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7faRqRe6k3k

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pzVERSh5cQ

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhT3CWdCVFU

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@Robert Gentel,

Hush now. Legally Blonde is a quite viable and adorable courtroom comedy. Wink

And I shall call it great!

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@joefromchicago,

1. My Cousin Vinny
2. Inherit the Wind
3. A Few Good Men
4. 12 Angry Men
5. Philadelphia
6. Reversal of Fortune
Stellar legal thrillers, all of them each with their own iconic performances.

I'd also give Defending Your Life an honorary mention for its unusual take on the courtroom comedy.

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I must agree with Thomas. If someone asked me to put together a list of every courtroom movie I've ever seen, regardless of quality, my list would be very much like the one Joe posted. (There are some there, though, which I'd never considered primarily courtroom dramas. Man for all Seasons as just one example.)

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I hardly do movies, but Anatomy of a Murder, the book, was one of the funniest books I've ever read. Kind of a case of style over story, not that there was a thing wrong with the story.

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I didn't watch the Runaway Jury, but I disliked the book enough to leave the bulk of it unread.

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@edgarblythe,

edgarblythe wrote:

I didn't watch the Runaway Jury, but I disliked the book enough to leave the bulk of it unread.

Amen.

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@roger,

Roger, Anatomy of a Murder was a fine movie with a killer score by Duke Ellington. I vaguely recall reading the book much, much later.

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The 25 Greatest Legal Movies

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