Subgenre Sampler
Rental > Drama > Courtroom: 113 Films to Rent
- Saint Omer (2022)
- Dir. Alice Diop
Feat. Guslagie Malanda, Kayije Kagame
- Inspired by real events, this devastating fictional drama from French–Senegalese director Alice Diop delivers a formally brilliant treatise on…
- Big Little Lies - Season 2 (TV Mini-series) (2019)
- Dir. Andrea Arnold
Feat. Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley…
- The second chapter of this acclaimed HBO series, this time from the director of FISHTANK and AMERICAN HONEY, throws a grief ridden…
- On the Basis of Sex (2018)
- Dir. Mimi Leder
Feat. Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux…
- Following on from the recent documentary, RBG, the story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is given the Hollywood biopic treatment here, detailing her…
- Saint Judy (2018)
- Dir. Sean Hanish
Feat. Michelle Monaghan, Leem Lubany, Common …
- Biopic telling the incredible true story of Los Angeles immigration attorney Judy Wood, who single–handedly changed asylum law in the USA to…
- Insult, The (2017)
- Dir. Ziad Doueiri
Feat. Adel Karam, Kamel El Basha
- An exchange on a Beirut street between a Palestinian construction worker and a Lebanese Christian escalates into a passionate dispute that opens…
- Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)
- Dir. Dan Gilroy
Feat. Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo
- A superbly written dramatic thriller from the director of NIGHTCRAWLER set within the overburdened Los Angeles criminal court system. Denzel…
- Split, The (TV Series) (2017)
- Dir. Jessica Hobbs
Feat. Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan, Fiona Button
- British legal drama TV series following a family of female divorce lawyers whose father shows up after a 30–year absence and attempts to claim…
- Striking Out (TV Series) (2017-2018)
- Feat. Amy Huberman, Neil Morrissey, Fiona OShaughnessy
- Charming Irish legal drama following a Dublin lawyer who risks everything to start her own private practice after breaking up with her cheating…
- American Crime Story: People vs O.J. Simpson, The (TV Series) (2016)
- Feat. Cuba Jr. Gooding, Sarah Paulson, Courtney B. Vance…
- Mesmerizing dramatization of the O.J. Simpson trial that defies its unconventional casting choices to take the viewer on a gripping…
- Denial (2016)
- Dir. Mick Jackson
Feat. Rachel Weisz, Timothy Spall, Tom Wilkinson…
- Cracking courtroom drama with Rachel Weisz in fine form as fiercly determined writer and historian Deborah E. Lipstadt, who battles for the truth to…
- Shepherds and Butchers (2016)
- Dir. Oliver Schmitz
Feat. Andrea Riseborough, Steve Coogan
- Apartheid era South African drama following a British lawyer (Coogan)'s heroic attempt to overthrow the death penalty after a white prison guard goes…
- Whole Truth, The (2016)
- Feat. Keanu Reeves, Renee Zellweger, Gugu Mbatha-Raw…
- Keanu Reeves plays an attorney who works on a tough case to defend a 17–year–old suspected of murdering his wealthy father in this…
- Witness for the Prosecution, The (2016)
- Feat. Toby Jones, Andrea Riseborough, David Haig…
- 2–part miniseries based on Agatha Christie's popular story. A wealthy heiress is found murdered and her principle heir is naturally the major…
- Better Call Saul (TV Series) (2015)
- Feat. Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Michael McKean
- Spinning–off from smash hit BREAKING BAD, this worthy successor follows the trials and tribulations of criminal lawyer Saul Goodman, in the…
- Courted (2015)
- Dir. Christian Vincent
Feat. Fabrice Luchini, Sidse Babett Knudsen
- Denmark's Sidse Babett Knudsen (BORGEN) stars in this quietly accomplished French romantic drama as a juror who's shared past with a judge is…
- Woman in Gold (2015)
- Dir. Simon Curtis
Feat. Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Brühl…
- Helen Mirren elevates this polished if prosaic dramatisation of an elderly Jewish woman who teams with a rookie lawyer (Reynolds) to seek restorative…
- Court (2014)
- Dir. Chaitanya Tamhane
Feat. Vira Sathidar, Vivek Gomber
- A strikingly confident directorial debut that exposes the antiquity of the Indian legal system through the court trial of an ageing protest singer…
- Judge, The (2014)
- Dir. David Dobkin
Feat. Robert Downey Jnr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga…
- Big city lawyer Robert Downey Jnr. returns to his childhood home where his father (Robert Duvall), the town's judge, is suspected of murder. He sets…
- Closed Circuit (2013)
- Dir. John Crowley
Feat. Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Jim Broadbent…
- A dangerous conflict of interest arises when two ex–lovers end up on opposite sides of a high profile terrorism trial in this probing courtroom…
- Devil's Knot (2013)
- Dir. Atom Egoyan
Feat. Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Alessandro Nivola…
- Solid dramatisation of the long–running West Memphis Three case covered in depth by several documentaries, with dir. Egoyan weaving a typically…
- Mystery of a Hansom Cab, The (2012)
- This costume drama is based on the international best–selling crime novel by Fergus Hume. Set on the grimy streets of Melbourne during the…
- Jury, The (The Jury 2) (2011)
- Feat. Julie Walters, John Lynch, Roger Allam…
- A gripping court room drama regarded for its authenticity and attention to detail, which centres on a prolonged court room trial from the perspective…
- Lincoln Lawyer, The (2011)
- Dir. Brad Furman
Feat. Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe, Marisa Tomei…
- Matthew McConaughey plays a low–rent lawyer to low–life clients whose latest case – the defense of a rich playboy (Phillippe) accused…
- Puncture (2011)
- Dir. Adam Kassen
Feat. Chris Evans, Vinessa Shaw, Brett Cullen…
- Chris Evans jitters his way through this aggressive legal drama with a motive, ostensibly about a cocaine–addicted lawyer fighting battles both…
- Separation, A (2011)
- Dir. Asghar Farhadi
Feat. Peyman Moaadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat…
- Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, this masterfully layered domestic drama sees the wheels of justice turn slowly against a…
- Silk (TV Series) (2011)
- Feat. Maxine Peake, Rupert Penry-Jones, Tom Hughes…
- Fascinating, if somewhat glossy insider's guide to the competitive and pressure–filled world of London barristers, who are driven in this…
- Conspirator, The (2010)
- Dir. Robert Redford
Feat. James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Tom Wilkinson…
- Timely retelling of the aftermath of the Abraham Lincoln's assassination when boardinghouse owner Mary Surratt (Wright) was placed on trial for…
- Conviction (2010)
- Dir. Tony Goldwyn
Feat. Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Melissa Leo…
- Worthy based–on–a–true–story drama of a solo mother who puts herself through law school in order to represent her wrongfully…
- Rake (TV Series) (2010)
- Feat. Richard Roxburgh, Matt Day, Russell Dykstra…
- Richard Roxburgh plays a live–wire criminal barrister whose brilliant defense of often guilty clientele is contrasted against his own…
- Garrow's Law (TV Series) (2009-2011)
- Feat. Andrew Buchan, Alun Armstrong, Rupert Graves
- Legal drama based around the true tale of William Garrow, who acted as counsel for the accused, introducing the concept of 'innocent until proved…
- Sicilian Girl, The (La siciliana ribelle) (2009)
- Dir. Marco Amenta
Feat. Veronica D'Agostino, Gerard Jugnot
- A vivid, level–headed account of Mafiaso intrigue, based around real events surrounding a young woman’s testimony in court against Sicilian…
- Storm (2009)
- Dir. Hans-Christian Schmid
Feat. Kerry Fox, Anamaria Marinca, Stephen Dillane
- Accomplished international courtroom drama sees a determined prosecutor (Fox) risk life and limb in order to prove that the former commander of the…
- Until Proven Innocent (2009)
- Dir. Peter Burger
Feat. Cohen Holloway, Edward Campbell, Miranda Harcourt
- Credible homegrown teledrama tells the true story of the crusade to free David Dougherty, wrongly imprisoned for the rape and abduction of an…
- American Violet (2008)
- Dir. Tim Disney
Feat. Nicole Beharie, Will Patton, Alfre Woodard…
- Docudrama based on a true story follows a single mother, Dee (Beharie), wrongly arrested for drug dealing and her fight for justice.
Despite a…
- Criminal Justice (TV Series) (2008-2009)
- Feat. Ben Whishaw, Pete Postlethwaite, Maxine Peake…
- Grim and unglamorous drama series focuses on an individual’s journey through the British criminal justice system, from prison to courtroom. It…
- Damages (TV Series) (2007)
- Feat. Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Ted Danson…
- Complex, high–stakes, aggressively acted legal drama starring Glenn Close as a power–suited litigator tackling a major class action…
- Michael Clayton (2007)
- Dir. Tony Gilroy
Feat. George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson…
- Razor–sharp legal thriller involving a sprawling class–action law suit and alleged cover–up, George Clooney plays a humble legal…
- Bamako (The Court) (2006)
- Dir. Abderrahmane Sissako
Feat. Aissa Maiga
- A mock trial of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank – whose representatives must defend charges of reckless lending and…
- Chatterley Affair, The (2006)
- Dir. James Hawes
Feat. Isla Fisher, Rafe Spall
- Steamy sidebar to Lady Chatterley's Lover tingles the loins of two attractive jurors sitting on a real–life obscenity trial to determine…
- New Street Law (TV Series) (2006)
- Feat. John Hannah, Paul Freeman, John Thomson…
- Engrossing legal drama with Hannah and Freeman as heads of two law firms sharing the same premises. Plenty of ethical conundrums populate a tightly…
- Provoked (2006)
- Dir. Jag Mundhra
Feat. Aishwarya Rai, Miranda Richardson, Naveen Andrews…
- Provocative indeed, this is the true story of an Indian woman (played by Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai) who radically changed how the British public…
- Shark (TV Series) (2006)
- Feat. James Woods
- Fine courtroom series headlined by James Woods as a big–time lawyer who back steps to the position of District Attorney and imparts his…
- North Country (2005)
- Dir. Niki Caro
Feat. Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Sissy Spacek…
- Fact–based drama about a group of women miners in 1970s Minnesota who endured a hostile work environment, bullying and sexual abuse after…
- Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005)
- Dir. March Rothemund
Feat. Julia Jentsch
- An interesting and worthy companion piece to the excellent DOWNFALL, this necessarily grim drama looks at the trial of 21–year–old…
- Boston Legal - Season 1 (TV Series) (2004-2005)
- Feat. James Spader, William Shatner, Monica Potter…
- Irreverent spinoff to THE PRACTICE adds a thwack of biting comedy to some familiar courtroom antics, chiefly courtesy of star turns from James Spader…
- Brief, The (TV Series) (2004)
- Feat. Alan Davies
- Alan Davies juggles work as a brilliant, crusading barrister, with a less than perfect home life, in this lively courtroom drama.
- House of Sand and Fog (2003)
- Dir. Vadim Perelman
Feat. Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Frances Fisher…
- Essentially a showdown over the ownership of a house between an abandoned wife and a stoic Iranian immigrant, this throws up a compelling, if foggy,…
- Runaway Jury (2003)
- Dir. Gary Fleder
Feat. John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman…
- It's back to court with John Grisham, in a well–cast, entertaining tale of gun–control issues, jury–manipulation, big business and…
- Torso (Torso: The Evelyn Dick Story) (2003)
- Dir. Alex Chapple
Feat. Kathleen Robertson, Victor Garber, Brenda Fricker…
- Would–be socialite Evelyn Dick is arrested by Canadian police for the murder of her husband in this above–average account of the trial…
- Black and White (2002)
- Dir. Craig Lahiff
Feat. Robert Carlyle, Kerry Fox, Charles Dance…
- Stirring courtroom drama based on the dubious conviction for murder of an Aboriginal man in 1950s Adelaide, which dragged the government and press…
- Judge John Deed (TV Series) (2001-2007)
- Feat. Martin Shaw, Jenny Seagrove
- Well crafted BBC TV series detailing the might of a High Court Judge commited to upholding justice whatever it takes. Portrayed with insight and wit…
- American Tragedy (2000)
- Dir. Lawrence Schiller
Feat. Ving Rhames, Ron Silver, Christopher Plummer
- Heavyweight TV movie of the OJ Simpson trial, with Ving Rhames and Ron Silver and Christopher Plummer suiting up to defend the former football star…
- Dirty Pictures (2000)
- Dir. Frank Pierson
Feat. James Woods, Craig T. Nelson
- Based on the true–story of how the Chicago Arts Centre was prosecuted in 1990 for obscenity over an exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe's…
- Erin Brockovich (2000)
- Dir. Steven Soderbergh
Feat. Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart
- An interesting and successful marriage of a Hollywood star vehicle (Julia Roberts) and independent credentials (dir. Soderbergh), that takes an…
- Nuremberg (2000)
- Feat. Alec Baldwin, Jill Hennessy, Brian Cox…
- This two part miniseries follows the Chief Prosecutor through the Nuremberg Trials of 1945–46.
- Civil Action, A (1999)
- Dir. Steven Zaillian
Feat. John Travolta, Robert Duvall, William H. Macy…
- Fact–based account of a protracted courtroom duel between two corporations and small–town folk, whose children have been affected by…
- Hurricane, The (1999)
- Dir. Norman Jewison
Feat. Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, Deborah Kara Unger…
- Denzel Washington blows up a storm as Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, a championship boxer unjustly imprisoned in the 1970s for a murder he did not commit.…
- Insider, The (1999)
- Dir. Michael Mann
Feat. Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer…
- A brooding masterpiece from dir. Mann (HEAT), who finally wrestles down a topic of sufficient weight to justify the peerless brilliance of his…
- Judging Amy (TV Series) (1999-2005)
- Feat. Amy Brenneman, Richard T. Jones, Tyne Daly…
- Wholesome drama with Amy Brenneman as a family court judge, focuses on the trials and tribulations of three generations of women living together.…
- Amistad (1998)
- Dir. Steven Spielberg
Feat. Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, Matthew McConaughey
- Laying bare his socio–historical conscience (a much better prospect post–SCHINDLER'S LIST), Steven Speilberg sets sail with an epic of…
- Law and Order (TV Series) (1997)
- Feat. Michael Moriaty, George Dzundza, Paul Sorvino…
- The original US police and courtroom drama from which various satellite shows and TV movies have sprouted, which contrasts its polish with fairly…
- Practice, The (TV Series) (1997)
- Feat. Dylan McDermott, Michael Badalucco, Camryn Manheim…
- Joined ostensibly at the hip with BOSTON LEGAL (James Spader and other characters would migrate in later seasons), this punchier, more serious minded…
- Tichborne Claimant, The (1997)
- Dir. David Yates
Feat. Stephen Fry
- Based on a real–life 19th century mystery concerning the fabulously wealthy Sir Roger Tichborne, who disappeared in the South Pacific in 1866.…
- Twelve Angry Men (1997)
- Dir. William Friedkin
Feat. George C. Scott, Ossie Davis, Armin Mueller-Stahl…
- An award–winning television version of the classic jury–room drama. Re–written by the scriptwriter of the original film version…
- Crime of the Century (1996)
- Dir. Mark Rydell
Feat. Stephen Rea, Isabella Rossellini, J.T. Walsh…
- Astute re–enactment of the controversial Lindbergh trial that resulted in a supposed wrongful execution for the kidnap and murder of a baby in…
- Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)
- Dir. Rob Reiner
Feat. Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, James Woods…
- Thirty years after the fact, D.A. Alec Baldwin re–investigates the murder of a Mississippi civil rights leader. Fact–based…
- Jaded (1996)
- Dir. Caryn Krooth
Feat. Carla Gugino, Rya Kihlstedt, Christopher McDonald…
- Putting a hefty, controversial twist on the subject of rape, this psychodrama has smalltown loner Carla Gugino sexually abused, not by a man, but by…
- People Vs. Larry Flynt, The (1996)
- Dir. Milos Forman
Feat. Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love
- A weighty, colourful biopic of the notorious publisher of 'Hustler' magazine. The 'free speech' debate presides over the issue of pornography, but…
- Indictment (1995)
- Dir. Mick Jackson
Feat. James Woods, Mercedes Ruehl
- Courtroom drama of rare power locks James Woods and Mercedes Ruehl as duelling lawyers in a detailed examination of the McMartin child abuse trial…
- Advocate, The (Hour Of the Pig) (1993)
- Dir. Leslie Megahey
Feat. Colin Firth, Donald Pleasence, Nicol Williamson…
- Polished, wry and most unusual medieval fact–based tale. Colin Firth plays a lawyer summonsed to act for the defence a pig (yes, an animal) for…
- In the Name of the Father (1993)
- Dir. Jim Sheridan
Feat. Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, Emma Thompson
- Daniel Day–Lewis gives a devastating performance in this powerhouse re–creation of the tragedy that beset Jerry Conlon, his family and…
- Joh's Jury (1993)
- Dir. Ken Cameron
Feat. Simon Bossell, Noah Taylor, Gerry Connolly
- Intensively researched teledrama about the sensational trial of Queensland state premier Joh Bjelke–Petersen (Connolly) for perjury in…
- A Few Good Men (1992)
- Dir. Rob Reiner
Feat. Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore
- Tom Cruise portrays another upstart lawyer brat who is called to defend the alleged murderers of a fellow army cadet. Blame soon veers to the very…
- Citizen Cohn (1992)
- Dir. Frank Pierson
Feat. James Woods
- James Woods plays Joseph McCarthy's crooked lawyer, Roy Cohn – a role meaty enough to sustain every ounce of his frustrated energy. The…
- Trial, The (1992)
- Dir. David Jones
Feat. Kyle MacLachlan, Anthony Hopkins, Jason Robards Jr.…
- Update of Kafka's disturbing, influential novel posits Kyle MacLachlan as the man mysteriously arrested and subjected to a totalitarian judiciary.…
- Guilty by Suspicion (1991)
- Dir. Irwin Winkler
Feat. Robert De Niro
- Robert De Niro portrays a film–maker victimised by the communist witch–hunts of the '50s. A powerful examination of the dilemma faced by…
- JFK (1991)
- Dir. Oliver Stone
Feat. Oliver Stone, Kevin Costner
- Oliver Stone's gripping, technically dazzling opus is both convincing propaganda and marvellous entertainment, with Kevin Costner leading a large and…
- Let Him Have It (1991)
- Dir. Peter Medak
Feat. Christopher Eccleston, Tom Courtenay, Eileen Atkins
- Riveting re–creation of events pre–empting the tragic 1952 hanging of a simple teenager, whose only crime was to ambiguously utter “Let…
- Paris Trout (1991)
- Dir. Stephen Gyllenhaal
Feat. Dennis Hopper, Barbara Hershey
- In 1949, crazed hick Dennis Hopper manifests his full–blooded rascism when he murders the young sister of a negro who has renegged on his car…
- Prisoner of Honour (1991)
- Dir. Ken Russell
Feat. Richard Dreyfuss, Oliver Reed, Peter Firth…
- Fact–based story of a military official Alfred Dreyfuss who was wrongly convicted of espionage in the French army c1900. Richard Dreyfuss (no…
- Class Action (1990)
- Dir. Michael Apted
Feat. Gene Hackman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
- A lawyer becomes forced to prosecute a case in which his estranged daughter will act for the defence. Courtroom ethics are violated in style by Gene…
- Close-Up (1990)
- Dir. Abbas Kiarostami
Feat. Hossain Sabzian, Mohsen Makhmalbaf
- A uniquely–devised work intermingling life and art, documentary and fiction, born of a real life incident in which an unemployed film buff is…
- Reversal of Fortune (1990)
- Dir. Barbet Schroeder
Feat. Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Ron Silver
- In his best performance, Jeremy Irons won an Oscar for portraying Claus Von Bulow, a European émigré who was accused of trying to poison his wife…
- A Dry White Season (1989)
- Dir. Euzhan Palcy
Feat. Donald Sutherland, Susan Sarandon, Marlon Brando…
- Enraged by the brutal, senseless murder of his black gardener’s son by a racist ‘special policeman’, a South African schoolteacher (Sutherland)…
- Music Box (1989)
- Dir. Costa-Gavras
Feat. Jessica Lange, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Frederic Forrest…
- Jessica Lange plays the attorney daughter of a Hungarian immigrant (Mueller–Stahl), now accused of WW2 war crimes. Her quest for the truth…
- Accused, The (1988)
- Dir. Jonathan Kaplan
Feat. Jodie Foster, Kelly McGillis
- Jodie Foster won an Academy Award for her portrayal of a rape victim who suffered the additional ordeal of prosecuting her attackers in the face of…
- Evil Angels (A Cry in the Dark) (1988)
- Dir. Fred Schepisi
Feat. Meryl Streep, Sam Neill
- Jack–of–all–accents, Meryl Streep, does wonders as Lindy Chamberlain, the woman accused of murdering her child in the Australian…
- Judgement in Berlin (1988)
- Dir. Leo Penn
Feat. Martin Sheen, Sean Penn, Sam Wanamaker…
- Stolid courtroom drama about the trial of an man who hijacked an airplane in order to flee East Germany for the West, Martin Sheen plays the American…
- Shame (1988)
- Dir. Steve Jodrell
Feat. Tony Barry, Deborra-Lee Furness
- Stranded in an outback town, a female lawyer defends a young rape victim when her plight is met with nonchalance by the townsfolk.
- Short Film About Killing, A (1988)
- Dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski
Feat. Miroslaw Baka, Krzysztof Globisz, Jan Tesarz
- Feature–length version of Kieslowski's indelibly chilling Decalogue Pt.5 further protracts a cold–blooded murder and the subsequent…
- Trial of Bernhard Goetz (1988)
- Dir. Harry Moses
- A verbatim re–creation of the courtroom battle that ensued after Goetz admitted to shooting four black muggers on the New York subway in 1984.…
- Cause Celebre (1987)
- Dir. John Gorrie
Feat. Helen Mirren, David Suchet
- Gripping, three–pronged crime of passion has Helen Mirren confessing to the murder of her husband, even though her young lover is suspected of…
- Nuts (1987)
- Dir. Martin Ritt
Feat. Barbra Streisand, Richard Dreyfuss, Maureen Stapleton…
- Barbra Streisand must prove her sanity in order to stand trial for manslaughter. Richard Dreyfuss helps out with some heavy duty courtroom banter.
- Passage to India, A (1984)
- Dir. David Lean
Feat. Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, Peggy Ashcroft…
- Judy Davis leads a troupe of perenial British actors in this, the legendary director's final film – an immaculate production of E.M. Forster's…
- Murder In Coweta County (1983)
- Dir. Gary Nelson
Feat. Johnny Cash, Andy Griffith, June Carter-Cash
- A gritty fact–based policier about a cold–blooded land baron in 1940s rural Georgia (Griffiths) who murders a black tenant farmer and…
- Verdict, The (1982)
- Dir. Sidney Lumet
Feat. Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, James Mason…
- Sombre dramatic death–march, with Paul Newman playing a convincingly booze–soaked lawyer, whose last chance in the courtroom sees him…
- No Time for Tears (1981)
- Dir. Hark Bohm
Feat. Marie Colbin, Michael Gwisdek
- True story of Marianne Bachmeier who shot the murderer of her child during his trial. Subtle yet disturbing film concentrates on the background to…
- And Justice for All (1979)
- Dir. Norman Jewison
Feat. Al Pacino, Jack Warden, Craig T. Nelson…
- Intense, if uneven courtroom–drama in which hot–shot lawyer Al Pacino defends a judge on a rape charge. Even a top supporting cast and a…
- Law And Order (TV Mini-Series) (1978)
- Dir. Les Blair
Feat. Peter Dean, Derek Martin
- Discerning Brit crime series focusing on three men involved in a bungled armed robbery – the Criminal, the Inspector and the Lawyer and played…
- Rumpole of the Bailey (TV Series) (1978-1992)
- Dir. Herbert Wise
Feat. Leo McKern, Peter Bowles, Patricia Hodge
- The much–loved series in which Leo McKern portrayed the rumpled lawyer – created by playwright Sir John Mortimer – who attacks his…
- American Film Theatre - The Man in the Glass Booth (1975)
- Dir. Arthur Hiller
Feat. Maximilian Schell, Lois Nettleton, Lawrence Pressman…
- Another intense, performance based entrant in the American Film Theatre series, with Schell playing a wealthy Jewish industrialist who survived the…
- Conduct Unbecoming (1975)
- Dir. Michael Anderson
Feat. Michael York, Richard Attenborough, Trevor Howard
- Well–made, though somewhat old–fashioned version of Barry England's play about misbehaviour among the British Army in India. The stars…
- QB VII (TV Mini-Series) (1974)
- Dir. Tom Gries
Feat. Ben Gazzara, Anthony Hopkins, Leslie Caron…
- A multiple Emmy–winning adaptation of the novel by Leon Uris (best known for "Exodus") detailing the gripping court battle between a…
- Crown Court (TV Series) (1972)
- "Water cooler" British courtroom drama that used fictional cases, but presented them before a jury comprised of members of the actual public. Cases…
- Madame X (1966)
- Dir. David Lowell Rich
Feat. Lana Turner, John Forsythe, Ricardo Montalban…
- Sudsy melodrama with Turner as a woman with a past who's dalliance with a wealthy politician leads to murder. Superior weepie, lushly mounted and…
- To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
- Dir. Robert Mulligan
Feat. Gregory Peck, Mary Badham
- Moving adaptation stars Gregory Peck in an Oscar–winning performance as the genial lawyer who defends an innocent Negro accused of rape in the…
- Judgement at Nuremberg (1961)
- Dir. Stanley Kramer
Feat. Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Maximilian Schell…
- Dramatisation of the trial of the Nazi judges at Nuremberg, facing the patient integrity of Judge Spencer Tracy. Epic, gripping courtroom drama, with…
- Town Without Pity (1961)
- Dir. Gottfried Reinhardt
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Robert Blake, Richard Jaeckel…
- Bitter legal drama with Kirk Douglas defending four American soldiers charged with the gang rape of a young German woman.
Somewhat sluggish in its…
- Inherit the Wind (1960)
- Dir. Stanley Kramer
Feat. Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly
- The Evolutionist vs Creationist debate is encapsulated in this courtroom recreation of the Monkey Trial of the 1920s (a Tennessee schoolteacher was…
- Young Philadelphians, The (1959)
- Dir. Vincent Sherman
Feat. Paul Newman, Barbara Rush
- Engaging drama with Paul Newman as an attorney of dubious background who defends an affluent friend in a murder trial while hussling his way into the…
- Time Without Pity (1957)
- Dir. Joseph Losey
Feat. Michael Redgrave, Leo McKern, Ann Todd…
- Nervy noir has Michael Redgrave in top form as an alcoholic father racing against time to save his son from the gallows.
Somewhat dated thriller…
- Place in the Sun, A (1951)
- Dir. George Stevens
Feat. Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters…
- Montgomery Clift excels as a penniless youth whose determination to win the heart of socialite Elizabeth Taylor (in her debut as an adult actress) is…
- Rashomon (1951)
- Dir. Akira Kurosawa
Feat. Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori…
- The film that brought Kurosawa to the attention of the world, and an Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film.
Four wildly varying perspectives on a…