Subgenre Sampler

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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…
Black Earth Rising (TV Series) (2018): Feat. John Goodman, Michaela Coel, Tamara Tunie; Political thriller series about the prosecution of war criminals, with Michaela Coel playing a Rwandan–born British legal investigator whose…
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…
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…
Arthur & George (TV Mini-series) (2015): Dir. Stuart Orme
Feat. Martin Clunes, Arsher Ali, Art Malik; Three–part drama set in 1906 that follows the intersecting lives of Arthur Conan Doyle, world–famous author of 'Sherlock Holmes', and…
How to Get Away with Murder (TV Series) (2014): Feat. Viola Davis; Legal drama centred around a group of ambitious law students and their brilliant criminal defense professor who become involved in a twisted murder…
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…
Ace Attorney (2012): Dir. Takashi Miike
Feat. Hiroki Narimiya, Takumi Saito; Takashi Miike churns out this preposterous video game adaptation, about a cocksure lawyer who agrees to defend his courtroom rival in a murder trial,…
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…
Killing Time (TV Mini-Series) (2011): Feat. David Wenham, Diana Glenn, Colin Friels; Another hard–hitting crime story ripped from Australian headlines, starring David Wenham as a favourite defense lawyer of Melbourne's gangland…
Accused (TV Series) (2010): Feat. Christopher Eccleston, Naomie Harris, Warren Brown…; Acclaimed British anthology series centres each episode on the back story of a new character as they make their way to the dock in court to await the…
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009): Dir. Peter Hyams
Feat. Jesse Metcalfe, Amber Tamblyn, Michael Douglas…; Glib remake of the hard–to–find Fritz Lang classic has an intrepid reporter (Metcalfe) determined to bring down a corrupt D.A (a…
Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, The (2009): Dir. Daniel Alfredson
Feat. Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre; Satisfying conclusion to the trilogy features some lengthy courtroom scenes as Salander and Nyqvist fight to clear her name and unravel the…
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…
Fracture (2007): Dir. Gregory Hoblit
Feat. Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn…; A you–know–whodunnit legal psychodrama with Anthony Hopkins as a wealthy businessman who shoots his wife dead, then plays a cruel (if…
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…
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…
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…
Life of David Gale, The (2002): Dir. Alan Parker
Feat. Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney; Ingenious though slightly muddled thriller, enacts the leadup to death–rower Kevin Spacey's arrest, trial for murder and imminent…
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…
General's Daughter, The (1999): Dir. Simon West
Feat. John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, James Woods; Gathering suspense from the 'closed–world' ethics of the US military, this thriller from the writer of A FEW GOOD MEN concerns a gruesome,…
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…
True Crime (1999): Dir. Clint Eastwood
Feat. Clint Eastwood, James Woods; Implausible but fun, this is Clint Eastwood relaxing his usually rigorous standards with a hokey thriller–by–numbers stocked with…
Confession, The (1998): Dir. David Jones
Feat. Alec Baldwin, Ben Kingsley, Amy Irving; Fairly standard–issue moral dilemmas in the courtroom for attorney Baldwin, involved in a complex case of guilt, redemption and retribution in…
Gingerbread Man, The (1998): Dir. Robert Altman
Feat. Kenneth Branagh, Embeth Davidtz, Robert Duvall…; Script by the courtroom–obsessed John Grisham is here assigned to auteurist Robert Altman (THE PLAYER, SHORT CUTS), who manages to…
Devil's Advocate, The (1997): Dir. Taylor Hackford
Feat. Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron; Invincible lawyer Keanu Reeves is tempted to join an elite law firm, but bossman Al Pacino has a firey temper and is looking for lifelong commitment,…
Night Falls On Manhattan (1997): Dir. Sidney Lumet
Feat. Richard Dreyfuss, Andy Garcia, Lena Olin; Poking around among the NYPD's rotten apples, this unsettling thriller gouges up about as much police corruption and moral dry–rot as you can…
Rainmaker, The (1997): Dir. Francis Ford Coppola
Feat. Matt Damon, Danny De Vito, Jon Voight…; John Grisham's novel is spared from the airport–novel–as–movie–fodder assembly line by a refined Coppola script that attends…
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…
Juror, The (1996): Dir. Brian Gibson
Feat. Demi Moore, Alec Baldwin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt…; Struggling artist and mother Demi Moore is summoned to jury service and is singled out by the mob defendants to swing the verdict in their favour.…
Mistrial (1996): Dir. Heywood Gould
Feat. Bill Pullman, Robert Loggia, Blair Underwood…; Frustrated by the legal system, cop Bill Pullman pours gasoline on community tensions by kidnapping a judge and jury – to put a suspected…
Primal Fear (1996): Dir. Gregory Hoblit
Feat. Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton; Hotshot Chicago attorney Richard Gere defends, with difficulty, an altar boy accused of brutally murdering a much–loved archbishop. The…
Time to Kill, A (1996): Dir. Joel Schumacher
Feat. Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock…; A blue–eyed lawyer comes to the defence of a black man (Samuel L. Jackson) who murdered his daughter's rapists in the Deep South. This…
Just Cause (1995): Dir. Arne Glimcher
Feat. Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, Ed Harris…; Power–attorney Sean Connery defends a death row prisoner despite the evidence against him, and butts heads with Larry Fishburne, the cop…
Kavanagh QC (TV Series) (1995-2001): Feat. John Thaw, Ray Winstone, Ewan McGregor; Clever Brit crime series, with INSPECTOR MORSE's John Thaw stepping easily back into the role of criminal investigator, this time as a London law…
Murder One (TV Series) (1995-1997): Feat. Daniel Benzali, Stanley Tucci, Mary McCormack…; A compelling crime drama whose chief novelty was basing each season around a single courtroom case, from indictment and jury selection, through to…
Client, The (1994): Dir. Joel Schumacher
Feat. Susan Sarandon, Brad Renfro, Tommy Lee Jones…; The best adaptation yet of a John Grisham legal–eagle novel. Susan Sarandon embraces the character–driven story that is mercifully free…
Murder in the First (1994): Dir. Marc Rocco
Feat. Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman; Powerhouse acting enlivens fact–based proceedings that led to the closure of Alcatraz. Kevin Bacon plays a victimised prisoner pushed to the…
Trial by Jury (1994): Dir. Heywood Gould
Feat. Armand Assante, Joanne Whalley, Gabriel Byrne…; A ruthless mob boss (Armand Assante) on trial for multiple murders employs strong–arm tactics to 'influence' mother–of–two…
A Crime (Un Crime) (1993): Dir. Jacques Deray
Feat. Alain Delon; Vintage courtroom vehicle for the ice cool Delon, sturdy in its workmanlike screenplay and no–nonsense attitude.
Firm, The (1993): Dir. Sydney Pollack
Feat. Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman…; Tom Cruise ain't bad as a prodigal law graduate offered a six–figure salary with a prestigious but corrupt law firm. A reasonable meal is made…
Guilty As Sin (1993): Dir. Sidney Lumet
Feat. Rebecca De Mornay, Don Johnson, Stephen Lang…; Attorney Rebecca De Mornay finds herself unable to discharge her suave lady–killing client (Don Johnson – perfectly cast). Never as…
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…
Malice (1993): Dir. Harold Becker
Feat. Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, Bill Pullman; An unlikely but nonetheless ripping yarn unfolds when a brilliant but dubious doctor is sued for medical negligence by his college pal's wife.…
Pelican Brief, The (1993): Dir. Alan J. Pakula
Feat. Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington; Julia Roberts mugs through this leaden adaptation of John Grisham's novel as a genius law student whose thesis about two top–level…
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…
Presumed Innocent (1990): Dir. Alan J. Pakula
Feat. Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, Raul Julia…; Scott Turow's best seller is faithfully adapted here with Harrison Ford cast as the D.A. who finds himself accused of the rape and murder of a…
Criminal Law (1989): Dir. Martin Campbell
Feat. Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Tess Harper…; Hot shot lawyer Gary Oldman successfully defends psycho–killer Kevin Bacon, only to find he had made a costly misjudgement.
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…
Rampage (1988): Dir. William Friedkin
Feat. Michael Biehn, Alex McArthur, Nicholas Campbell; This grapples with the psychology of murder and the moral dilemma surrounding the death penalty. A vicious serial killer is prosecuted but how will…
Suspect (1987): Dir. Peter Yates
Feat. Cher, Liam Neeson, Dennis Quaid…; Solid courtroom thriller proffers Cher as the defence for derelict murder–accused Liam Neeson, who’s helped out by a juror who smells a rat…
Matlock (TV Series) (1986): Feat. Andy Griffith, Linda Purl; Updating the "Perry Mason" blueprint with rumpled Southern charm, the ultra laid–back Andy Griffith plays Ben Matlock, an Atlanta defense…
Jagged Edge (1985): Dir. Richard Marquand
Feat. Glenn Close, Jeff Bridges, Peter Coyote…; Glenn Close and Jeff Bridges star in this compelling courtroom thriller about a defence attorney who romances her client who is on trial for a brutal…
Still of the Night (1982): Dir. Robert Benton
Feat. Meryl Streep, Roy Scheider; Hitchcock–style thriller about a psychiatrist who falls in love with a woman who may have brutally murdered one of his patients.
Kojak Collection, The (The Marcus-Nelson Murders, The Belarus File, The Price of Justice) (1973-1987): Dir. Joseph Sargent, Robert Markowitz, Alan Metzger
Feat. Telly Savalas, Marjoe Gortner, Jose Ferrer…; Telly Savalas stars as the tough but witty sleuth who became a small screen icon in the 1970's. This set features the three feature–length TV…
Murder Most Foul (1964): Dir. George Pollock
Feat. Margaret Rutherford, Ron Moody, Charles Tingwell…; Fourth and final film in the Agatha Christie/MGM set. Rutherford appears again as Miss Marple, defiant as the only member of a jury who believes the…
Anatomy of a Murder (1959): Dir. Otto Preminger
Feat. James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara…; Smalltown lawyer James Stewart defends a man accused of murdering a suspected rapist. The shifting ambiguities of the case make this more a…
Compulsion (1959): Dir. Richard Fleischer
Feat. Dean Stockwell, Bradford Dillman, Orson Welles…; As distinctive a rendition of the infamous Leopold–Loeb murder case as ROPE and SWOON, Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman playing the…
Perry Mason (TV Series) (1957-1966): Feat. Raymond Burr, William Hopper, William Talman…; Benchmark legal drama series which turned star Raymond Burr into a television institution as the near–invincible criminal lawyer, Perry…
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…
Twelve Angry Men (12 Angry Men) (1957): Dir. Sidney Lumet
Feat. Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley…; Henry Fonda holds–out on a unanimous jury who wish to convict an alleged murderer. A sweltering tension is worked up as he struggles to…
Witness for the Prosecution (1957): Dir. Billy Wilder
Feat. Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton…; Tense courtroom thriller, with Tyrone Power in the dock, defended by Charles Laughton, and consoled by wife Marlene Dietrich. Agatha Christie's story…
Please Murder Me (Please Murder Me!) (1956): Dir. Peter Godfrey
Feat. Angela Lansbury, Raymond Burr, Dick Foran…; Raymond Burr and Angela Lansbury square off in this tough–minded noir about a lawyers who successfully defends his client only to discover…
Murder! (1930): Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Feat. Herbert Marshall, Edward Chapman, Miles Mander; Hitchcock's second talkie is a clever whodunnit in which a juror (Marshall) in the murder trial of a young woman decides to open his own…

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Subgenre Sampler