Although the courtroom drama has been co-opted by TV, with the likes of 'The Good Wife' and 'Law & Order', some of the finest moments in cinema have been set inside the halls of justice.
Courtroom dramas are the preserve of both screenwriters and actors. The courtroom turns into a pressure cooker, with no flash or special effects to weaken a scene. It's all in the writing and the performance.
Here's our ten best courtroom dramas, with hopefully no objections from the gallery.
10. 'FRACTURE'
Although Anthony Hopkins is essentially playing a sanitised version of Hannibal Lecter, it's the interplay between he and Gosling that makes the film. Hopkins is an avionics genius who sets out to murder his wife. However, as Gosling investigates the crime as part of his prosecution, it's slowly revealed that the evidence isn't quite as airtight as first thought. Smartly scripted and lushly directed, it also featured great supporting turns by our own Fiona Shaw and Rosamund Pike.
9. 'KRAMER VS. KRAMER'
Although the film is essentially about a father and son connecting and learning to cope with one another, 'Kramer Vs. Kramer' eventually builds to become a courtroom drama. Indeed, it's the core of the story - the custody battle between Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Filled with understated, human performances by both of the leads, it's oftentimes a hard watch. Anyone's been through a divorce, either as a spouse or a child, can immediately to point to any scene in the movie and know that they've lived some variation of it. Don't watch it without a ready supply of tissues.
8. 'PRIMAL FEAR'
Edward Norton's blistering debut in 'Primal Fear' earned him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor - and rightfully so. Richard Gere plays a publicity-hungry attorney who revels in his prowess in the courtroom. When he's landed with a pro-bono case involving the brutal murder of a Catholic bishop, he sees it as another opportunity to bolster his profile and client list. The accused, Edward Norton, is a Kentucky teenager who served as an altar boy to the murdered bishop. Much like director Gregory Hoblit's other courtroom piece, 'Fracture', the story unfolds that there is far more at play than a straightforward case. Sexual abuse, corrupt politicians and even the witness himself are skewed against Gere. Bleak, cynical and complex, 'Primal Fear' is one of Gere's finest performances.
7. 'THE FIRM'
It's hard to imagine Tom Cruise as playing a wide-eyed young lawyer, yet he did it so convincingly in 'The Firm' that you almost forgot he played the schmoozy lawyer in 'A Few Good Men' only a year after. Based on John Grisham's novel of the same name, 'The Firm' was expertly directed by Sydney Pollack and featured one of Gene Hackman's best performances. Playing the oily, cunning Avery Tolar, Hackman created one of cinema's finest lawyers - all wolf smiles and Brioni suits. Who didn't want to hang out with mobsters and scuba-dive in the Caribbean after seeing this? Also, keep an eye out for a somewhat unrecognisable and bizarrely bald Ed Harris.
6. 'A TIME TO KILL'
Another John Grisham entry, 'A Time To Kill' was at the top of the Matthew McConaughey career valley, just before he descended into the rom-com trough. An idealistic Southern lawyer thrust into the heart of racial politics, McConaughey is charged with the defence of a father (Samuel L. Jackson) who shot dead the man who brutally raped his infant daughter. Aiding him is equally idealistic law student Sandra Bullock, who is determined to fight the death penalty in any case. Against McConaughey is Kevin Spacey, playing a prototype version of Frank Underwood from 'House of Cards'. Joel Schumacher's direction allows both the script and the performers to breathe, and with a harrowing story charged with still-relevant themes, it's electric viewing.
5. 'TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD'
One of the most revered novels in American literature, 'To Kill A Mockingbird' still resonates to this day. Gregory Peck, in a career-best performance, plays Atticus Finch - a reasonable, educated widower who defends a black man against a rape charge placed against him by a white woman. A controversial book when first released and equally so when adapted to the screen, it laid bare in simple terms the extent of racial discord and discrimination in America and how plain logic could win out against all.
4. 'THE VERDICT'
Paul Newman's stunning career and breadth of work is hard to quantify. A leading actor for over five decades, his body of work is nothing short of legendary. Directed by Sidney Lumet and working off a David Mamet script, Newman gave one of his most nuanced and vulnerable performances of his distinguished career. A washed-up lawyer who's handed a simple case of medical malpractice, his old instincts begin to kick in when he realises just how much nobody wants to touch it. The 'it' being a litany of incompetence, corruption and conspiracy by a major hospital, backed by the powers that be. As always, the closing argument is a fantastically acted piece of film. Take a look.
3. 'A FEW GOOD MEN'
It might be reduced to the final shouting match between Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, but 'A Few Good Men' is a perfect example of well-crafted, intelligent writing. Cruise plays a hot-shot Navy lawyer who's saddled with a case that the brass wants pushed out and swept under the rug. Two Marines are accused of murdering a fellow Marine, allegedly on the orders of the authorial Col. Jessup (Nicholson). Aaron Sorkin's script and Rob Reiner's keen grasp of pacing means the story zips along with ease. Slickly made, 'A Few Good Men' is a riveting watch. We could just about handle the truth.
2. 'PHILADELPHIA'
As well as being a startlingly honest film about the ravages of HIV/AIDS and homophobia, 'Philadelphia' was an incredible piece of courtroom drama. Hanks, a high-flying attorney who has HIV/AIDS is fired from his prestigious law firm when his illness becomes evident. The only lawyer who agrees to take on his wrongful termination case is an ambulance-chaser (Denzel Washington) that he fought in court before. Although Jonathan Demme's directorial flashes are a little overbearing in places, they're contrasted by the deeply human, stunningly intimate performance by Hanks. This scene, when Hanks leaves Washington's office after being rejected by almost every lawyer in the scene, is simple yet devastating.
1. '12 ANGRY MEN'
It's regularly used as an example in legal training as consensus building, but more than anything, '12 Angry Men' showed that a movie could be set entirely in a single room and be just as taut, absorbing and fascinating as any other movie. Twelve jurors are gathered to hear the case of a teenager who murdered his father. The initial findings suggest that the boy is guilty and that it's an open-and-shut case with death for the teenager being assured. One juror (Henry Fonda) has his doubts. From there, the movie grows into a pressure-cooker drama, with lines being drawn and prejudices and emotions laid bare. Just as riveting today as it was back in 1957, '12 Angry Men' is a brilliantly simple tale with one of the finest screenplays and performances ever captured on screen. Essential viewing.
