The 20 best courtroom dramas in film

Though Amistad  takes place in the 19th century, it is still a remarkable piece of courtroom drama, thanks in no small part to Steven Spielberg’s competent direction. The film focuses on the efforts of a group of Mende tribesmen to secure their freedom after they take over the ship of their enslavers and seek their freedom in the American court system. Spielberg crafts a deeply moving and thought-provoking film, drawing attention to the inhumanity of slavery and the determination of those caught in its net to forge their own destiny. Djimon Hounsou gives a stirring performance as one of the men, Sengbe Pieh / Joseph Cinqué, as does Anthony Hopkins as John Quincy Adams.

The late Chadwick Boseman was a remarkably gifted actor, capable of portraying real-life characters and fictional ones with equal aplomb. In Marshall, he gave one of his most indelible performances as Thurgood Marshall, particularly focusing on the case State of Connecticut v. Joseph Spell. It’s one of those films that expertly demonstrates the extent to which a single incident in a person's life can shape who they later become. It gives the viewer an insight into the great legal mind of Marshall, who would become one of the most influential men in American jurisprudence. 

Aaron Sorkin has long been one of those writers and directors with a keen understanding of American politics and social life, and he brings those gifts to bear in The Trial of the Chicago 7. Politics, war, and the conflict and unrest of the 1960s all collide in the courtroom, and Sorkin knows how to combine the innate drama of the situation with the talents of the sprawling cast, including Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The film takes some notable liberties with history, but it still conveys a deeper truth about the 1960s and the troubles of that turbulent decade.

The late William Friedkin delivered one final stirring drama in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,  based on the play of the same name. At the story's center are Kiefer Sutherland's Lt. Commander Queeg, the unstable captain of the ship, Jake Lacy's Lieutenant Maryk, who led the men who deprived Queeg of his leadership, and Jason Clarke's Lieutenant Greenwald, who defends Maryk and the men. Spare and uncompromising, the film eschews the excesses of so many Hollywood dramas in favor of a compelling story and riveting performances. It asks the big questions of the original play, and it’s a reminder of the power of old-fashioned moviemaking.

The Leopold and Loeb case was one of the most infamous of the 1920s, focusing on two men accused of murdering a teenager. The case has been represented in movies numerous times, including in the 1959 film Compulsion, in which Leopold and Loeb are transformed into Judd Steiner and Artie Strauss (played by Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman, respectively). Of particular note is the closing argument by their attorney, which asks the verdict and the audience to interrogate the ethics of the death penalty, even in a case where the defendants are manifestly guilty of a truly ugly and brutal crime. Though the two are given life sentences, it’s hard to tell whether, in the film’s opinion, this is a good outcome or not.

The late Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of the titans of the legal world — before and during her time on the US Supreme Court. Like all good biopics, On the Basis of Sex dramatizes one of the key cases of her career, in which she works to undo the institutionalization of sexism within America’s legal system. Felicity Jones is perfectly cast as Ginsburg, capturing the late Justice’s inner strength and subtle legal mind. This one case became the foundation for the rest of her formidable and highly regarded legal career. The film excels at showing the human side of a woman who became an icon in her age.

Michael B. Jordan has consistently shown that he is one of his generation's most versatile and electric performers, and he brings his charisma to bear in Just Mercy.  Based on the memoir of the same name by attorney Bryan Stevenson, it follows him as he moves to the American South and takes up work representing African Americans who cannot afford representation, particularly those on death row. Jamie Foxx stars as Walter McMillian, a man wrongly accused of murder. The film is a bracing and evocative legal drama, exposing the extent to which far too many African Americans end up being victims of the very system that should be protecting them.

Judgment at Nuremberg more than deserves its place as one of the best courtroom dramas because of the importance of its subject and the sheer star power of its cast (which included such heavy hitters as Marlene Dietrich, Burt Lancaster, Spencer Tracy, and Judy Garland), and the potency of Stanley Kramer’s direction. As the title implies, it focuses on the trial of several of those most responsible for the Holocaust. The performances draw the eye, of course, but what really allows the film to hold the audience’s emotional investment is its bracing willingness to tackle the heavy moral questions associated with the Holocaust and the people who were either responsible for it or turned a blind eye to the atrocities. 

Fraught father-son dynamics are at the heart of the film The Judge,  starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall. The former plays Hank Palmer, who returns home to find his father, Duvall’s Judge Joseph Palmer, struggling with his memory and a terminal cancer diagnosis. The film hits most of the beats one might expect. Still, it often manages to elevate itself above its more predictable plot elements thanks to the powerful performances of its lead cast and their ability to provide insight into the troubled but deep bonds that link fathers with their sons through both the good times and the bad.

George Clooney stars as the title character of Michael Clayton,  a tautly constructed legal thriller. Though Clayton works as a fixer for a powerful legal firm, he soon finds his morals tested when he is forced to confront the reality that a client has engaged in a staggeringly complex and corrupt cover-up. The story has many twists and turns, but Clooney’s performance — and performances by Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton — elevates the movie into the realm of truly great legal dramas. What’s more, it forces both the viewer and the characters to confront deep and often vexing moral questions.

Few authors are as indelibly associated with the legal thriller as John Grisham, whose works have been made into many very popular films. The Rainmaker,  for example, is the perfect meeting of story, director, and star. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, it focuses on Matt Damon's young attorney, Rudy Baylor, as he struggles with the moral and ethical questions inherent in a career in law. The film is sometimes quite cynical and even scathing about the legal profession, but, unlike many courtroom dramas, it at least has a happy ending of Baylor and his quasi-love interest, Claire Danes' Kelly Riker.

Paul Newman never failed to turn in a great performance, even in the later stages of his career. In The Verdict, for example, he is remarkable as Attorney Frank Galvin, who begins the film as an opportunistic alcoholic but soon discovers his conscience. Newman embodies Galvin's sense of apathy as he contends with the reality that he was never the truly successful lawyer he might have been. Moreover, Sidney Lumet likewise provides assured direction, demonstrating once again why he is regarded as one of the finest directors of his generation.

While Matthew McConaughey might have established himself as a leading man thanks to his appearances in a number of romantic comedies throughout the 2010s, he proved that he had what it took to be a pretty heavy-hitting dramatic actor. In The Lincoln Lawyer, he plays Mickey Haller, a lawyer who takes his cases and operates out of a car rather than an office. McConaughey breathes great energy into the role of this defense attorney, and his innate charisma, in combination with the film’s brisk and engaging story, makes sure that the audience never loses interest, even when some of the plot points seem a bit too far-fetched.

In 1993, the AIDS crisis was still very much in the public consciousness, and it was still devastating the LGBTQ+ community, which is precisely what makes the legal drama Philadelphia  so wrenching and impactful. It features strong performances from Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington as attorney Andy Beckett and Joe Miller, the man who represents his suit against his employer, who fired him for having AIDS and for his sexuality. Director Jonathan Demme proves as adept at courtroom drama as he is at thrillers, and he uses the genre's tropes to help expand understanding and compassion for those who contracted AIDS (no small thing at the time the film was released).

Directed by the great Otto Preminger, Anatomy of a Murder stars James Stewart as Paul Biegler, a small-town lawyer who defends a man who killed someone. The film meticulously reconstructs how a defense case is put together, and Stewart gives one of his typical strong performances. Anatomy of a Murder also doesn't shy away from the sexually explicit elements, particularly once the various parties are interrogated on the witness stand. It expertly combines remarkable attention to legal detail while never forgetting or underselling the human drama that is at the heart of the tale. 

A Few Good Men is a heavy-hitting film that makes excellent use of its stellar cast, including Tom Cruise, Kevin Bacon, Jack Nicholson, and Demi Moore. At the film’s heart is a murder case involving a young Marine killed by his fellow soldiers and whether there’s more to it than appears. There’s a powerful energy to the film, particularly from Cruise, who plays  Daniel Kaffee, the attorney trying to get to the bottom of the case, and Moore, who plays his superior officer. The climactic courtroom scene, in which Nicholson’s Jessup roars, “You can’t handle the truth!” has gone down as one of the most quotable lines in cinematic history.

Few films have captured the ethos and tone of an era quite like 12 Angry Men. Released in 1957 and starring Henry Fonda, it remains tightly focused on a group of jurors as they debate the guilt or innocence of a young man charged with murder. What begins as a seemingly straightforward case soon becomes more complex and vexing as the differences among the jurors — particularly concerning their values — come out into the open. Like all the best examples of the genre, 12 Angry Men captures the tone of the 1950s, and it forces the jurors and the audience to examine the true meaning of justice and how it can best be achieved. 

Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall is one of those courtroom dramas that manages to explore the nature of the law and the family. At the center of the film is the murder trial of Sandra Hüller’s Sandra Voyter, a writer on trial for the death of her husband. As the film unspools, Sandra’s life is rendered into a spectacle for the court, even as the film itself plays coy with the truth of whether she committed the crime or not. Hüller’s performance is truly riveting, as she gives the audience a woman as intense as she is enigmatic. The film shows the extent to which courtroom drama often has the power to shed light on the human condition.

Billy Wilder was one of classic Hollywood's most skilled and respected directors, capable of working in various genres. In Witness for the Prosecution, he directed a powerful and compelling courtroom drama that also contains elements of mystery and suspense. Even though the murder case is the center of the drama and the action, the performances help elevate this film into the realm of greatness. From Charles Laughton to Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich, there isn’t a subpar performance in the film, and it is all anchored by Wilder’s assured direction.

Based on the beloved novel by Harper Lee, the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird has become almost as much of a classic as its written counterpart. Much of this is due to the powerful performance by Gregory Peck, who portrays the deeply moral lawyer Atticus Finch (though credit is also due to Mary Badham, who plays his daughter, Scout). Like the novel, it is a fascinating portrait of race in America. Though it very clearly wants the audience to think sharply and critically about the country’s deeply embedded racism, the film also thrives as a powerful piece of dramatic filmmaking.