How many of these iconic legal thriller films have you seen?

What was the first legal thriller? Can a courtroom film be thrilling? Well, with a case like the one at the heart of “Anatomy of a Murder,” it can be. Otto Preminger’s film isn’t always included in lists of legal thriller, but with Preminger’s skill behind the camera, it certainly could be viewed that way, even if it is a trial movie. Plus, “Anatomy of a Murder” was nominated for six Oscars and is considered one of the best legal movies ever made.

This is the second classic film that may, or may not, be considered one of the first (and best) legal thrillers. The rest of these are more straightforward. Based on the Scopes trial, Spencer Tracy and Fredric March co-star as the lawyers on either side of the sideshow of a trial focused on the teaching of evolution. Stanley Kramer was a politically-motivated director, and not all that subtle. This film is also based on a play. That is to say, “Inherit the Wind” has enough big speechifying and tense, play-like moments to be a quality legal movie, and possibly a thriller.

Any legal movie that features Al Pacino in a courtroom yelling, “You’re out of order!” is fodder for a list like this. Many likely know about Pacino’s showy moment (even if the way the line is generally remembered is a bit off), but you might not know the movie that it is from. “…And Justice for All” is more traditional as a legal thriller, which is to say there is a lot of conspiracy and the story is a bit over the top. Fortunately, Pacino was just the man for the job of chewing scenery.

We begin a John Grisham run. Grisham is the most-famous author of legal novels, and one of the most-famous authors of airport books. Naturally, a few of his novels are potboiler thrillers, and those are the ones that tend to get turned into films. “The Firm” stars Tom Cruise back when he was still in “young hotshot” mode. He’s a promising young lawyer who signs up with a boutique law firm in Tennessee…but why do so many of the firm’s lawyers keep dying under strange circumstances?

In 1993, two different Grisham novels were turned into movies, both of them good, and both of them hits. “The Pelican Brief” somehow has an even more out-there premise than “The Firm.” Two Supreme Court justices are assassinated. To what end? Law student Darby Shaw, played by Julia Roberts, has a theory, and it turns out she’s right, which brings a lot of pressure down on her. Her only ally? A reporter played by Denzel Washington.

Gene Hackman, who is in “The Firm,” did the whole Grisham thing again in “Runaway Jury.” This movie is a step down from the 1993 duo, but has a different view of the legal proceedings at least. This one is all about jury selection, and what a rogue juror can possibly do. Dustin Hoffman plays a lawyer worried about the trial of a gun manufacturer due to Hackman’s jury consultant and also a juror played by John Cusack, who seems to be wielding unusual influence.

“Primal Fear” is a pulpy movie, but the pulpiness helped it shine through. Well, that and the denouement of the story, which we won’t go into with any detail. Edward Norton made his film debut as an altar boy accused of murdering a Catholic bishop. Richard Gere is a defense attorney who actually believes his client is innocent. Norton actually earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.

Fresh off directing “Return of the Jedi,” Richard Marquand pivoted to a noir-ish thriller in “Jagged Edge.” It would also be the last movie he directed that was released in his lifetime. Now, this movie was written by Joe Eszterhas, so don’t expect subtlety or nuance. Jeff Bridges plays a man who is accused of murdering his wife. He asks high-profile attorney Teddy Barnes, played by Glenn Close, to represent him. She agrees, but is reluctant, as he has a hard time convincing herself that he is not, in fact, guilty.

“Suspect” has fallen under the radar, what with it being Cher’s “other” movie from 1987. It’s hard to compete with “Moonstruck,” a classic film that won her an Oscar. Still, it’s a viable thriller handled with aplomb by director Peter Yates. Cher plays a defense attorney assigned to represent a homeless man accused of murder. The whole situation screams cover up, but can Cher (and juror Dennis Quaid) get to the bottom of it?

This is, of course, a remake of the 1962 film, and both could fall under the legal thriller rubric. Given that this movie was made in the 1990s, and directed by Martin Scorsese, he can be a bit more, you know, thrilling. In this version, Robert De Niro plays Max Cady, a dangerous and deranged violent criminal. Cady believes the public defender who represented him purposefully did not do his job to ensure his imprisonment. Once he gets out, he sets out to seek revenge.

Alan J. Pakula, an acclaimed director of political movies and conspiracy thrillers, directed “Presumed Innocent” as well as “The Pelican Brief.” Before Harrison Ford did the whole “I didn’t kill my wife!” thing with “The Fugitive,” he did the “I didn’t kill my mistress!” thing with “Presumed Innocent.” However, instead of being a doctor like Richard Kimble, Ford’s character is a prosecutor.

“Fracture” is one of those solid B-minus offerings that genre films excel at producing. A rich man shoots his wife. The young, hotshot deputy district attorney thinks it is an open-and-shut case, he’ll get a nice resume boost, and then he’ll get a cushy job in corporate law. The man awaiting trial, though, seems to be relishing his battle of wits with the confident attorney. The attorney is played by Ryan Gosling before he broke through, but the man who shot his wife is played by Anthony Hopkins. Thus, the whole “battle of wits” thing is kind of a legal, lesser version of “Silence of the Lambs.”

Focus Features was probably expecting/hoping for more award buzz from “Dark Waters,” but it did get a critically-acclaimed legal thriller out of the mix. Based on a true story, Mark Ruffalo plays lawyer Robert Bilott. He agrees to, as a favor, look into some apparent pollution issues in a small town. In the process, he uncovers major chemical contamination from DuPont and tries to unravel a cover up. Cover ups play a big part in legal thrillers.

Michael Connelly is Grisham-esque, but a little pulpier and a smidge less successful. Still, he’s been adapted a few times as well. “The Lincoln Lawyer” was turned into a TV show later, but first came the 2011 movie. Matthew McConaughey plays Mickey Haller. He’s a lawyer who, instead of working out of an office, works out of a Lincoln Town Car. As a defense attorney, Haller takes the money to represent the son of a rich LA businessman, but will his ethics get in the way as he starts to uncover certain details?

“Double Jeopardy” operates from a place of fundamental misunderstanding of how the titular legal clause works. We don’t care. In this world, double jeopardy truly means you cannot be tried for the same crime twice. So, say, if your husband fakes his death and pins you with the murder, once you get out of prison you’re free to actually murder him, because, you know, double jeopardy. Dumb? Yes. Fun? Also yes.

“No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood” are the cinematic masterpieces that loom over 2007, but in terms of rewatchability and popularity affinity, “Michael Clayton” may have them both beat. People have come to love the film, and we get it. It’s great. George Clooney plays the titular character who is a lawyer, but really he’s a highly-paid “fixer” for his law firm. He’s the one that makes problems go away when the film is called by a client with a problem that needs to be kept quiet. Even a fixer who works in morally gray areas has his limits, though.