Movies by Lists - Best Courtroom Movies (61 [62]) 
| Title | Year | Director | Genre | Rating | Runtime | Added |
|---|
| 12 Angry MenTwelve men must decide the fate of one when one juror objects to the jury's decision. | 1997 | William Friedkin (*) | Crime, Drama | 7.8 (14.3K votes) | 117 | 20211228 |
| 12 Angry MenThe jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict. | 1957 | Sidney Lumet (*) | Crime, Drama | 9.0 (749.3K votes) | 96 | 20211228 |
| Accused, TheAfter a young woman suffers a brutal gang rape in a bar one night, a prosecutor assists in bringing the perpetrators to justice, including the ones who encouraged and cheered on the attack. | 1988 | Jonathan Kaplan | Crime, Drama | 7.2 (34.4K votes) | 111 | 20211228 |
| AmistadIn 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured off the coast of Long Island. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally | 1997 | Steven Spielberg (*) | Biography, Drama, History | 7.3 (75.2K votes) | 155 | 20211228 |
| Anatomy of a Fall [Anatomie d'une chute]A woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness. | 2023 | Justine Triet | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 7.9 (8.1K votes) | 151 | 20231101 |
| Anatomy of a MurderAn upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case? | 1959 | Otto Preminger (*) | Drama, Mystery | 8.0 (64.6K votes) | 161 | 20211228 |
| And Justice For AllA lawyer is forced to defend a guilty judge, while defending other innocent clients, and trying to find punishment for the guilty and provide justice for the innocent. | 1979 | Norman Jewison (*) | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 7.4 (33.5K votes) | 119 | 20211228 |
| Argentina, 1985A team of lawyers takes on the heads of Argentina's bloody military dictatorship during the 1980s in a battle against odds and a race against time. | 2022 | Santiago Mitre | Biography, Crime, Drama, History | 7.6 (29K votes) | 140 | 20231116 |
| Breaker MorantThree Australian lieutenants are court martialed for executing prisoners as a way of deflecting attention from war crimes committed by their superior officers. | 1980 | Bruce Beresford | Drama, History, War | 7.9 (13.2K votes) | 107 | 20211228 |
| Caine Mutiny, TheWhen a U.S. Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardizes the ship, the first officer relieves him of command and faces court martial for mutiny. | 1954 | Edward Dmytryk (*) | Drama, War | 7.7 (27.1K votes) | 124 | 20211228 |
| ChangelingGrief-stricken mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) takes on the L.A.P.D. to her own detriment when it tries to pass off an obvious impostor as her missing child. | 2008 | Clint Eastwood (*) | Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Mystery, Thriller | 7.7 (250.1K votes) | 141 | 20211228 |
| Close-UpThe true story of Hossain Sabzian, a cinephile who impersonated the director Mohsen Makhmalbaf to convince a family they would star in his so-called new film. | 1990 | Abbas Kiarostami (*) | Biography, Crime, Drama | 8.3 (18.6K votes) | 98 | 20211228 |
| Collini Case, TheA young lawyer stumbles upon a vast conspiracy while investigating a brutal murder case. | 2019 | Marco Kreuzpaintner | Crime, Drama, Thriller, War | 7.3 (10.4K votes) | 123 | 20221228 |
| ConvictionA working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders. | 2010 | Tony Goldwyn | Biography, Crime, Drama | 7.2 (44.5K votes) | 2 | 20220912 |
| Dark WatersA corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution. | 2019 | Todd Haynes (*) | Biography, Drama, History | 7.6 (89.9K votes) | 126 | 20221228 |
| Devil's Advocate, TheAn exceptionally-adept Florida lawyer is offered a job at a high-end New York City law firm with a high-end boss--the biggest opportunity of his career to date. | 1997 | Taylor Hackford | Drama, Mystery, Thriller | 7.5 (355.5K votes) | 144 | 20211228 |
| Erin BrockovichAn unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply. | 2000 | Steven Soderbergh (*) | Biography, Drama | 7.4 (190.4K votes) | 131 | 20211228 |
| Exorcism of Emily Rose, TheA lawyer takes on a negligent homicide case involving a priest who performed an exorcism on a young girl. | 2005 | Scott Derrickson | Drama, Horror, Thriller | 6.7 (139.6K votes) | 119 | 20240316 |
| Few Good Men, AMilitary lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder. They contend they were acting under orders. | 1992 | Rob Reiner (*) | Drama, Thriller | 7.7 (252.1K votes) | 138 | 20211228 |
| Find Me GuiltyIn the late 1980s, a low level gangster named Jackie DiNorscio defends himself in court in what became the longest criminal trial in American judicial history. | 2006 | Sidney Lumet (*) | Biography, Comedy, Crime, Drama | 7.0 (34.1K votes) | 125 | 20211228 |
| FractureAn attorney intending on climbing the career ladder toward success finds an unlikely opponent in a manipulative criminal he is trying to prosecute. | 2007 | Gregory Hoblit | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 7.2 (199.8K votes) | 113 | 20211228 |
| Hurricane, TheThe story of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence. | 1999 | Norman Jewison (*) | Biography, Drama, Sport | 7.6 (102K votes) | 146 | 20240303 |
| In Cold BloodTwo ex-cons murder a family in a robbery attempt, before going on the run from the authorities. The police try to piece together the details of the murder in an attempt to track down the killers. | 1967 | Richard Brooks | Biography, Crime, Drama, History | 7.9 (26.1K votes) | 134 | 20211228 |
| In The Name Of The FatherA man's coerced confession to an I.R.A. bombing he did not commit results in the imprisonment of his father as well. An English lawyer fights to free them. | 1993 | Jim Sheridan (*) | Biography, Crime, Drama | 8.1 (168.9K votes) | 133 | 20211228 |
| Inherit the WindBased on a real-life case in 1925, two great lawyers argue the case for and against a Tennessee science teacher accused of the crime of teaching evolution. | 1960 | Stanley Kramer (*) | Biography, Drama, History | 8.1 (29.5K votes) | 128 | 20211228 |
| Insult, The [L'insulte]After an emotional exchange between a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian refugee escalates, the men end up in a court case that gets national attention. | 2017 | Ziad Doueiri | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 7.7 (16.3K votes) | 113 | 20211228 |
| Jagged EdgeA wealthy woman is murdered in her beach house. The husband is allegedly knocked out first. He inherits all. He has a female ex criminal prosecutor represent him in court. | 1985 | Richard Marquand | Drama, Mystery, Thriller | 6.5 (14.6K votes) | 108 | 20211228 |
| JFKNew Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison discovers there's more to the Kennedy assassination than the official story. | 1991 | Oliver Stone (*) | Drama, History, Thriller | 8.0 (151.4K votes) | 189 | 20211228 |
| Judge, TheBig-city lawyer Hank Palmer returns to his childhood home where his father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder. Hank sets out to discover the truth and, along the way, reconnects with his estranged family. | 2014 | David Dobkin | Crime, Drama | 7.4 (187.4K votes) | 141 | 20211228 |
| Judgement At NurembergIn 1948, an American court in occupied Germany tries four Nazis judged for war crimes. | 1961 | Stanley Kramer (*) | Drama, War | 8.2 (75.1K votes) | 179 | 20211228 |
| Just MercyWorld-renowned civil rights defense attorney Bryan Stevenson works to free a wrongly condemned death row prisoner. | 2019 | Destin Daniel Cretton | Biography, Crime, Drama | 7.6 (68.6K votes) | 137 | 20221228 |
| Kramer vs KramerAfter his wife leaves him, a work-obsessed Manhattan advertising executive is forced to learn long-neglected parenting skills, but a heated custody battle over the couple's young son deepens the wounds left by the separation. | 1979 | Robert Benton (*) | Drama | 7.8 (141.4K votes) | 105 | 20211228 |
| Liar LiarA fast-track lawyer can't lie for 24 hours due to his son's birthday wish after he disappoints his son for the last time. | 1997 | Tom Shadyac | Comedy, Fantasy | 6.9 (301.8K votes) | 86 | 20220414 |
| Lincoln Lawyer, TheA lawyer defending a wealthy man begins to believe his client is guilty of more than just one crime. | 2011 | Brad Furman | Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller | 7.3 (228.9K votes) | 118 | 20211228 |
| Marriage StoryNoah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together. | 2019 | Noah Baumbach | Drama, Romance | 7.9 (311.3K votes) | 137 | 20221228 |
| Matter Of Life And Death, AA British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl. | 1946 | Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger | Drama, Fantasy, Romance, War | 8.1 (21.4K votes) | 104 | 20211228 |
| Michael ClaytonA law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multibillion-dollar class action suit. | 2007 | Tony Gilroy | Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller | 7.2 (162.3K votes) | 119 | 20211228 |
| Murder in the FirstAn eager and idealistic young attorney defends an Alcatraz prisoner accused of murdering a fellow inmate. The extenuating circumstances: his client had just spent over three years in solitary confinement. | 1995 | Marc Rocco | Drama, Thriller | 7.3 (29.9K votes) | 122 | 20231001 |
| Music BoxA lawyer defends her father accused of war crimes, but there is more to the case than she suspects. | 1989 | Costa-Gavras (*) | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 7.4 (7.6K votes) | 124 | 20211228 |
| My Cousin VinnyTwo New Yorkers accused of murder in rural Alabama while on their way back to college call in the help of one of their cousins, a loudmouth lawyer with no trial experience. | 1992 | Jonathan Lynn | Comedy, Crime | 7.6 (118.9K votes) | 120 | 20211228 |
| Nothing But The TruthIn Washington, D.C., a reporter faces a possible jail sentence for outing a CIA agent and refusing to reveal her source. | 2008 | Rod Lurie | Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller | 7.2 (39.2K votes) | 108 | 20230806 |
| OppenheimerThe story of American scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. | 2023 | Christopher Nolan (*) | Biography, Drama, History | 8.5 (475.7K votes) | 180 | 20231109 |
| Paths of GloryAfter refusing to attack an enemy position, a general accuses the soldiers of cowardice and their commanding officer must defend them. | 1957 | Stanley Kubrick (*) | Drama, War | 8.4 (190.5K votes) | 88 | 20211228 |
| People vs. Larry Flynt, TheThe story of controversial pornography publisher Larry Flynt, and how he became a defender of free speech. | 1996 | Milos Forman (*) | Biography, Drama | 7.3 (92.9K votes) | 130 | 20211228 |
| PhiladelphiaWhen a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit. | 1993 | Jonathan Demme (*) | Drama | 7.7 (235.6K votes) | 125 | 20211228 |
| Primal FearAn altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep. | 1996 | Gregory Hoblit | Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller | 7.7 (205.1K votes) | 129 | 20211228 |
| Rainmaker, TheAn underdog lawyer takes on a fraudulent insurance company. | 1997 | Francis Ford Coppola (*) | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 7.2 (70.9K votes) | 135 | 20211228 |
| Reader, ThePost-WWII Germany: Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Berg re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a war-crime trial. | 2008 | Stephen Daldry | Drama, Romance | 7.6 (239.1K votes) | 124 | 20211228 |
| Reversal of FortuneWealthy Sunny von Bülow lies brain-dead, husband Claus guilty of attempted murder; but he says he's innocent and hires Alan Dershowitz for his appeal. | 1990 | Barbet Schroeder | Biography, Drama, Mystery | 7.2 (16.2K votes) | 111 | 20211228 |
| Roman J. Israel, Esq.Roman J. Israel, Esq., a driven, idealistic defense attorney, finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action. | 2017 | Dan Gilroy | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 6.5 (37.3K votes) | 122 | 20220415 |
| Runaway JuryA juror on the inside and a woman on the outside manipulate a court trial involving a major gun manufacturer. | 2003 | Gary Fleder | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 7.1 (95.5K votes) | 127 | 20211228 |
| Silenced [Do-ga-ni]Based on real events, this film depicts the story of a school for the hearing-impaired where young deaf students were sexually assaulted by the faculty members over a long period of time. | 2011 | Hwang Dong-hyuk | Drama | 8.1 (14.9K votes) | 125 | 20211228 |
| SleepersAfter a prank goes disastrously wrong, a group of boys are sent to a detention center where they are brutalized. Thirteen years later, an unexpected random encounter with a former guard gives them a chance for revenge. | 1996 | Barry Levinson (*) | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 7.6 (212.8K votes) | 147 | 20211228 |
| Soldiers Story, AAn African-American officer investigates a murder in a racially charged situation in World War II. | 1984 | Norman Jewison (*) | Crime, Drama, Mystery, War | 7.2 (9.8K votes) | 101 | 20211228 |
| Time to Kill, AIn Canton, Mississippi, a fearless young lawyer and his assistant defend a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his ten-year-old daughter, inciting violent retribution and revenge from the Ku Klux Klan. | 1996 | Joel Schumacher | Crime, Drama, Thriller | 7.5 (149.5K votes) | 149 | 20211228 |
| To Kill a MockingbirdAtticus Finch, a widowed lawyer in Depression-era Alabama, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his children against prejudice. | 1962 | Robert Mulligan (*) | Crime, Drama | 8.2 (308.4K votes) | 129 | 20211228 |
| Trial of the Chicago 7, TheThe story of 7 people on trial stemming from various charges surrounding the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. | 2020 | Aaron Sorkin | Drama, History, Thriller | 7.8 (163.9K votes) | 129 | 20211228 |
| Verdict, TheAn outcast, alcoholic Boston lawyer sees the chance to salvage his career and self-respect by taking a medical malpractice case to trial rather than settling. | 1982 | Sidney Lumet (*) | Drama | 7.7 (38.9K votes) | 129 | 20211228 |
| Witness For The ProsecutionA veteran British barrister must defend his client in a murder trial that has surprise after surprise. | 1957 | Billy Wilder (*) | Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller | 8.4 (119.8K votes) | 116 | 20211228 |
| Wrong Man, TheIn 1953, an innocent man named Christopher Emanuel "Manny" Balestrero is arrested after being mistaken for an armed robber. | 1956 | Alfred Hitchcock (*) | Drama, Film-Noir | 7.4 (27.7K votes) | 105 | 20211228 |
| You Dont Know JackA look at the life and work of doctor-assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian. | 2010 | Barry Levinson (*) | Biography, Drama | 7.6 (29.7K votes) | 134 | 20230728 |
| Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills | 1996 | Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Documentary, Crime | 8.2 (Unkn) | | Excluded |