::COURTROOM THRILLERS::
by Schwenkstar | created - 07 Nov 2015 | updated - 6 months ago | PublicTHE GIST OF THE LIST: Legal thrillers where most of the thrills comes from the trial process - whether it be the lawyer investigating the crime is client is accused of committing or the psychological game of cat-and-mouse in trying to bring a killer to justice.
[LISTED IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER]
OTHER LISTS:
CAMMANDO (MEN-ON-A-MISSION) THRILLERS
CON THRILLERS
COURTROOM THRILLERS
CULT EUROPEAN SUPERHERO MOVIES
DARK COMEDIES WITH PESKY CORPSES, BOTCHED KIDNAPPINGS, MURDEROUS BLUNDERS & ACCIDENTAL DEATHS
DEALS WITH THE DEVIL
DINNER PARTIES FROM HELL
DON'T PERFORM THE AUTOPSY! I'M NOT DEAD!
GOTHIC HORROR
HEIST THRILLERS
HEROIC BLOODSHED + BULLET BALLET + GUN-FU
HOLLYWOOD GIALLO (+ ITS OTHERS)
INNOCENT FUGITIVE ON-THE-RUN THRILLERS
ITALIAN GIALLO (+ ITS OTHERS)
LOCKED ROOM MYSTERIES + IMPOSSIBLE CRIMES
LO-FI SCI-FI
ONE ROOM THRILLERS
PARALLEL UNIVERSES, ALTERNATE REALITIES, FEVERISH DREAMS
POLICE PROCEDURALS
PRISON ESCAPE THRILLERS
RURAL-COUNTRY THRILLERS
THEOLOGICAL FILMS
THRILLING SHORT FILMS
THRILLING TV EPISODES
THRILLING TV MOVIES
UNKNOWN + UNAVAILABLE THRILLERS
VANISHED PERSON THRILLERS
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1. Fury (1936)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
When a wrongly-accused prisoner barely survives a lynch-mob attack and is presumed dead, he vindictively decides to fake his death and frame the mob for his supposed murder.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Sylvia Sidney, Spencer Tracy, Walter Abel, Bruce Cabot
Votes: 13,726
MY RATING: 8
2. They Won't Forget (1937)
Passed | 95 min | Drama, Film-Noir, Mystery
A politically ambitious district attorney, unscrupulous tabloid journalists, and regional prejudice combine to charge a teacher with the murder of his student.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Claude Rains, Gloria Dickson, Edward Norris, Otto Kruger
Votes: 1,941
MY RATING: 8
3. On Trial (1939)
Passed | 61 min | Drama
A husband is put on trial for murder and he is ready to take the rap, for he is trying to shield his wife from scandal, along with their six-year-old daughter. But the smart young attorney ... See full summary »
Director: Terry O. Morse | Stars: Margaret Lindsay, John Litel, Edward Norris, Janet Chapman
Votes: 79
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
4. The Letter (1940)
Not Rated | 95 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
The wife of a rubber plantation administrator shoots a man to death and claims it was self-defense, but a letter written in her own hand may prove her undoing.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, James Stephenson, Frieda Inescort
Votes: 14,593
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
5. The Ox-Bow Incident (1942)
Passed | 75 min | Drama, Western
When a posse captures three men suspected of killing a local farmer, they become strongly divided over whether or not to lynch the men.
Director: William A. Wellman | Stars: Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Anthony Quinn
Votes: 24,951 | Gross: $1.64M
MY RATING: 10
6. Il testimone (1946)
98 min | Crime, Drama
A man, standing trial for robbery with murder, faces the death penalty. The testimony of an old civil servant will be crucial.
Director: Pietro Germi | Stars: Roldano Lupi, Marina Berti, Ernesto Almirante, Sandro Ruffini
Votes: 255
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
7. Boomerang! (1947)
Passed | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
The true story of a prosecutor's fight to prove the innocence of a man accused of a notorious murder.
Director: Elia Kazan | Stars: Dana Andrews, Jane Wyatt, Lee J. Cobb, Cara Williams
Votes: 5,058
MY RATING: 7.5
8. The Paradine Case (1947)
Approved | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A happily married London barrister falls in love with the accused poisoner he is defending.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Gregory Peck, Ann Todd, Charles Laughton, Charles Coburn
Votes: 12,385
MY RATING: 7
9. They Won't Believe Me (1947)
Approved | 95 min | Drama, Film-Noir, Romance
On trial for murdering his girlfriend, philandering stockbroker Larry Ballentine takes the stand to claim his innocence and describe the actual, but improbable-sounding, sequence of events that led to her death.
Director: Irving Pichel | Stars: Robert Young, Susan Hayward, Jane Greer, Rita Johnson
Votes: 2,962
MY RATING: 7.5
10. The Winslow Boy (1948)
Not Rated | 117 min | Drama
In pre-WWI England, a youngster is expelled from a naval academy over a petty theft, and his parents raise a political furor by demanding a trial.
Director: Anthony Asquith | Stars: Robert Donat, Cedric Hardwicke, Basil Radford, Margaret Leighton
Votes: 1,812
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
11. Knock on Any Door (1949)
Passed | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
An attorney defends a hoodlum of murder, using the oppressiveness of the slums to appeal to the court.
Director: Nicholas Ray | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, John Derek, George Macready, Allene Roberts
Votes: 4,206
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
12. The File on Thelma Jordon (1949)
Passed | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Assistant district attorney Cleve Marshall falls for the mysterious Thelma Jordon when she seeks help solving robberies of her aunt's estate.
Director: Robert Siodmak | Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Wendell Corey, Paul Kelly, Joan Tetzel
Votes: 3,176
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
13. The People Against O'Hara (1951)
Passed | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Jim Curtayne, formerly a successful defense attorney who is now a recovering alcoholic, attempts a comeback when he defends a neighbor's son facing a homicide charge.
Director: John Sturges | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Pat O'Brien, Diana Lynn, John Hodiak
Votes: 1,539
MY RATING: 6.5
14. Count the Hours! (1953)
Passed | 76 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Lawyer defends migrant worker falsely accused of two murders.
Director: Don Siegel | Stars: Teresa Wright, Macdonald Carey, Dolores Moran, Adele Mara
Votes: 605
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
15. On Trial (1954)
110 min | Crime, Drama
In this legal drama, told in flashbacks, the son of a judge, who had sentenced a man who may be innocent to 17 years in prison, tries to investigate the mysterious case.
Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Daniel Gélin, Madeleine Robinson, Eleonora Rossi Drago, Anton Walbrook
Votes: 313
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
16. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956)
Not Rated | 80 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A novelist aided by his future father-in-law conspires to frame himself for the murder of a burlesque dancer as part of an effort to ban capital punishment.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Dana Andrews, Joan Fontaine, Sidney Blackmer, Arthur Franz
Votes: 5,899
MY RATING: 7
17. 12 Angry Men (1957)
Approved | 96 min | Crime, Drama
The 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.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler
Votes: 864,758 | Gross: $4.36M
MY RATING: 10
18. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Approved | 116 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A veteran British barrister must defend his client in a murder trial that has surprise after surprise.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester
Votes: 137,804 | Gross: $8.18M
MY RATING: 9
19. The Man Who Wouldn't Talk (1958)
Unrated | 85 min | Crime, Drama
A barrister (Anna Neagle) tries to defend her client, a U.S. scientist (Anthony Quayle), for killing his bride (Zsa Zsa Gabor), a U.S. spy.
Director: Herbert Wilcox | Stars: Anna Neagle, Anthony Quayle, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Katherine Kath
Votes: 226
MY RATING: 6.5
20. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Not Rated | 161 min | Drama, Mystery
An 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?
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O'Connell
Votes: 71,313 | Gross: $11.90M
MY RATING: 9
21. Compulsion (1959)
Approved | 103 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Two wealthy law-school students go on trial for murder in this version of the Leopold-Loeb case.
Director: Richard Fleischer | Stars: Orson Welles, Dean Stockwell, Diane Varsi, Bradford Dillman
Votes: 7,496
MY RATING: 7.5
22. Libel (1959)
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama, Mystery
A shell-shocked World War II veteran with memory problems is accused of being an impostor by a former comrade.
Director: Anthony Asquith | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Olivia de Havilland, Paul Massie, Robert Morley
Votes: 1,597
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
23. Inherit the Wind (1960)
Passed | 128 min | Biography, Drama, History
Based 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 Darwin's theory of evolution.
Director: Stanley Kramer | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York
Votes: 32,771
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
24. The Truth (1960)
Not Rated | 127 min | Drama
A liberated small-town girl and the family's black sheep moves to Paris with her sister, only to find herself standing trial for the shocking murder of her young lover. Was his killing premeditated or was this a crime of passion?
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot | Stars: Brigitte Bardot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel, Sami Frey
Votes: 4,455
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
25. Blind Justice (1961)
97 min | Drama
A prosecuting attorney torments himself with his obsessive pursuit of a closed case.
Director: Harald Philipp | Stars: Peter van Eyck, Marianne Koch, Eva Bartok, Claus Holm
Votes: 37
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
26. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
Approved | 179 min | Drama, War
In 1948, an American court in occupied Germany tries four Nazis judged for war crimes.
Director: Stanley Kramer | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich
Votes: 85,459
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
27. Town Without Pity (1961)
Approved | 105 min | Crime, Drama
Four American soldiers stationed near a German village face death in the rape of a local girl, and are defended by outside counsel Major Steve Garrett.
Director: Gottfried Reinhardt | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Barbara Rütting, Christine Kaufmann, E.G. Marshall
Votes: 1,981
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
28. A Wife Confesses (1961)
91 min | Drama, Mystery
Ayako is charged with murdering her much older academic husband while climbing a mountain. Ayako was having an affair, apparently with her husband's approval, and this complicates the trial.
Director: Yasuzô Masumura | Stars: Ayako Wakao, Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Eitarô Ozawa, Haruko Mabuchi
Votes: 757
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
29. The Young Savages (1961)
Not Rated | 103 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A district attorney investigates three white teenagers accused of murdering a blind Puerto Rican kid.
Director: John Frankenheimer | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Dina Merrill, Edward Andrews, Vivian Nathan
Votes: 2,935
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
30. The Boys (1962)
123 min | Crime, Drama
In 1962 London, four troublesome teenagers are charged by the police with robbing a garage and murdering the night watchman.
Director: Sidney J. Furie | Stars: Richard Todd, Robert Morley, Dudley Sutton, Ronald Lacey
Votes: 655
MY RATING: 7.5
31. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Approved | 129 min | Crime, Drama
Atticus Finch, a widowed lawyer in Depression-era Alabama, defends a Black man against an undeserved rape charge, and tries to educate his young children against prejudice.
Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Gregory Peck, John Megna, Frank Overton, Rosemary Murphy
Votes: 332,808
MY RATING: 10
32. King & Country (1964)
Not Rated | 86 min | Drama, War
During World War I, Army Private Arthur James Hamp is accused of desertion during battle. The officer assigned to defend him at his court-martial, Captain Hargreaves, finds out there is more to the case than meets the eye.
Director: Joseph Losey | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Tom Courtenay, Leo McKern, Barry Foster
Votes: 2,488
MY RATING: 8
33. Ready for the People (1964 TV Movie)
57 min | Crime, Drama
Director: Buzz Kulik | Stars: Simon Oakland, Everett Sloane, Anne Helm, Richard Jordan
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
34. The Most Wonderful Evening of My Life (1972)
106 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
A salesman chasing by car a beautiful female biker in order to flirt finds a castle where he is accused in a game trial for murder.
Director: Ettore Scola | Stars: Alberto Sordi, Michel Simon, Charles Vanel, Claude Dauphin
Votes: 863
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
35. The Man in the Glass Booth (1975)
PG | 117 min | Drama
Mossad agents kidnap an American Jewish man, accuse him of being a fugitive Nazi war criminal and take him to Jerusalem to face trial for genocide.
Director: Arthur Hiller | Stars: Maximilian Schell, Lois Nettleton, Lawrence Pressman, Luther Adler
Votes: 1,482
MY RATING: 7
36. Special Section (1975)
PG | 110 min | Drama, History, Thriller
In occupied France during World War II a German officer is murdered. The collaborationist Vichy government decides to pin the murder on six petty criminals. Loyal judges are called in to convict them as quickly as possible.
Director: Costa-Gavras | Stars: Louis Seigner, Roland Bertin, Michael Lonsdale, Ivo Garrani
Votes: 1,591
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
37. The Gorgon Case (1977)
137 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
One of the most talked-about trials in 1930s Polish press. Housekeeper Rita Gorgon, who has an affair with her employer, is accused of murdering his teenage daughter.
Director: Janusz Majewski | Stars: Ewa Dalkowska, Aleksander Bardini, Mariusz Dmochowski, Andrzej Lapicki
Votes: 228
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
38. The Incident (1978)
138 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The body of Sakai Hatsuko, a woman of 23 who has been slain with a knife, has been found in a forest. Some days later, Ueda Hiroshi, a 19-year-old shipyard worker, is arrested and charged ... See full summary »
Director: Yoshitarô Nomura | Stars: Keiko Matsuzaka, Shinobu Ôtake, Toshiyuki Nagashima, Tsunehiko Watase
Votes: 167
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
39. The Onion Field (1979)
R | 126 min | Crime, Drama
An LA police officer is murdered in the onion fields outside of Bakersfield. However, legal loopholes could keep his kidnappers from receiving justice, and his partner is haunted by overwhelming survivor's guilt.
Director: Harold Becker | Stars: John Savage, James Woods, Franklyn Seales, Ted Danson
Votes: 5,762 | Gross: $9.89M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
40. Breaker Morant (1980)
PG | 107 min | Drama, History, War
Three Australian lieutenants are court martialed for executing prisoners as a way of deflecting attention from war crimes committed by their superior officers.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, John Waters, Bryan Brown
Votes: 14,429 | Gross: $7.14M
MY RATING: 8.5
41. The Deadly Game (1982 TV Movie)
112 min | Thriller
Retired Lawyers amuse themselves by prosecuting, defending and judging a hapless traveler.
Director: George Schaefer | Stars: George Segal, Trevor Howard, Robert Morley, Emlyn Williams
Votes: 144
MY RATING: 8
42. Suspicion (1982)
127 min | Drama, Crime, Mystery
The story follow a court case of a woman accused of having killed her husband.
Director: Yoshitarô Nomura | Stars: Kaori Momoi, Shima Iwashita, Akira Emoto, Akihiko Hanyû
Votes: 202
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
43. The Verdict (1982)
R | 129 min | Drama
An 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.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason
Votes: 45,966 | Gross: $54.00M
MY RATING: 8.5
44. Jagged Edge (1985)
R | 108 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A 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.
Director: Richard Marquand | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Glenn Close, Peter Coyote, Robert Loggia
Votes: 16,800 | Gross: $40.50M
MY RATING: 7
45. The Unwritten Law (1985)
102 min | Crime
A low-class prostitute is being framed to murder a young, rich businessman.
Director: See-Yuen Ng | Stars: Andy Lau, Deannie Ip, Kit Ying Lam, Yau-Hau Chan
Votes: 172
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
46. Nuts (1987)
R | 116 min | Drama, Thriller
A high-class call girl accused of murder fights for the right to stand trial rather than be declared mentally incompetent.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Richard Dreyfuss, Maureen Stapleton, Karl Malden
Votes: 7,591 | Gross: $30.95M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
47. Suspect (1987)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When a homeless man is accused of murdering a Justice Department file clerk, a public defender is tasked with mounting his legal defense.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Cher, Dennis Quaid, Liam Neeson, John Mahoney
Votes: 11,677 | Gross: $18.78M
MY RATING: 7.5
48. The Accused (1988)
R | 111 min | Crime, Drama
After 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.
Director: Jonathan Kaplan | Stars: Kelly McGillis, Jodie Foster, Bernie Coulson, Leo Rossi
Votes: 40,010 | Gross: $32.07M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
49. Criminal Law (1988)
R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A Boston defense attorney gets his wealthy client off for murder, then suspects him of killing again.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Tess Harper, Karen Young
Votes: 4,618 | Gross: $9.97M
MY RATING: 6
50. A Cry in the Dark (1988)
PG-13 | 120 min | Biography, Drama
A mother whose child was killed in a dingo attack in the Australian Outback fights to prove her innocence when she is accused of murder.
Director: Fred Schepisi | Stars: Meryl Streep, Sam Neill, Dale Reeves, David Hoflin
Votes: 11,204 | Gross: $6.91M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
51. The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Crime
A film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas.
Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Randall Adams, David Harris, Gus Rose, Jackie Johnson
Votes: 25,925 | Gross: $1.21M
MY RATING: 10
52. The Truth (1988)
118 min | Drama, Thriller
Orphaned lawyer Lau Chi Pang discovers his birth mother is a drug addict and accused of murdering a bad cop.
Director: Taylor Wong | Stars: Andy Lau, Deannie Ip, Fui-On Shing, Kathy Chow
Votes: 173
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
53. Music Box (1989)
PG-13 | 124 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A lawyer defends her father accused of war crimes, but there is more to the case than she suspects.
Director: Costa-Gavras | Stars: Jessica Lange, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Frederic Forrest, Donald Moffat
Votes: 8,660 | Gross: $6.26M
MY RATING: 7
54. Physical Evidence (1989)
R | 99 min | Crime, Mystery, Romance
A police officer suspended and now accused of murder is forced to join forces with his court-appointed attorney to assemble the pieces of a deadly puzzle to find the missing link before time runs out.
Director: Michael Crichton | Stars: Burt Reynolds, Theresa Russell, Ned Beatty, Kay Lenz
Votes: 2,092 | Gross: $3.56M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
55. True Believer (1989)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A cynical former civil liberties attorney now reduced to "specializing" in defending drug dealers becomes transformed by an eight-year-old murder case.
Director: Joseph Ruben | Stars: James Woods, Robert Downey Jr., Margaret Colin, Yuji Okumoto
Votes: 5,430 | Gross: $8.74M
MY RATING: 8
56. Presumed Innocent (1990)
R | 127 min | Mystery, Thriller
As a lawyer investigates the murder of a colleague, he finds himself more connected to the crime than anyone else.
Director: Alan J. Pakula | Stars: Harrison Ford, Raul Julia, Greta Scacchi, Brian Dennehy
Votes: 45,778 | Gross: $86.30M
MY RATING: 7.5
57. Blood Oath (1990)
R | 108 min | Drama, War
The island of Ambon in Indonesia, 1945. During the War, the number of Australian POWs on the island had dropped from 1100 to less than 300 due to abuses by their Japanese captors. Capt. ... See full summary »
Director: Stephen Wallace | Stars: Bryan Brown, George Takei, Terry O'Quinn, John Bach
Votes: 959
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
58. Reversal of Fortune (1990)
R | 111 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
Wealthy 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.
Director: Barbet Schroeder | Stars: Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Ron Silver, Annabella Sciorra
Votes: 18,766 | Gross: $15.45M
MY RATING: 7.5
59. Class Action (1991)
R | 110 min | Drama, Thriller
An attorney representing a traumatized accident victim finds that his opponent is a very familiar defense attorney - his own daughter.
Director: Michael Apted | Stars: Gene Hackman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Colin Friels, Joanna Merlin
Votes: 8,316 | Gross: $24.28M
MY RATING: 6
60. Let Him Have It (1991)
R | 115 min | Crime, Drama, History
This drama reveals the controversial postwar 1950's London murder trial that sent an intellectually challenged young man to the gallows for a murder he did not commit.
Director: Peter Medak | Stars: Tom Courtenay, Christopher Eccleston, Eileen Atkins, Rebecca Eccleston
Votes: 3,800
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
61. A Few Good Men (1992)
R | 138 min | Drama, Thriller
Military lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder. They contend they were acting under orders.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon
Votes: 287,254 | Gross: $141.34M
MY RATING: 8
62. Brother's Keeper (1992)
R | 104 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery
This compelling documentary details the strange-but-true murder trial of Delbert Ward, accused of the mercy killing of his brother in rural upstate NY. This real-life murder mystery won the Audience Award at Sundance.
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Stars: Delbert Ward, Roscoe Ward, Lyman Ward, Walt Geisler
Votes: 4,281 | Gross: $1.31M
MY RATING: 8
63. The Firm (1993)
R | 154 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A young lawyer joins a prestigious law firm only to discover that it has a sinister dark side.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook
Votes: 147,662 | Gross: $158.35M
MY RATING: 7
64. Guilty as Sin (1993)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A female lawyer takes an accused wife-murderer as a client, but finds herself morally compelled to betray him one way or another.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Rebecca De Mornay, Don Johnson, Stephen Lang, Jack Warden
Votes: 5,850 | Gross: $22.89M
MY RATING: 6
65. The Pelican Brief (1993)
PG-13 | 141 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A law student uncovers a conspiracy, putting herself and others in danger.
Director: Alan J. Pakula | Stars: Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard, John Heard
Votes: 95,954 | Gross: $100.77M
MY RATING: 7
66. The Client (1994)
PG-13 | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A young boy who witnessed the suicide of a mafia lawyer hires an attorney to protect him when the District Attorney tries to use him to take down a mob family.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Renfro, Mary-Louise Parker
Votes: 73,651 | Gross: $92.12M
MY RATING: 6
67. Trial by Jury (1994)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Valerie is a juror in the trial of a mob boss. When her young son's life is threatened, she has no option other than to see that justice isn't done.
Director: Heywood Gould | Stars: Joanne Whalley, Armand Assante, Gabriel Byrne, William Hurt
Votes: 2,068 | Gross: $6.97M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
68. Murder in the First (1995)
R | 122 min | Drama, Thriller
An 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.
Director: Marc Rocco | Stars: Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman, Embeth Davidtz
Votes: 30,671 | Gross: $17.38M
MY RATING: 6.5
69. A Time to Kill (1996)
R | 149 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
In 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.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey
Votes: 181,611 | Gross: $108.77M
MY RATING: 6
70. The Chamber (1996)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young man fresh out of law school tries to win a reprieve for his racist grandfather who is on death row.
Director: James Foley | Stars: Chris O'Donnell, Gene Hackman, Faye Dunaway, Robert Prosky
Votes: 16,127 | Gross: $14.55M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
71. Primal Fear (1996)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep.
Director: Gregory Hoblit | Stars: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton, John Mahoney
Votes: 246,970 | Gross: $56.12M
MY RATING: 8
72. 12 Angry Men (1997 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 117 min | Crime, Drama
Twelve men must decide the fate of one when one juror objects to the jury's decision.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Jack Lemmon, George C. Scott, Hume Cronyn, Ossie Davis
Votes: 17,030
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
73. Amistad (1997)
R | 155 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 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 free.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Djimon Hounsou, Matthew McConaughey, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman
Votes: 82,758 | Gross: $44.18M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
74. The Rainmaker (1997)
PG-13 | 135 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
An underdog lawyer takes on a fraudulent insurance company.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Claire Danes, Jon Voight
Votes: 82,860 | Gross: $45.86M
MY RATING: 7
75. Red Corner (1997)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
An American attorney on business in China is wrongfully arrested and put on trial for murder, with a female defense lawyer from the country the only key to proving his innocence.
Director: Jon Avnet | Stars: Richard Gere, Bai Ling, Bradley Whitford, Byron Mann
Votes: 18,304 | Gross: $22.42M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
76. A Civil Action (1998)
PG-13 | 115 min | Biography, Drama
A tenacious lawyer takes on a case involving two companies responsible for causing several children to be diagnosed with leukemia due to the town's water supply being contaminated, at the risk of bankrupting his firm and career.
Director: Steven Zaillian | Stars: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Kathleen Quinlan, Tony Shalhoub
Votes: 31,080 | Gross: $56.71M
MY RATING: 7.5
77. The Hurricane (1999)
R | 146 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and the people who aided in his fight to prove his innocence.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Denzel Washington, Vicellous Shannon, Deborah Kara Unger, Liev Schreiber
Votes: 102,448 | Gross: $50.67M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
78. Keiho (1999)
133 min | Crime, Drama
Masaki Shibata Sinichi is a theater actor who murders a man and his wife. Masaki confesses the crime and alleges that the reason for it was that the woman, five months pregnant, had ... See full summary »
Director: Yoshimitsu Morita | Stars: Kyôka Suzuki, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Ittoku Kishibe, Naoki Sugiura
Votes: 217
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
79. Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)
PG-13 | 127 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A Japanese-American fisherman is accused of killing his neighbor at sea. In the 1950s, race figures into the trial. So does reporter Ishmael.
Director: Scott Hicks | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Max von Sydow, Yûki Kudô, Reeve Carney
Votes: 14,561 | Gross: $14.38M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
80. The Winslow Boy (1999)
G | 104 min | Drama, Romance
Following the theft of a postal order, a 14-year-old cadet is expelled from Naval College. To save the honour of the boy and his family, the pre-eminent barrister of the day is engaged to take on the might of the Admiralty.
Director: David Mamet | Stars: Rebecca Pidgeon, Jeremy Northam, Nigel Hawthorne, Matthew Pidgeon
Votes: 9,449 | Gross: $3.96M
MY RATING: 7
81. Rules of Engagement (2000)
R | 128 min | Drama, Thriller, War
An attorney defends an officer on trial for ordering his troops to fire on civilians after they stormed a U.S. embassy in a Middle Eastern country.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 50,315 | Gross: $61.34M
MY RATING: 7
82. Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001)
Not Rated | 111 min | Documentary, Crime
Oscar-winning documentary that documents a murder trial in which a 15-year-old African-American is wrongfully accused of a 2000 murder in Jacksonville, Florida.
Director: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade | Stars: Ann Finnell, Patrick McGuinness, James Williams, Michael Glover
Votes: 4,515
MY RATING: 9
83. Hart's War (2002)
R | 125 min | Drama, War
A law student becomes a lieutenant during World War II, is captured and asked to defend a black prisoner of war falsely accused of murder.
Director: Gregory Hoblit | Stars: Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard, Cole Hauser
Votes: 55,310 | Gross: $19.08M
MY RATING: 6
84. High Crimes (2002)
PG-13 | 115 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A successful lawyer's husband is arrested for murdering nine villagers in El Salvador in 1988 as a US soldier under a different name. She decides to defend him in military court and find out the truth about what happened.
Director: Carl Franklin | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Adam Scott
Votes: 48,213 | Gross: $41.54M
MY RATING: 6
85. Runaway Jury (2003)
PG-13 | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A juror on the inside and a woman on the outside manipulate a court trial involving a major gun manufacturer.
Director: Gary Fleder | Stars: John Cusack, Rachel Weisz, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman
Votes: 104,570 | Gross: $49.44M
MY RATING: 6
86. Reversible Errors (2004 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 173 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A corporate lawyer's interest in a decade-old murder case is piqued by a new confession that could clear the convicted killer, who sits on death row.
Director: Mike Robe | Stars: William H. Macy, Tom Selleck, Monica Potter, Felicity Huffman
Votes: 814
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
87. The Staircase (2004–2018)
TV-MA | 629 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
The high-profile murder trial of American novelist Michael Peterson following the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001.
Stars: Michael Peterson, David Rudolf, Ron Guerette, Martha Ratliff
Votes: 27,198
MY RATING: 8.5
88. Find Me Guilty (2006)
R | 125 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime
In 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.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Vin Diesel, Peter Dinklage, Ron Silver, Alex Rocco
Votes: 36,236 | Gross: $1.17M
MY RATING: 7
89. Heavens Fall (2006)
PG-13 | 105 min | Crime, Drama
Two young women accuse nine black youths of rape in the segregated South.
Director: Terry Green | Stars: Timothy Hutton, David Strathairn, Leelee Sobieski, Anthony Mackie
Votes: 1,462
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
90. The Trials of Darryl Hunt (2006)
PG-13 | 106 min | Documentary, Crime
"The Trials of Darryl Hunt" is a feature documentary about a brutal rape/murder case and a wrongly convicted man, Darryl Hunt, who spent nearly twenty years in prison for a crime he did not... See full summary »
Directors: Ricki Stern, Anne Sundberg | Stars: Evelyn Jefferson, Fred Flagler, John Reeves, Mary Anne Sheboy
Votes: 1,081 | Gross: $0.00M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
91. 12 (2007)
PG-13 | 159 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Twelve jurors must decide the fate of a Chechen adolescent charged with murdering his stepfather.
Director: Nikita Mikhalkov | Stars: Sergey Makovetskiy, Sergey Garmash, Apti Magamaev, Nikita Mikhalkov
Votes: 15,360 | Gross: $0.13M
MY RATING: 8.5
92. Fracture (2007)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After shooting his wife, Ted confesses his crime and asks the court to move his case to trial. He represents himself against Willy, a successful lawyer. But there's more to the case than meets the eye.
Director: Gregory Hoblit | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike
Votes: 218,871 | Gross: $39.02M
MY RATING: 7
93. Michael Clayton (2007)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A 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.
Director: Tony Gilroy | Stars: George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Michael O'Keefe
Votes: 174,046 | Gross: $49.03M
MY RATING: 9.5
94. Seven Days (2007)
Not Rated | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A successful lawyer who, in order to save her daughter, is pressured into defending the innocence of a man slated to receive the death penalty.
Director: Won Shin-yeon | Stars: Yunjin Kim, Kim Mi-sook, Park Hee-soon, Choi Moo-seong
Votes: 2,017
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
95. Criminal Justice (2008–2009)
Not Rated | 584 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Drama series following people accused of crimes and their journey through the British Criminal Justice System.
Stars: Ben Whishaw, Maxine Peake, Bill Paterson, Alice Sykes
Votes: 2,105
MY RATING: 6.5
96. Nothing But the Truth (I) (2008)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In Washington, D.C., a reporter faces a possible jail sentence for outing a CIA agent and refusing to reveal her source.
Director: Rod Lurie | Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Vera Farmiga, Angela Bassett
Votes: 39,848 | Gross: $0.00M
MY RATING: 5
97. The Reader (2008)
R | 124 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
Post-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.
Director: Stephen Daldry | Stars: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Bruno Ganz, Jeanette Hain
Votes: 259,807 | Gross: $34.19M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
98. The Conspirator (2010)
PG-13 | 122 min | Crime, Drama, History
Mary Surratt is the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. As the whole nation turns against her, she is forced to rely on her reluctant lawyer to uncover the truth and save her life.
Director: Robert Redford | Stars: Robin Wright, James McAvoy, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin Kline
Votes: 29,997 | Gross: $11.54M
MY RATING: NOT VIEWED
99. The Client (2011)
Not Rated | 123 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Elite attorney Kang Seong-Hee goes up against a top prosecutor over a case involving a man accused of killing his wife.
Director: Young-Sung Sohn | Stars: Ha Jung-woo, Park Hee-soon, Jang Hyuk, Sung Dong-il
Votes: 1,978
MY RATING: 7
100. The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A lawyer defending a wealthy man begins to believe his client is guilty of more than just one crime.
Director: Brad Furman | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy
Votes: 253,732 | Gross: $58.01M
MY RATING: 7.5
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