5 Top Movies Depicting the Court System

by Lewis Robinson

The subject of law and legal matters affects many people throughout their lives. For example, some may have to go to small-claims courts to recoup a limited financial loss. In contrast, others may find themselves in litigation when disagreements occur in business matters or personal situations such as divorce proceedings. Because many have had contact with the courts, the subject of law often finds its way into popular feature films because many audience-goers can relate to the topic in various ways. Although many motion pictures focus on the law, five movies represent the pinnacle of success in depicting the court system.

1. The Verdict

Paul Newman stars as Frank Galvin, a washed-up lawyer with alcohol struggles who gets a final chance at winning a lawsuit in this marvelous feature film from 1982. Directed by Sidney Lumet with a screenplay by David Mamet, Galvin's work on a medical malpractice claim shows lawyers' difficulties in procuring evidence and presenting it compellingly before a judge in court. In addition, while court employees such as a court reporter Phoenix and others might be significant players in the plots, there are other depictions in pictures where these characters might be absent. For instance, this motion picture focuses strongly on the judge and jury as Gilroy seeks justice. Quite a realistic film nominated for several awards, the movie provides a classic underdog story with a hero that deeply draws the audience into the tale.

2. My Cousin Vinny

Courtroom portrayals tend toward the grave and not comic, but in this example from 1992, comedy ensues as two New Yorkers become prime murder suspects for a crime committed in the South but which they did not commit. Vinny, portrayed by Joe Pesci, a just-barely licensed New York lawyer, comes to defend them, much to the chagrin of the Southern community that hosts the court proceedings. 

3. Philadelphia

Tom Hanks gives a heartbreaking portrayal of gay lawyer Andrew Beckett, who suffers from illness associated with AIDS, and whose company fires him when they find out about his sickness in the 1993 blockbuster. Denzel Washington stars as lawyer Joe Miller, who agrees to represent Beckett in what they anticipate will become a complicated courtroom proceeding. Tom Hanks won a significant award for Best Actor and Bruce Springsteen, who wrote music for the film, won top honors in the Best Original Song category.

4. To Kill A Mockingbird

Award-winning actor Gregory Peck stars as lawyer Atticus Finch in a movie based on Harper Lee's novel. Finch serves as the legal representative of a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman in a small rural poverty-stricken Southern town during the 1930s, when racism reigns. A sense of justice and a belief in fair treatment for all make Finch the perfect choice to defend someone who finds himself in court with highly unfavorable odds as to the case's outcome.

5. 12 Angry Men

The jury's role in a homicide case becomes the central focus in this story that began life as a teleplay and stage play before being later turned into the film version. The judge gives twelve jurors the task of deciding whether the accused teenage defendant killed his abusive father. Although all the jurors agree on his guilt at the beginning of the motion picture, one of the jurors holds out and gives compelling reasons why the boy might not have committed the crime. Henry Fonda stars as Juror #8 in this feature film from 1957, providing a gripping look inside the logic and emotions that often come into sharp focus behind closed doors in the juror's room. 

Courtroom movies offer many hours of fascinating and informative entertainment. Furthermore, viewers can learn much about the workings of the court system through watching films about courtroom proceedings.