GREAT COURTROOM MOVIES- PART 12

For centuries now, humanity has cried for justice in the hands of those infringing on their rights. This is so painful and touching and draws even more attention when no one can help. Such are the situations in courtroom films; they reflect real-life scenarios and actual struggles people go through in the hands of corrupt legal systems, regimes, and individuals. And this explains why the movies, despite being there for the longest time, will never cease being popular. The popularity of courtroom movies keeps growing because of the movie's riveting sensation. Although many people have thought that this genre is losing fame over the years, it's actually the reverse. Instead of losing popularity, the brand keeps growing. This also owes to the fact that these films address matters that affect people's life. Watching courtroom movies, movie buffs would remain stuck to their seats. Here are seven examples of great courtroom films a person would ever watch and enjoy.

Dark Waters (2019)

The film follows two parties, Robert Billot and DuPont, a chemical manufacturing corporation. In the movie, Robert sues the corporation for disposing of unregulated chemical wastes to the town, consequently polluting it. This happens when a hardworking and tenacious attorney comes across the increasing deaths of people and connects the dots, linking DuPont Corporations to the fiasco. As he exercises his advocacy roles, he realizes that there is more risk than just what the eye can see. His wife and children are all in danger.

Director: Todd Haynes.

Cast: The movie’s principal cast includes Mark Ruffalo (as Robert Bilott), Anne Hathaway (as Sarah Barlage Bilott), Tim Robbins (as Tom Terp), Bill Camp (as Wilbur Tennant), and Victor Garber (as Phil Donnelly).

Awards and Nominations: The film received many acclaimed. Caesar Awards nominated the movie for the Best Foreign Film. It also received the Best Feature Film Environmental Award. Other nominations include those from Hawaii Film Critics Society for Best Adapted Screenplay, in which Mario Correa and Matthew Michael Carnahan were nominated. The Satellite Awards also gave the film two award nominations, the Best Actor, Drama for Mark Ruffalo, and the Best Adapted Screenplay for Mario Correa, Matthew Michael Carnahan, and Nathaniel Rich.

Commercial Performance: The movie’s box office value is $23.1million. There is nothing about the movie’s budgetary figure hence no commercial performance rating.

Trivia: DowDuPont Company broke up, leading to the creation of DuPont Corporation. The new company faced setbacks, just like the former. Following the release of the Dark Waters film, DuPont's economic value went even lower. For instance, its stock price went low by 7.15points.

The Winslow Boy (1999)

The film's setting is based on sometimes before World War I. The audience sees a family that tries every possibility to defend the honor of the family and free their son. Mamet used Terrence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy that he wrote in 1946, to form the basis of the screenplay. The young man is accused of stealing postal orders. When this is found, the school sends him on expulsion. This information spreads fast across the street, making the boy have a taint on his name. If this is not solved, the boy’s image will be tainted consequently. The parents put forward every needed effort to salvage their son. Should their efforts bear fruits, the son will be cleared of the reproach. Besides, the family will have its honor once again.

Director: David Mamet is both the movie's scriptwriter and the director.

Cast: The movie’s main cast list included Nigel Hawthorne (as Arthur Winslow), Rebecca Pidgeon (as Catherine Winslow), Jeremy Northam (as Sir Robert Morton), and

Guy Edwards (as Ronnie Winslow).

Awards and Nominations: Critics recognized the movie for its great performance. The film received two awards; the Winner Best British Performance for Jeremy Northam at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. In addition, Jeremy Northam received the same Winner British Actor of the Year Award.

Commercial Performance: The Winslow Boy film reached a top box office value of $3,957,934. The information about how much was spent producing the film was not provided.

Trivia: The Winslow Boy movie has its inspiration on another true-life justice and legal affairs. It all starts when a boy is accused of stealing postal orders. Just like news would spread across the world fast, so did this case. The boy is on the verge of losing hope and being an outcast in the family. The parents work hard to set everything in the right perspective and protect the son. A steady lawyer is hired for this, and he helps the case win. The boy is proved innocent, and the family is compensated for tainting the image.

The Gingerbread Man (1998)

Plot: The Gingerbread film was based on a script that John Grisham wrote but discarded. It features a tenacious lawyer who develops strong hooking with a lady with whom he has a one-night stand. He thought it would end after the one-night thing. However, after it, he realizes he is so much attached to the lady. The lawyer chooses to keep the lady and decides to help her with some of her problems. The biggest challenge then is the lady’s lunatic father. The lawyer helps the lay and has the lunatic father committed. After this step, the father is taken to the asylum. The lady then gets to a break that’s only short-lived. As soon as the father is taken there, he finds his way out and heads for the couple. He is p to revenging.

Director: Robert Altman

Cast: the following are among the film’s principal actors; Kenneth Branagh (as Rick Magruder), Embeth Davidtz (as Mallory Doss), Robert Downey Jr. (as Clyde Pell), Tom Berenger (as Pete Randle, and Daryl Hannah (as Lois Harlan).

Awards and Nominations: there is no information about any awards or nominations The Gingerbread Man film received.

Commercial Performance: the movie was a commercial failure. The budgetary cost amounted to $25million. After premiering, the film attained a top box office value of $1,534,569. This was way below the film’s production budget.

Trivia: it’s so unfortunate that the movie ended up being a commercial and a critical failure. The box office vale fell way below the budget. The critics who had the chance to review the film gave it negative comments, some calling the movie a junk of fun. Even Rotten Tomatoes holds the film at a 59% approval rating using its 44revieers.

Before and After (1996)

Ted Tally used the 1992 Rosellen Brown’s Before and After novel to write the film’s script. The movie features a couple made up of a young doctor as the wife and an artist husband. The two live a good life until their son gets into trouble. A teen is called in the neighborhood, and the couple's son is the prime suspect in the killing. This incident opens up the personality difference in the couple that was concealed but is now an open secret. The boy's mother, the doctor, wants to know the truth of the matter. On the other hand, the artist, who is the father, just wants to protect the son. This is the case, whether the so is guilty or innocent. The family receives a call, and on the call, they say how much they love and care for Jacob, their son. Moved by this, Jacob reveals the truth, and it turns out that he actually killed the teen unwillingly. The mother and the son confess the truth, but the father does not want this. The son is sentenced to five years but released after two years on probation. The dad is sent to close to one year imprisonment for the intentional cover-up.

Director: Barbet Schroader served as the director and the producer of the film.

Cast: the movie’s cast included Meryl Streep (as Dr. Carolyn Ryan), Liam Neeson (as Ben Ryan), Edward Furlong (as Jacob Ryan), Julia Weldon (as Judith Ryan), and Alfred Molina (as Panos Demeris).

Awards and Nominations: the records reveal no awards or nominations by the film.

Commercial Performance: the movie did not do well in the market. Its production budget amounted to $35million. However, once it premiered worldwide, its top box office value amounted to $8,797,839. This was like a quarter of the film’s budgetary value.

Trivia: the movie had a long soundtrack. The track had a total of seventeen tracks, including Main Title (4:01), Searching for Clues (1:55), Destroying Evidence (3:04), Looking for Jacob (2:07), First Postcard (1:48), and Dr. Ryan (0:51).

Knock on Any Door (1949)

Knock on the Door film is based on Willard Motley’s novel, Knock on Any Door. John Monks and Daniel Taradash developed the movie’s script. The movie follows a lawyer who seeks to defend a juvenile delinquent. Years before, the delinquent had failed to successfully offer a defense. The lawyer offers to help this fellow who happens to be from his neighborhood. The juvenile delinquent has been accused of killing a policeman, and his lawyer seeks to defend him and push for his freedom.

Director: Nicholas Ray directed the movie.

Cast: the movie’s cast includes Humphrey Bogart (as Andrew Morton), John Derek (as Nick Romano), and George Macready (as Dist. Atty. Kerman).

Awards and Nominations: the records reveal no awards or nominations by the Knock on Any Door film.

Commercial Performance: the movie’s overall commercial realization added up to $2.3million. There is no information regarding how much was spent producing the movie.

Trivia: an adaptation arose following the production of Knock on Any Door. In 1960, a sequel to the film, Let No Man Write my Epitach, was produced. The film was based on the 1958 Willard Motley’s Let No Man Write My Epitaph novel.

The Juror (1996)

The Juror film is based on George Dawes Green's The Juror film. In the movie's center, the audience comes across a mother who is a juror and faces a death plot. It all starts when a mob boss is arrested, and one of the thugs forces her to move the jury into a not-guilty verdict. The thug threatens to kill the juror’s son if the boss is acquitted. The juror meets these requirements but realizes that the gang wants to silence her forever. She sends her son abroad and starts gathering evidence for the gang’s plot, unlocking a major shutdown for the gang.

Director: Brian Gibson was the film’s director.

Cast: the movie’s cast included Demi Moore (as Annie Laird), Alec Baldwin (as Vincent 'The Teacher'/Mark Cordell), and James Gandolfini (as Eddi).

Awards and Nominations: there is no information about the film’s awards and nominations.

Commercial Performance: the film grossed $22.7million against its $44million budgetary value. Although the figure isn’t quite low, it’s only slightly higher than half the movie’s budgetary value.

Trivia: the production team worked its best to produce the film in an astounding manner. Nonetheless, the film ended up being a commercial and critical failure. It seems like the film could be one of the movies with the lowest critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes’ site. The organization awarded the move an approval rating f 18%, and that's what stands at the moment.

12 (2007)

The film follows a trial in which a group of jurors must decide the course of a Chechen teenager who kills his stepfather. The father had been serving in the Russian army but died at the hands of his stepson. The final verdict will depend on several people, including a subway worker, a taxi driver, an entertainer, and a corporate executive.

Director: Nikita Mikhalkov served as the film's director and the scriptwriter.

Cast: the movie’s cast includes Sergei Makovetsky (1^st Juror), Nikita Mikhalkov (2^nd Juror), Sergei Garmash (3^rd Juror), and Valentin Gift (4^th Juror).

Awards and Nominations: 12 film was critically recognized. The Academy Awards nominated the movie for the Best Foreign Language award. The film also received the Golden Lion Award during the 64^th Venice International Festival. Critics praised the film during the festival and commented that the film was a confirmation of Mikhalkov's mastery in exploring and revealing his audience, with fantastic humanity and emotion, the complexity of existence.’

Commercial Performance: the movie was a commercial success. It grossed a total of $7.5million against its $2.5million budgetary figure.

Trivia: the film is a remake of the 12 Angry Men movie, which was remade from the Twelve Angry Men film.

Conclusion

Courtroom films are among the most popular movies. Besides being entertaining in nature, the films feature what happens in real-life situations. The genre is extensive and includes any movie with justice as the central theme. This article has shared some interesting seven films a person would ever watch.

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