Great Courtroom Movies - Part 3
Posted on 1 Apr 00:00
Courtroom films are suspenseful and keep the audience glued to the screen for every bit of courtroom drama. It's either the plaintiff or the defendant crying out for justice and hanging on to hope. The witnesses being the least predictable when it comes to a verdict. Many times the defendant's fate may be loosely hanging on just a single witness. Because of all of the above and more, courtroom movies are worth the watch; they rarely disappoint.
Plot: 'Young Mr. Lincoln' depicts the life of Abraham Lincoln. The film chronicles how hard the life of young Lincoln was. Born in poverty, Lincoln really wants to pursue law. However, the odds seem against him. However, he takes encouragement from Anne Rutledge, his ill-fated love, to pursue a career in law. He travels to Illinois to begin his career journey. After Anne Rutledge dies, Abraham Lincoln settles for a small law firm establishment in Springfield, where he practices law. One of the situations that prove tempting and tough in his course of practicing law is when he must defend two brothers who face allegations of murder.
Director: John Ford.
Main Cast: 'Young Mr. Lincoln' has a large cast including Henry Fonda (as Abraham Lincoln), Alice Brady (as Abigail Clay in the final film role), Marjorie Weaver (as Mary Todd), Arleen Whelan (as Sarah Clay), and Eddie Collins (as Efe Turner).
Commercial Performance: This film’s budget was $1,500,000. There is no information about how much the movie grossed.
Awards and Nominations: This film was critically acclaimed, with many critics praised its great performance. The US Library of Congress deemed the film culturally, aesthetically, and historically fit and chose it to be preserved in the National Film Registry. In 1939, the film won two awards from the National Board of Reviews, the NBR Award for Top ten films, and another NBR Award for Best Actor (Henry Fonda). The Academy Awards nominated Lamar Trotti for the Best Writing, Original Screenplay Oscar. The National Film Critics Circle also nominated Henry Fonda for the Best Actor Award.
Trivia: 'Young Mr. Lincoln' proved to be a great movie from which several adaptations were made. A book entitled 'Lincoln In Love' inspired a play.
Plot: This movie keeps his HIV diagnosis concealed from his employers. When he eventually receives his dismissal, the lawyer opts for a homophobic lawyer to defend his case. As the case develops, a bond of mutual respect and admiration is formed between the two.
Director: Jonathan Demme directed the film from the script that was written by Ron Nyswaner.
Main Cast: Philadelphia film’s principal cast consisted of Tom Hanks (as Andrew ‘Andy’ Beckett, Denzel Washington (as Joe Miller), Jason Robards (as Charles Wheeler), Mary Steenburgen (as Belinda Conine), and Antonio Banderas (as Miguel Álvarez).
Commercial Performance: Philadelphia was a tremendous commercial success. The movie was produced on a budget of $26 million but grossed $206.7 million after premiering.
Awards and Nominations: Critics applauded this film and performances. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie an 80% approval rating, while Metacritic gave it a 66 out of 100 average ratings. Tom Hanks won the Best Actor Academy Award, while Bruce Springsteen won the Best Original Song Oscar. The movie also won two ASCAP Awards for Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures (Bruce Springsteen) and Top Box Office Films (Howard Shore). During the 37th Grammy Awards, Bruce Springsteen won several awards, including Song of the Year, for the Streets of Philadelphia, Best Rock Song, Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television, and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.
Trivia: History reveals a lot about where the film’s inspiration came from. Attorneys Geoffrey Bowers and Clarence Cain faced a similar situation as in this film. In 1987, Bowers hired the Mackenzie Law Firm to sue for wrongfully dismissing him. Cain worked for Hyatt Legal Services, but lost his job when his employer learned that Cain was suffering from HIV/AIDS. Just before his death in 1990, he won the case and successfully sued Hyatt.
3. Fury (1936)
Plot: This film features a young, innocent man who almost dies at the hands of a lynch mob that beat him close to death. After this atrocity, the innocent man seeks revenge. Things go bad when the man is en route to see his fiancée and is suddenly accused of kidnapping a child. While held in jail, a mob burns him and the building. Rainbow, the man's dog, dies in the process. The the man is set free. The perpetrators cover for each other. However, the prosecutor uses newsreel footage to determine who is guilty by providing hard evidence of more than twenty people caught in the scene.
Director: This film was directed by Fritz Lang.
Main Cast: The movie’s cast included Sylvia Sidney (as Katherine Grant), Spencer Tracy (as Joe Wilson), Walter Abel (as District Attorney), and Bruce Cabot (as Kirby Dawson).
Commercial Performance: 'Fury' performed well commercially. Its production cost $604,000, the movie grossed $1.3 million.
Awards and Nominations: The National Board of Reviews awarded the movie the Top Ten Films Award. The US Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry for being esthetically, historically, and culturally fit. The National Film Critics Circle Awards nominated the movie for three awards, Best Actor (Spencer Tracy), Best Film, and Best Director (Fritz Lang).
Trivia: 'Fury' has one aspect of controversy not known by many people. As the movie ends, a typical Hollywood ending is required by norms of the day with the film ending in a kiss against director Lang’s wish.
4. …and justice for all (1979)
Plot: This film is satirical in nature and features miscarriages in justice. The movie’s protagonist is a lawyer who often finds himself offering defense for clients involved in corruption and other questionable situations. In one particular case, he must defend a judge who has been accused of rape. The two loathe each other. The judge believes this will look good for the him being defended by an enemy. But things don't go as planned.
Director: Norman Jewison .
Main Cast: This film’s cast included Al Pacino (as Arthur Kirkland), Jack Warden (as Judge Francis Rayford), John Forsythe (as Judge Henry T. Fleming), Lee Strasberg (as Sam Kirkland), and Jeffrey Tambor (as Jay Porter).
Commercial Performance: This film performed well commercially. Its budget was $4 million. After its premiere, it grossed $33.3 million.
Awards and Nominations: The Academy Award nominated the movie for two awards, Best Original Screenplay (Curtin and Levinson) and Best Leading Actor (Pacino).
Plot: This film was adapted from the 1978 Kenneth G. Ross' 'Breaker Morant' play. The setting alludes to 19th century wartime. During this period, many unlawful actions were committed by people in authority, and that's is chronicled in the movie. It depicts the court-martial for two lieutenants who, under the order of their commander, committed the atrocity of murder.
Director: Bruce Beresford co-wrote the film’s script and directed the movie.
Main Cast: This film featured a large cast, and the principal cast included Edward Woodward (as Lt. Harry ‘Breaker Morant), Bryan Brown (as Lt. Peter Handcock), and Lewis Fitz-Gerald (as Lt. George Ramsdale Witton).
Commercial Performance: 'Breaker Morant' did not perform well commercially. It grossed 43.5 million with a budget of $4.7m.
Awards and Nominations: Based on 23 critics, Rotten Tomatoes awarded the film a 100% approval rating. Other critics also lauded the film. The Academy Awards nominated it for Best Adapted Screenplay. AACTA Awards awarded the film five awards, including Best Film, Best Direction (Bruce Beresford), Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted (Jonathan Hardy, David Stevens, and Bruce Beresford), and Best Actor (Jack Thompson).
Plot: 'Primal Fear' was adapted from the novel by William Diehl. The film begins with the murder of an influential Catholic archbishop. The main suspect in the murder case is the archbishop’s altar boy. The film now focuses on how a devoted and compassionate attorney defends the altar boy in his case.
Director: Gregory Hoblit.
Main Cast: This movie’s principal cast includes Richard Gere (as Martin Vail), Edward Norton (as Aaron Stampler/Roy), Laura Linney (as Janet Venable), and John Mahoney (as John Shaughnessy).
Commercial Performance: 'Primal Fear' did well in the market. It was produced on a budget of $30 million. After premiering, the film grossed $102.3million.
Awards and Nominations: Edward Norton received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Edward Norton won several Best Supporting Actor awards from several organizations, including Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards, Golden Globe Awards, National Society of Film Critics Awards, Society of Texas Film Critics Awards, Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards, and Saturn Awards among others.
Plot: This film setting is the Cold War. It chronicles the events surrounding a lawyer who must petition and orchestrate the release of an US Air Force pilot from the Soviet Union whose spy plane was shot down.
Director: Steven Spielberg co-produced and directed 'Bridge of Spies'.
Main Cast: This movie’s principal cast includes Tom Hanks (as James B. Donovan), Mark Rylance (as Rudolf Abel), Scott Shepherd (as Hoffman), and Amy Ryan (as Mary Donovan).
Commercial Performance: 'Bridge of Spies' is one of the highest-grossing movies of the year. The film grossed $165.5 million with a $40 million budget.
Awards and Nominations: 'Bridge of Spies' was critically acclaimed by its reviewers. Mark Rylance won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The Academy Awards nominated the movie for other awards, including Best Original Screenplay for Matt Charman and Joel and Ethan Coen, Best Original Score for Thomas Newman, Best Production Design (Production Design for Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration for Bernhard Henrich and Rena DeAngelo), and Best Sound Mixing for Drew Kunin, Andy Nelson, and Gary Rydstrom.
Trivia: 'Bridge of Spies' received a total of nineteen Academy Award wins and sixty-seven nominations. The film’s title, 'Bridge of Spies', originates from Glienicke Bridge. This bridge joins Potsdam to Berlin, and is the point where the movie begins. The prisoner exchange takes place at the bridge.
Conclusion
Courtroom movies are highly entertaining, and always seem to please. They captivate audiences, and keep them glued to screen. This article has featured seven examples of the great courtroom movies.
Movie Buffs Forever stocks classic movies on DVD from the 1940's to the early 2000's. Browse our vast collection of old, rare and out of print classic movies on DVD.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
Why We Still Love DVDs