American Bar Association Magazine asked 12 prominent legal experts to select what they thought were the best films about lawyers and the law, and then compiled this list of the best legal films in history.
What would Hollywood do without lawyers? In a city based on copyright and plastic surgery, lawyers do more than draft obscure film and television contract provisions or use bail to bail stars with sunken eye sockets to restore their reputation. From the sharp Henry Jomond to the comical Mr. Lincoln to the naïve Danny Kaffee and the righteous Andy Atticus Finch, the lawyers have provided some of hollywood films with the most memorable screen heroes, some of which deserve our respect and contemplation.
All of these films received 31 Academy Awards and 85 Oscar nominations. Now look at the 25 best legal films of all time.
1. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
To Kill a Mockingbird, 1962
The film is based on the best-selling novel by Harper Lee, mockingbird, which has little to do with the plot but has a strong symbolism in the novel. It represents the naïve and innocent. And the story of "killing a mockingbird" is a story of evil destroying innocents.
Gregory Peck plays the extraordinarily dignified Atticus Finch in the film. (Peck once claimed that "Roman Holiday" was his favorite film, but he also believed that only "To Kill a Mockingbird" was "closest to my heart, the peak of my acting career.") Vinci served in the southern city of Meigang, was a man of integrity and composure, often justice for the poor without pay. He was strict and loving to his young and widowed daughter Scott and son James. Once, when talking about playing birds, he told his children not to kill robins, because they only sang for humans and never did anything harmful to humans.
One day, Finch went to court to defend the case of Black Tom. The white prosecutor accused Tom of rape, and Finch found out after a careful investigation that this was not the case. So he defended himself in court, refuting tom the accusations against Himm one by one, and finally he demanded that Tom be acquitted, and he righteously and sternly appealed to people to respect the facts and to uphold human dignity and equality. However, both the judge and the jury believed the plaintiff's "testimony" and still found Tom guilty. It didn't end there, with some white men with racial prejudices provoking and intimidating the Finch family, and Two of Finch's children were attacked by a gang of gangsters while attending a Halloween celebration, and his son James's arm was twisted. Unflinch was unflinching in the face of rape, and he was ready to continue to complain for Tom.
2. 12 Angry Men (1957)
The Twelve Angry Men, 1957
The scene in director Sidney Lumet's debut film, 12 Angry Men, is bizarrely monotonous, with only four scenes: the courtroom, the conference room (i.e., the juror's lounge), the restroom, the steps in front of the courthouse, the first, third, or fourth scenes are just a quick glimpse (some argue that actually cutting those three shots won't have any effect on the entire film), and 98% of the film is 98% The scenes are focused on a conference room of less than 40 square meters, including the restroom, which seems to be a boring movie, but the film is gripping for an hour and a half through the dialogue, actions, and looks of 12 characters. Not only is the scene monotonous, but most of the characters are nameless (except for the two jurors who say their names when they say goodbye to each other at the end of the film).
The film received critical acclaim after its release and won the Golden Bear at the 1957 Berlin Film Festival. In 2007, he was awarded the National Film Registry of the National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) of the Library of Congress for "cultural, historical, or aesthetic importance." Although the film lost to "Bridge on the River Kwai" at the 30th Academy Awards, it has been remade and adapted for 50 years, most recently in 2007 in Russia.
3. My Cousin Vinny (1992)
My Cousin Vennie, 1992
College students Billy Gambini and Stan Rothenstein drove their cars to school in California. They took a box of canned meat from the store and forgot to pay. When the police detained them, they immediately admitted their fault. However, they found out that they were accused of "murdering a store clerk". Bill hired a recently graduated lawyer, cousin Vincent Gambini. The arrogant Venney exposed his ignorance of the law in court, much to the disgust of Judge Chamberlain Haller. Chamberlain imprisoned Vinnie for "contempt of court." After Vinnie was released on bail, she was unable to sleep all night and was at odds with the judge, so her defense in court became increasingly clumsy. So they entrusted the case to another defense lawyer. The real culprit is later caught and Bill and Stan are acquitted.
4. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Peach Blood, 1959
Hailed as one of the most classic courtroom films, the film is about an Army lieutenant who, in exasperation, shoots and kills the tavern owner who raped his wife, while a small-town lawyer successfully defends the case.
The film provides a more detailed introduction to the procedures of criminal proceedings. Whether it's from forensic evaluation to evidence submission, or from jury review to cross-examination. This is very helpful for friends who want to understand the criminal justice process in the United States.
5. Inherit the Wind (1960)
Challenge to God (or translated as The Wind's Legacy), 1960
Inherit the Wind, literally translated as "the heir of the wind". It is from the Old Testament of the Old Testament, chapter 11 verse 29, which translates Chinese and the hehe as "he who disturbs his home will bear the wind," that is, those who bring trouble to themselves and their families will not get anything but to drink the northwest wind.
"Challenge to God" is about one of the most famous national court cases in U.S. history, the "Monkey Trial," a high school in Tennessee that banned its biology teacher from teaching evolution because it violated "the theory of God." The case marked the culmination of a ridiculous 19th-century major conflict between science and religion. As soon as the lawsuit began, all kinds of heavyweights came to the scene, and the plaintiff and defendant became insignificant. Among the top players were William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow.
6. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Prosecution Witness, 1957
The film is based on the original book by Agatha Christie, the "queen of detective fiction." In London in 1954, American Leonard Stephen Vole was accused of murdering a wealthy mistress in order to obtain his huge inheritance. Sir Wilfrid Robarts, a prominent criminal defence lawyer, took up the case despite health concerns. In court, Leonard's wife, Christine Helm Vole, went so far as to testify to the prosecution, stating that Leonard had indeed killed someone. At the last minute, Sir Wellfried receives a call from the mysterious woman, stating that she holds a letter from Christine to her lover. The case took a sharp turn for the worse, and Leonard was acquitted. The truth, however, is even more shocking.
7. Breaker Morant (1980)
Morant the Horse Trainer, 1980
The film is based on a true story, during the Second Boer War in South Africa, Captain Lieutenants Harry "Breaker" Morant and several of his friends served in the British army in South Africa, during an operation to encircle the Boer guerrillas, Captain Hunter was captured by the Boers and brutally killed, so Morant was ordered by his superiors to pursue the guerrillas and shoot all the prisoners. This led to a cascade of retaliation and retaliation, with the leadership of both sides pushing Morant and his friends out of the scapegoat in the final stages of the war to shirk responsibility for the war.
8. Philadelphia (1993)
The Philadelphia Story, 1993
"The Philadelphia Story" tells the story of an AIDS patient who uses the law to defend his rights and interests, and it has been called "Hollywood Facing AIDS" film. Andrew Beckett and Joe Miller are two young lawyers in Philadelphia who work hard and have a bright future. Andrew is a homosexual and has AIDS. Shortly after he was promoted, his boss discovered the secret and fired him on the grounds that he had lost his documents, and Andrew approached Joe to ask him to accept the case. Joe originally refused to accept it, but out of sympathy for Andrew and the pursuit of the principles of fairness and equality in the law, he finally agreed to appear in court. During the trial, many demonstrators gathered outside the court gates to demand that homosexuals be granted legitimate rights and that discrimination against AIDS patients should not be allowed. But at the same time, some opponents shouted that "anal sex people have no human rights" and intercepted Andrew's questioning. The defendant insisted that he did not admit that he had fired Andrew for that reason. On the day of the trial, the jury finally pronounced that the plaintiff, Andrew, had been unjustly dismissed and that the defendant was responsible for compensating for the damages. Andrew finally won.
9. Erin Brockovich (2000)
Never Compromise, 2000
The film is also an exciting film based on real events. Julia Roberts plays a single mother with three young children who has been divorced twice, and when she encounters an accident, she bravely stands up and wins.
Erin Brockovich is an ordinary woman with no money, no job, and not too many expectations. During a fortuitous traffic incident, she met edward L. Masry, an old lawyer, and was able to work for his law firm. At work, Eileen was confused by the medical records of a real estate, so she began to inquire about the incident and persuaded Edward to join the investigation. During the investigation, she gradually discovered a covered up source of polluted water, and this pollution caused a series of hazards and diseases to the local population. Although the residents were initially uncooperative in Eileen's investigation, Eileen eventually impressed them with her perseverance and sincerity, mobilized 634 people to form a group of plaintiffs, overcame unequal difficulties, won the lawsuit, and received the largest compensation in the history of U.S. litigation , $333 million.
10. The Verdict (1982)
The Great Trial, 1982
The film "The Great Trial" is mainly about how a poor Boston lawyer perks up and wins a lawsuit for justice and self-respect. The title "The Verdict", or just ordinary decisions, not only indicates the court's decision on the case (the literary jargon "Outer Conflict") and Frank's decision on his conscience ("Inner Conflict"), but also hints at how Frank will spend the rest of his life.
Alcoholic Boston lawyer Frank Galvin sought to reinvigorate his voice. Fellow lawyer friend Mickey Morrissey was introduced to a medical dispute over a woman who had fallen into a wrongdoing in a church hospital because of mishandling of labor. Frank was willing to settle out of court so that he could have a third of the compensation in his pocket safely, but when he deeply understood the plight of the client, he decided to do justice and confront the barrister representing the hospital, so as to regain his long-lost self-esteem...
11. Presumed Innocent (1990)
The Innocent Sinner, 1990
The film's English title is "Presumed Innocent", which more accurately translates as "presumption of innocence" or "presumption of innocence", a basic principle established in modern criminal proceedings, the basic meaning of which is that the defendant should be considered innocent before being found guilty by a court of law. The basic requirement is that the prosecution bear the burden of proof that the charges can be established and must be proved to the extent that "reasonable doubt is excluded". The accused does not bear the responsibility of proving his innocence and has the right to remain silent throughout the trial in court.
Rozat "Rusty" Sabich is a senior and excellent chief prosecutor who is often exposed to heart-wrenching social ills and a wide variety of crimes because of his work. An ambitious and unscrupulous female assistant prosecutor, Carolyn Polhemus, used the opportunity of working together to lure Rasdi into a relationship with her, with the main aim of encouraging Rasdi to seek the position of Chief of the District Inspectorate, and she herself could take the post of Chief Prosecutor. But when she learned that Rasdi had no such ambitions, she immediately left him. One day, Caroline was murdered, and all the evidence left at the scene pushed Rasdi to court. Rasdi defended himself in pain and unwillingness, who directed this hoax...
12. Judgement at Nuremberg (1961)
The Nuremberg Trials, 1961
The film was shot by social producer Stanley Kramer based on the memoirs of Chief Judge Herut.
With the final performance of twenty-one Nazi war criminals in court, the film reveals the heinous crimes committed by the Nazis in World War II from a special perspective, vividly recreating the drama and tragedy of the first international tribunal in history. The film focuses on revealing the contradictions and conflicts in the international political arena through the words and deeds of the characters, and tries to tell people who are responsible for the crimes of the Nazis.
13. A Man for All Seasons (1966)
The Man of The Four Seasons, 1966
The film is based on a true historical story. In the sixteenth century, Henry VIII, the womanizer of England, saw a strange idea and fell in love with Anne, so he wanted to divorce the queen. He severed ties with the Pope to avoid restraint, but he still had to seek the support of the domestic nobility, so he asked Justice Thomas More to sign his divorce decree. Thomas. Moore was a principled and rational man, a well-known British politician of the time, and the author of the far-reaching book "Utopia". He was now placed in a dilemma: to stick to principles rather than succumb to the obscenity of a corrupt king, or to bow to the lustful, violent, hopeless Henry VIII? Eventually he resigned as justice and refused to sign.
14. A Few Good Men (1992)
"The Mighty Wind of the Righteous Sea", 1992
The army has always been mysterious, and because of this, it hides some invisible human sins in the middle. Strict hierarchy makes justice more difficult to uphold here, good and bad here, and ambiguous and uncertain. Tom Cruise as Lt. Cuffy, a military lawyer. Daniel Kaffee), defending the bizarre death of a second-class soldier at a U.S. military base. Assistant Prosecutor Joanne Galloway Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway assists him in his investigation, but the military obstructs him and the investigation does not go well, and they eventually discover That Colonel Col. R. Jesseep, played by Jack Nicholson. Nathan R. Jessup was the key figure in the whole affair, but there was no evidence to bring him to justice. Daniel used the method of agitation in court-martial to force Colonel Nathan to tell the truth himself.
15. Chicago (2002)
Chicago, 2002
Catherine Zeta-Jones, played by Velma Kelly, is a popular dancer at a nightclub who became the city's most prominent female murderer after shooting and killing her troubled husband. The lawyer who represented Vilma's murder case was Billy Flynn, who was accustomed to using notorious murders of all kinds to raise awareness. As a result, all kinds of media are also scrambling to do their best, deeply afraid of missing the news of these two "big people". Just as Verma revels in the thrill of "ascending" from spotlight to magnesium, greedy Billy sets his sights on Roxie Hart, another client who can make him famous. Before going to prison, Locksie was a girl full of fantasies, in her view Chicago is a place of hope and opportunity, and her singing and dancing style will certainly be able to achieve her dream of stardom for many years. However, Locksie became a murderer, killing her boyfriend who betrayed her. In order to become Locksie's lawyer, Billy deliberately postponed Vilma's trial. Under Billy's careful "packaging", Locksie is no longer a spurned murderer, but a pitiable victim, and the various city servant media are even more understanding, shifting the focus from Verma to Locksea. Farma is naturally not willing to be left behind, and at this time, the "one-kill fame" Locksie has also tasted the sweetness, and an unscrupulous fame farce has entered the climax...
16. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
The Kramers, 1979
The film, based on director Robert Benton's own adaptation of Avery Corman's novel of the same name, is a masterpiece that reflects the problems of single-parent families.
Dustin Hoffman's Ted Kramer is an advertising clerk who spends his days taking care of his wife, Joanna Kramer, and his 6-year-old son Billy Kramer. However, one day, Joanna, tired of busy housework all day, finally could no longer bear such a life, leaving her husband and son to run away from home. Joanna, who was already a designer a year later, came to ask for custody of Billy, and a lawsuit was inevitable. However, at this time, Ted was unfortunately unemployed.
17. The Paper Chase (1973)
"Pingbu Qingyun" (or translated as "Cold Window Love"), 1973
In 1973, American director James Bridges filmed "Flat Steps" based on the actual situation of Harvard Law School that year. This film, which was not luxurious in both director and cast, was regarded as the "first compulsory lesson" by almost every law student in the United States for decades to come.
Based on the original book by John Jay Osborn, Jr., the film depicts James T. Hart, a Harvard court student, who falls in love with Susan Fields, the daughter of his mentor professor, Charles W. Kingsfield Jr., and struggles several times to pass the professor's rigorous tests and earn his diploma.
18. Reversal of Fortune (1990)
The Reversal of Fate (or "The Debt of the Rich"), 1990
The film is based on the book Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case by Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz. It tells the story of a rich man, Claus von Bülow, accused of murdering his wife, Sunny von Bülow, all the evidence against him, and the jury found him guilty and sentenced. He appealed and asked the law professor Dershowitz to appear in court, and the law professor overturned the verdict of guilt in the first instance through a rigorous investigation. Although the possibility of murder remains, there is no longer a legal basis for the charges.
19. Compulsion (1959)
Zhumen Evil Seeds, 1959
The film, directed by Richard Fleischer, focuses on the real-life case of 1924, leopold and Loeb. Artie Strauss and Judd Steiner are two wealthy brothers who are in college for graduate school. Artie, who has an iq that is beyond ordinary people, always does something out of the ordinary in the dead of night to show their wisdom. But this time, Artie and Judd were in big trouble because they killed a child and threw it into a ditch. As the prosecutor's investigation deepened, Judd left a pair of glasses at the scene to expose him to the horse's feet. But the shrewd Artie and Judd gained the prosecutor's trust with pre-negotiated testimony, but an unintentional remark by the chauffeur of the Judd family left Artie and Judd facing hanging. Artie and Judd's family soon brought in Jonathan Wilk, One of America's most prestigious lawyers, to defend them. Lawyer Wilk prepares to defend the two men's innocence while gathering evidence. The shrewd Wilk tried to defeat the prosecutor's carefully selected jury and saved Artie and Judd from death with a brilliant defense in the ensuing trial.
20. And Justice for All (1979)
Justice, 1979
Arthur Kirkland, played by Al Pacino, is an upstanding and courageous lawyer in Baltimore who seeks to reform the corrupt ways of justice in the judiciary to bring justice to the city's small people. But his peers turned a blind eye on him, and a ruthless judge, Henry T. Fleming, even detained him for a day on charges of contempt of court. One day, the judge was arrested for raping and beating a young girl, he asked Arthur to defend him, Arthur fell into moral and legal dilemmas, the balance of justice is his career and conscience, how is Arthur going to fight this lawsuit?
21. In the Name of the Father (1993)
In the Name of the Father, 1993
This is a real case in the UK: when the Irish Republican Army (IRAs) rebelled against the UK and blew up buses everywhere, creating a climate of terror. The police, under pressure from society, rushed to solve the case for personal gain, and Gerry Conlon, a young man in Belfast, Ireland, and his family became victims of torture. In prison, Gerry and members of the IRA violently confronted the prison guards, while his beloved father, Giuseppe Conlon, went around trying to save his son, but was also imprisoned. Father and son live in the same room, and during the long prison life, the son gradually understands the father. The father eventually died of a recurrence of the old disease, while the son continued to appeal in accordance with his father's will. Finally, more than 10 years later, his female lawyer, Gareth Peirce, found evidence of police fraud in the archives, but in the end it was the Queen's amnesty, the culprit went unpunished, and he continued to work for justice...
22. A Civil Action (1998)
The Forbidden Truth, 1998
The film, starring renowned lawyer John Travolta, is based on best-selling author Jonathan Harr's novel of the same name, Civil Procedure. The film tells the story of Jan Schlichtmann, a thriving lawyer with a proud personality, who fights for compensation for the plaintiffs in the name of justice and earns himself a lot of legal fees. And this time he faces a tough challenge... In the town of Wooburn, north of Boston, eight children died of blood cancer in 15 years, which residents believe is related to the pollution of water sources. The pollution is caused by two major U.S. conglomerates. For the sake of legal values and human justice, he inquired and sought evidence everywhere, but he faced the possibility of losing fame and fortune, losing friends, losing everything, and becoming nothing. In the end, he ended the eight-year lawsuit through the EPA and won the lawsuit, but he also declared bankruptcy...
23. Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
Young Lincoln, 1939
John Ford's Young Lincoln is not strictly a biopic. Not only is it a portrait of Lincoln's experience as a lawyer in his youth, but his story also has a semi-fictional component.
"I probably don't know much about the law, Field, but I know what's right and what's wrong!" This is lincoln's first-time lawyer in the film's counterattack against a local lawyer, Field. As the unpretentious attitude expressed in this sentence, the young Lincoln in John Ford's lens is far from being tall and powerful as one might think. On the contrary, he portrayed a simple, peaceful, idealistic youth with the simple style of classic Hollywood. When Lincoln, played by Henry Fonda, first appeared on the screen, he was just an ordinary young man living a simple life in his hometown. His difference is only in his desire to read. And the image of Mune's speech when he was running for local councillor was even less able to associate him with those famous politicians. The first step for the young Lincoln out of his hometown was to work in law in Illinois. In it, out of a sense of justice, the rational young man took over the lawsuit to clear the brothers of their murderous grievances.
24. Friendship (1997)
The Broken Locks and the Furious Tide (or translated as The Brave Have No Fear), 1997
In the summer of 1839, the Spanish slave ship La Amistad, which was holding 53 black Africans, sailed not far from the coast of Cuba when it encountered a fierce storm. The slave chiefTain Zink (Spanish name: Cinqué, Sengbe Pieh) led the rebellion and took control of the ship by force. They have only one purpose: to return home. The Amistad adrifted on the east coast of the Americas for two months and was intercepted by the U.S. Navy off the coast of Connecticut. 53 Africans were indicted on charges of murdering the crew. At first, the abolitionist activists brought in a toothy young lawyer, Roger Sherman Baldwin, to prove that the blacks were from Africa and that smuggling slaves was illegal at the time, and the court acquitted the blacks. But later, those representing the conservative forces in the South appealed the case to the Supreme Court, and the two opposing political forces wanted to take advantage of the case to compete...
25. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Dream Street Adventure, 1947
During the Thanksgiving Day parade at The Kochs department store on 34th Street in New York, Doris Walker, in charge of the event, asked Kris Kringle, who looked like Santa Claus, to replace the drunken and ugly Tony as Santa Claus, Chris's kind and kind smile won the love of many children, but the precocious Susan did not believe in santa claus; so she asked Chris for a house, a brother and a father as Christmas gifts. This tests whether Chris is really Santa Claus. At this time, Chris's fame makes Koch's nemesis, the Czech department store, red-eyed, so he designs to frame Chris and attack Koch; Doris invites a friend lawyer to defend Chris...