Courtroom scenes in movies will always be judged by several criteria. Some are excellent but overly complicated, too interested in the rigors of the law and courtrooms and not in what will captivate audiences. Some movies, however, are too simplistic in their depiction of such scenes.
It can be difficult to find a balance that works for captivating without over-educating in the realms of the law. While many movies have tried and failed, there are some excellently written courtroom scenes that have made their way onto the big screen.
8 A Few Good Men
One of the few films made in the last thirty years or so that attempts to harken back to the times, particularly in the 1940s and 1950s when law and courtroom movies were a much more popularized form of media. A Few Good Men starred Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson at the head of a fantastic cast dealing with a military murder in Cuba.
While there is a lot of focus on law and the courtroom trial of the two men accused of the murder throughout the film, the final scene in particular when Cruise accuses Nicholson’s character of the murder is one of the pinnacles of more modern courtroom scenes in cinema. Many famous lines, such as “You Can’t Handle The Truth” stem from this scene and film.
7 Miracle On 34th Street
Admittedly a much more light-hearted take on a courtroom scene, Miracle On 34th Street is an example of a film where the central focus isn’t on those elements, but it manages to have an iconic courtroom scene anyway. Near the finale of the film, this scene is a particularly great triumph that speaks to the notion of belief.
While many films that deal with themes like belief do so under a more religiously-based banner, Miracle on 34th Street does so with the idea of Christmas and believes in Santa being parallel. The moment that a little girl giving a Christmas card to a judge turns a case around is a truly great moment of cinema indeed.
6 The Trial Of The Chicago 7
One of the most recent additions to the list, The Trial Of The Chicago 7 deals with the true story of the seven men who were arrested for protesting the Vietnam War in 1969. The huge media trial is told through this lens by the genius writer and director Aaron Sorkin.
Sorkin’s style fits a courtroom beautifully, and it managed to explain in layman's terms the ins and outs of the law and this case in particular while retaining a snappy sense of humor and sharing the horrific side of how the government behaved throughout the trial. An excellent film and one of the best recent law films made, this shows how to take a stand, showcase true events, and provide an entertaining cinematic experience as well.
5 To Kill A Mockingbird
One of the greatest stories and movies about a courtroom case, To Kill A Mockingbird was one of the first films to deal with how black people are often dealt a horrifically unfair hand in the realms of the law. Featuring renewed strength recently in films such as Till, Just Mercy, and Marshall, any fans of this sub-genre should revisit To Kill A Mockingbird.
Released in 1962 but centered on depression-era America, the film stars Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, a lawyer who defends a black man accused of rape. The finale courtroom scene is considered one of the greatest moments in the history of cinema and deservedly so.
4 Hacksaw Ridge
Though it isn’t a law film by any stretch of the imagination, Hacksaw Ridge is a war movie that managed to have a triumphant ending to a law case in a memorable scene that only finished off the first hour. Andrew Garfield stars as real-life war hero Desmond Doss, who wanted to be a medic in the army during World War II but refused to carry or use a gun.
Doss didn’t want to kill anybody and was brought up on court-martial charges, which were disposed of after a heroic appearance by his drunk, veteran father, who used his connections to help get the charges dismissed. Hacksaw Ridge is memorable for this scene, but also managed to become a modern classic as a war movie.
3 Erin Brockovich
A different type of law movie, one which dealt with a true story about an investigative case, another sub-genre of the law movie style which often tackles people going up against large companies to accuse them of wrongdoing, Erin Brockovich is a fantastic movie starring Julia Roberts as the bigger-than-life Brockovich.
Starting out as an assistant with a small law firm that manages to get compensation for hundreds of victims of chromium poisoning from an electric company, Brockovich pursues justice with her brash style and befriends many of the people in the town whom she is trying to help. A great film overall, but after this elongated search for justice, the scene where the judge orders PG&E to pay out over three hundred million dollars to the plaintiffs is particularly satisfying and memorable.
2 Legally Blonde
Another strange film but an ingeniously fun one that managed to deal with both the law and courtroom scenes and dance scenes in hairdressers, Legally Blonde stars Renee Zellweger as Elle Woods, a law student who tries to become a lawyer just to get her ex-boyfriend back after he accuses her of not being intelligent.
A hilariously fun film, Legally Blonde still deals with a court case around a murder, and the triumphant moment when Elle manages to blend her recently acquired lawyer skills and her love of all things fashion to solve the mystery and triumph in the case is a fun, feel-good moment of cinema that has gone down in history just like many of these other great courtroom scenes.
1 12 Angry Men
Despite not literally taking place inside a courtroom, one cannot speak about the history of law movies without bringing up this defining masterpiece. 12 Angry Men takes place in the jury’s deliberation room, and is about the twelve jurors, all men, swinging their votes on a murder case as they try to deliberate the guilt of the defendant.
Led by Henry Fonda, the entire film is essentially one long courtroom scene, as the twelve jurors continue to go over the details of the case that they’ve been presented with. A rare look inside a case such as this is an impressively acted, written, and directed masterpiece which is still considered one of the greatest films of all time.