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The Most Compelling Legal Dramas in Film History

The Most Compelling Legal Dramas in Film History

Updated: by

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

50. Absence of Malice (1981)

Source: Francois Durand / Stringer / Getty Images Entertainment

49. The Client (1994)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

48. Boomerang! (1947)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

47. The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

46. Fracture (2007)

Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

45. The Devil's Advocate (1997)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

44. Runaway Jury (2003)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

43. On the Basis of Sex (2018)

Source: Courtesy of Focus Features

42. Presumed Innocent (1990)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

41. True Believer (1989)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

40. Music Box (1989)

Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

39. The Young Philadelphians (1959)

Source: Fox Photos / Hulton Archive via Getty Images

38. A Time to Kill (1996)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

37. The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)

Express / Moviepix via Getty Images

36. Amistad (1997)

Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution

35. The Rainmaker (1997)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

34. I Confess (1953)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

33. The Enforcer (1951)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

32. And Justice for All (1979)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

31. Marshall (2017)

Courtesy of Open Road Films

30. The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

Courtesy of Lionsgate

29. Erin Brockovich (2000)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

28. The Accused (1988)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

27. The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

26. The Wrong Man (1956)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

25. Reversal of Fortune (1990)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

24. Primal Fear (1996)

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

23. A Soldier's Story (1984)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

22. Philadelphia (1993)

Source: Courtesy of TriStar Pictures

21. My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

20. A Few Good Men (1992)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

19. Defending Your Life (1991)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

18. The Insult (2017)

Source: Courtesy of Cohen Media Group

17. JFK (1991)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

16. The Verdict (1982)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

15. A Man for All Seasons (1966)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

14. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

13. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Source: Courtesy of Netflix

12. Compulsion (1959)

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

11. Dark Waters (2019)

Source: Courtesy of Focus Features

10. Just Mercy (2019)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

9. Inherit the Wind (1960)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

8. Fury (1936)

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

7. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

6. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

5. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

4. In the Name of the Father (1993)

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

3. Paths of Glory (1957)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

2. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

1. 12 Angry Men (1957)

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

50. Absence of Malice (1981)
49. The Client (1994)
48. Boomerang! (1947)
47. The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)
46. Fracture (2007)
45. The Devil's Advocate (1997)
44. Runaway Jury (2003)
43. On the Basis of Sex (2018)
42. Presumed Innocent (1990)
41. True Believer (1989)
40. Music Box (1989)
39. The Young Philadelphians (1959)
38. A Time to Kill (1996)
37. The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
36. Amistad (1997)
35. The Rainmaker (1997)
34. I Confess (1953)
33. The Enforcer (1951)
32. And Justice for All (1979)
31. Marshall (2017)
30. The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
29. Erin Brockovich (2000)
28. The Accused (1988)
27. The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
26. The Wrong Man (1956)
25. Reversal of Fortune (1990)
24. Primal Fear (1996)
23. A Soldier's Story (1984)
22. Philadelphia (1993)
21. My Cousin Vinny (1992)
20. A Few Good Men (1992)
19. Defending Your Life (1991)
18. The Insult (2017)
17. JFK (1991)
16. The Verdict (1982)
15. A Man for All Seasons (1966)
14. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
13. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
12. Compulsion (1959)
11. Dark Waters (2019)
10. Just Mercy (2019)
9. Inherit the Wind (1960)
8. Fury (1936)
7. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
6. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
5. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
4. In the Name of the Father (1993)
3. Paths of Glory (1957)
2. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
1. 12 Angry Men (1957)

Americans are fascinated by legal dramas, a genre that consistently ranks as one of the more popular film varieties. Legal dramas have been around since the beginning of the film industry, with movies like the short, silent film, "Falsely Accused!". They only gained in popularity as time went on with the 1957 films, "12 Angry Men" (1957) and "Witness for the Prosecution". The best courtroom dramas draw the audience in with compelling and convincing scenes.

The ethical intrigue these legal dramas offer often reflects real life and illustrates how difficult it can be to uphold the justice system. At the same time, we are given insight into an imperfect system, one that often falls short of upholding the moral integrity of the courts. Courtroom dramas can be both entertaining in comedic ways – as evidenced in the film "Legally Blonde," or in heartbreaking ways, like in the film "To Kill a Mockingbird."

To determine the most compelling legal dramas in film history, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of May 2024, weighting all ratings equally. Documentaries were not considered. Director information is from IMDb.

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