300 Recommended Legal and Court Room Thrillers
by muybueno16 | created - 19 Sep 2018 | updated - 3 days ago | PublicFilms and shows with various court room drama.
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1. A Few Good Men (1992)
R | 138 min | Drama, Thriller
Military lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder. They contend they were acting under orders.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon
Votes: 247,102 | Gross: $141.34M
2. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Approved | 116 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A veteran British barrister must defend his client in a murder trial that has surprise after surprise.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester
Votes: 116,422 | Gross: $8.18M
3. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Not Rated | 161 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O'Connell
Votes: 63,162 | Gross: $11.90M
4. NYPD Blue (1993–2005)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Detectives from NYPD's 15th Precinct investigate homicides within their precinct.
Stars: Dennis Franz, Jimmy Smits, Gordon Clapp, James McDaniel
Votes: 12,634
The second season and one of the later seasons both have a key recurring court case while often a lawyer plays a key part of an episode setup.
5. 100 Centre Street (2001–2002)
60 min | Crime, Drama
The lives and work of the staff of a New York City courthouse.
Stars: Joseph Lyle Taylor, Manny Perez, Phyllis Newman, Paula Devicq
Votes: 181
6. Law & Order (1990–2010)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Follows a crime (usually a murder), usually adapted from current headlines, from two separate vantage points, the police investigation and the prosecution in court.
Stars: Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, Dennis Farina, S. Epatha Merkerson
Votes: 33,603
7. Law & Order: UK (2009–2014)
TV-14 | 46 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
UK version of the long-running U.S. TV drama that tells the stories of two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the attorneys, who prosecute the offenders.
Stars: Bradley Walsh, Robert Glenister, Harriet Walter, Freema Agyeman
Votes: 4,039
8. Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005–2006)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The series showed the workings of the judicial system, beginning with the arraignment, and continuing through the lawyers process of building a case, investigating leads, and preparing witnesses and defendants for trial.
Stars: Bebe Neuwirth, Amy Carlson, Kirk Acevedo, Fred Thompson
Votes: 1,312
9. Law & Order True Crime (2017)
TV-14 | 80 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Behind the murders of a Hollywood movie executive and his former beauty queen wife by their sons.
Stars: Edie Falco, Gus Halper, Miles Gaston Villanueva, Chris Bauer
Votes: 2,291
10. The Defenders (1961–1965)
60 min | Crime, Drama
A father and son lawyer duo take a variety of cases that often deal with the important issues of the day.
Stars: E.G. Marshall, Robert Reed, Polly Rowles, Ossie Davis
Votes: 399
11. The Escape Artist (2013)
180 min | Drama, Thriller
A junior barrister celebrated for spiriting people out of tight legal corners represents an accused murderer.
Stars: David Tennant, Toby Kebbell, Brid Brennan, Sophie Okonedo
Votes: 5,657
12. Damages (2007–2012)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A law school graduate becomes the protégée of a successful high-stakes litigator.
Stars: Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, Zachary Booth
Votes: 28,845
13. Arrest and Trial (1963–1964)
90 min | Crime, Drama
Los Angeles is where Sergeant Nick Anderson and his fellow officers work to keep the streets safe. After the arrest of the accused, attorney John Egan plans their defense, while the prosecution is led by Jerry Miller.
Stars: Ben Gazzara, Chuck Connors, Roger Perry, John Larch
Votes: 122
14. Criminal Law (1988)
R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A lawyer defends a killer, but soon after he wins, he finds out that the killer is guilty.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Tess Harper, Karen Young
Votes: 3,941 | Gross: $9.97M
15. Cape Fear (1962)
Passed | 106 min | Drama, Thriller
A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Lori Martin
Votes: 27,788
16. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Approved | 129 min | Crime, Drama
Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his children against prejudice.
Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Gregory Peck, John Megna, Frank Overton, Rosemary Murphy
Votes: 304,306
17. A Time to Kill (1996)
R | 149 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
In Canton, Mississippi, a fearless young lawyer and his assistant defend a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his ten-year-old daughter, inciting violent retribution and revenge from the Ku Klux Klan.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey
Votes: 140,483 | Gross: $108.77M
18. Rules of Engagement (2000)
R | 128 min | Drama, Thriller, War
An attorney defends an officer on trial for ordering his troops to fire on civilians after they stormed a U.S. embassy in a Middle Eastern country.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 46,129 | Gross: $61.34M
19. Paths of Glory (1957)
Approved | 88 min | Drama, War
After refusing to attack an enemy position, a general accuses the soldiers of cowardice and their commanding officer must defend them.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready
Votes: 187,166
20. 12 Angry Men (1957)
Approved | 96 min | Crime, Drama
A jury holdout attempts to prevent a miscarriage of justice by forcing his colleagues to reconsider the evidence.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler
Votes: 729,631 | Gross: $4.36M
21. 12 Angry Men (1997 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 117 min | Crime, Drama
Twelve men must decide the fate of one when one juror objects to the jury's decision.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Jack Lemmon, George C. Scott, Hume Cronyn, Ossie Davis
Votes: 14,024
22. Guilty as Sin (1993)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A female lawyer takes an accused wife-murderer as a client, but finds herself morally compelled to betray him one way or another.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Rebecca De Mornay, Don Johnson, Stephen Lang, Jack Warden
Votes: 5,147 | Gross: $22.89M
23. Primal Fear (1996)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep.
Director: Gregory Hoblit | Stars: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton, John Mahoney
Votes: 200,210 | Gross: $56.12M
24. Red Corner (1997)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
An American attorney on business in China is wrongfully arrested and put on trial for murder, with a female defense lawyer from the country the only key to proving his innocence.
Director: Jon Avnet | Stars: Richard Gere, Bai Ling, Bradley Whitford, Byron Mann
Votes: 16,864 | Gross: $22.42M
25. Raising the Bar (2008–2009)
Drama
Former law school classmates reunite in court when they take on rival clients.
Stars: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben, Currie Graham, Melissa Sagemiller
Votes: 1,780
26. Accused (2010–2012)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Created by Jimmy McGovern, each episode of this series examines a person who is accused of a crime and what led them to end up in the Dock.
Stars: Michael Maloney, Chord Melodic, Andrew Readman, Rosina Carbone
Votes: 2,219
27. Babylon 5 (1993–1998)
TV-PG | 45 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the mid 23rd century, the Earth Alliance space station Babylon 5, located in neutral territory, is a major focal point for political intrigue, racial tensions and various wars over the course of five years.
Stars: Mira Furlan, Richard Biggs, Stephen Furst, Andreas Katsulas
Votes: 29,271
28. The Grinder (2015–2016)
TV-PG | 21 min | Comedy
Television lawyer Dean Sanderson moves back to his small home town after a stint in Hollywood, thinking that his time on TV qualifies him to run his family's law firm.
Stars: Rob Lowe, Fred Savage, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Hana Hayes
Votes: 7,273
29. Lincoln (2012)
PG-13 | 150 min | Biography, Drama, History
As the American Civil War continues to rage, America's president struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Votes: 252,062 | Gross: $182.21M
30. Parks and Recreation (2009–2015)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy
The absurd antics of an Indiana town's public officials as they pursue sundry projects to make their city a better place.
Stars: Amy Poehler, Jim O'Heir, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt
Votes: 231,521
31. Presumed Innocent (1990)
R | 127 min | Mystery, Thriller
As a lawyer investigates the murder of a colleague, he finds himself more connected to the crime than anyone else.
Director: Alan J. Pakula | Stars: Harrison Ford, Raul Julia, Greta Scacchi, Brian Dennehy
Votes: 39,890 | Gross: $86.30M
32. Prison Break (2005–2017)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Due to a political conspiracy, an innocent man is sent to death row and his only hope is his brother, who makes it his mission to deliberately get himself sent to the same prison in order to break the both of them out, from the inside.
Stars: Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Amaury Nolasco, Robert Knepper
Votes: 497,903
Seasons 1 and 3 both have a recurring court case.
33. Mistrial (1996 TV Movie)
R | 89 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A community activist charged with the of killing two cops, one of them his ex-wife, is found not guilty due to lack of evidence. The arresting detective takes the judge, jury, and defendant... See full summary »
Director: Heywood Gould | Stars: Bill Pullman, Robert Loggia, Blair Underwood, Leo Burmester
Votes: 720
34. The Guilty (1992 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 197 min | Crime, Thriller
This the original British version of the 2000 American remake starring Bill Pullman.
Director: Colin Gregg | Stars: Michael Kitchen, Sean Gallagher, Caroline Catz, Carol Starks
Votes: 191
35. The Guilty (2000)
R | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young person gets hired to kill someone completely unknown, by someone equally unknown. Or is that true? Nothing is what it seems.
Director: Anthony Waller | Stars: Bill Pullman, Devon Sawa, Gabrielle Anwar, Angela Featherstone
Votes: 3,419
36. The West Wing (1999–2006)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama
Inside the lives of staffers in the West Wing of the White House.
Stars: Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney, John Spencer
Votes: 68,673
Some recurring subplots where characters are having to testify or go to court with federal divisions.
37. The Guardian (2001–2004)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama
Nick Fallin is a hotshot lawyer working at his father's ultrasuccessful Pittsburgh law firm. Unfortunately, the high life has gotten the best of Nick.
Stars: Simon Baker, Alan Rosenberg, Raphael Sbarge, Dabney Coleman
Votes: 4,956
38. Philly (2001–2002)
50 min | Drama
A new lawyer tries to maintain her distance from her sometimes guilty clients, but building a good rep threatens to overcome her passion.
Stars: Kim Delaney, Tom Everett Scott, Rick Hoffman, Diana Maria Riva
Votes: 393
39. Slip & Fall (2011)
Not Rated | 84 min | Comedy
What happens when a law student breaks the law to pay for law school?
Director: Marc Colucci | Stars: William Forsythe, Andrew Divoff, Zofia Gozynska, William DeCoff
Votes: 63
40. Runaway Jury (2003)
PG-13 | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A juror on the inside and a woman on the outside manipulate a court trial involving a major gun manufacturer.
Director: Gary Fleder | Stars: John Cusack, Rachel Weisz, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman
Votes: 94,611 | Gross: $49.44M
41. The Client (1994)
PG-13 | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A young boy who witnessed the suicide of a mafia lawyer hires an attorney to protect him when the District Attorney tries to use him to take down a mob family.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Renfro, Mary-Louise Parker
Votes: 63,470 | Gross: $92.12M
42. High Crimes (2002)
PG-13 | 115 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A successful lawyer's husband is arrested for murdering 9 villagers in El Salvador in 1988 as US soldier under a different name. She defends him in military court and investigates. Framed?
Director: Carl Franklin | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Adam Scott
Votes: 41,279 | Gross: $41.54M
43. The Rainmaker (1997)
PG-13 | 135 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller