Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "legal-thriller"
- Movies or TV
- Genres
- Keywords
- IMDb Rating
- Instant Watch Options
- In Theaters
- Release Year
1. Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
R | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A woman is suspected of murder after her husband's death; their half-blind son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness.
Director: Justine Triet | Stars: Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado-Graner, Antoine Reinartz
Votes: 115,802
2. Law & Order (1990– )
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
New York's finest police detectives and prosecutors fight to make the city a safer place. With integrity as the guiding force from investigation to verdict, the teams weigh every perspective in their commitment to finding justice.
Stars: Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, Dennis Farina, Sam Waterston
Votes: 44,444
3. The Lincoln Lawyer (2022– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Need a lawyer? Call Mickey Haller. He runs his law practice out of his Lincoln, and he's ready to hit the gas. Moving through Los Angeles, he takes cases while balancing a private life that includes being a father and having two ex-wives.
Stars: Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Becki Newton, Jazz Raycole, Angus Sampson
Votes: 64,422
4. How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020)
TV-14 | 43 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A group of ambitious law students and their brilliant criminal defense professor become involved in a twisted murder plot that promises to change the course of their lives.
Stars: Viola Davis, Billy Brown, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King
Votes: 166,470
5. The Devil's Advocate (1997)
R | 144 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
An exceptionally-adept Florida lawyer is offered a job at a high-end New York City law firm with a high-end boss--the biggest opportunity of his career to date.
Director: Taylor Hackford | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron, Jeffrey Jones
Votes: 401,422 | Gross: $60.98M
6. 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: 181,432 | Gross: $108.77M
7. 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: 286,993 | Gross: $141.34M
8. 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: 246,623 | Gross: $56.12M
9. Your Honor (II) (2020–2023)
TV-MA | 57 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A judge confronts his convictions when his son is involved in a hit-and-run that embroils an organized-crime family.
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Hope Davis, Michael Stuhlbarg, Lilli Kay
Votes: 65,258
10. The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A lawyer defending a wealthy man begins to believe his client is guilty of more than just one crime.
Director: Brad Furman | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy
Votes: 253,547 | Gross: $58.01M
11. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
R | 129 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior - both of which still haunt him decades later.
Director: Juan José Campanella | Stars: Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago, Carla Quevedo
Votes: 222,165 | Gross: $6.39M
12. Bridge of Spies (2015)
PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, History, Thriller
During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda, Amy Ryan
Votes: 327,488 | Gross: $72.31M
13. Perry Mason (2020–2023)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, History
In booming 1932 Los Angeles, a down-and-out defense attorney takes on the case of a lifetime.
Stars: Matthew Rhys, Juliet Rylance, Chris Chalk, Shea Whigham
Votes: 28,741
14. The Firm (1993)
R | 154 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A young lawyer joins a prestigious law firm only to discover that it has a sinister dark side.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook
Votes: 147,549 | Gross: $158.35M
15. JFK (1991)
R | 189 min | Drama, History, Thriller
New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison discovers there's more to the Kennedy assassination than the official story.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau
Votes: 169,789 | Gross: $70.41M
16. The Insider (1999)
R | 157 min | Biography, Drama, Thriller
A research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a 60 Minutes exposé on Big Tobacco.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora
Votes: 180,071 | Gross: $28.97M
17. The Practice (1997–2004)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
We follow the exploits and cases of defense attorneys of a Boston law firm. Bobby Donnell is the senior defense attorney and founder of the firm.
Stars: Dylan McDermott, Kelli Williams, Lara Flynn Boyle, Steve Harris
Votes: 10,414
18. Fracture (2007)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After shooting his wife, Ted confesses his crime and asks the court to move his case to trial. He represents himself against Willy, a successful lawyer. But there's more to the case than meets the eye.
Director: Gregory Hoblit | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike
Votes: 218,720 | Gross: $39.02M
19. Double Jeopardy (1999)
R | 105 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A woman framed for her husband's murder suspects he is still alive; as she has already been tried for the crime, she can't be re-prosecuted if she finds and kills him.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Ashley Judd, Tommy Lee Jones, Bruce Greenwood, Benjamin Weir
Votes: 95,777 | Gross: $116.74M
20. 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: 137,667 | Gross: $8.18M
21. 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: 104,492 | Gross: $49.44M
22. The Mauritanian (2021)
R | 129 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Mohamedou Ould Slahi fights for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Tahar Rahim, Nouhe Hamady Bari, Saadna Hamoud, Mohamed Yeslem Mousse
Votes: 61,604
23. 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: 31,583
24. Michael Clayton (2007)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multibillion-dollar class action suit.
Director: Tony Gilroy | Stars: George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Michael O'Keefe
Votes: 173,968 | Gross: $49.03M
25. The Pelican Brief (1993)
PG-13 | 141 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A law student uncovers a conspiracy, putting herself and others in danger.
Director: Alan J. Pakula | Stars: Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard, John Heard
Votes: 95,880 | Gross: $100.77M
26. City on a Hill (2019–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
In early 1990s Boston, ADA, Decourcy Ward, forms an unlikely alliance with a corrupt venerated FBI veteran, Jackie Rohr. Together, they take on a case that changes the city's entire criminal justice system.
Stars: Kevin Bacon, Aldis Hodge, Lauren E. Banks, Jill Hennessy
Votes: 15,512
27. True Story (I) (2015)
R | 99 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
When disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel meets accused killer Christian Longo - who has taken on Finkel's identity - his investigation morphs into a game of cat-and-mouse.
Director: Rupert Goold | Stars: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Felicity Jones, Maria Dizzia
Votes: 72,892 | Gross: $4.72M
28. The Life of David Gale (2003)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A man against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Cleo King
Votes: 125,982 | Gross: $19.59M
29. The Whole Truth (2016)
R | 93 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A defense attorney works to get his teenage client acquitted of murdering his wealthy father.
Director: Courtney Hunt | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Renée Zellweger, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Gabriel Basso
Votes: 32,969
30. 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: 73,581 | Gross: $92.12M
31. And Justice for All (1979)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A lawyer is forced to defend a judge, while defending other clients, and trying to find punishment for the guilty and provide justice for the innocent.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Al Pacino, Jack Warden, John Forsythe, Lee Strasberg
Votes: 39,597
32. 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: 45,741 | Gross: $86.30M
33. Jagged Edge (1985)
R | 108 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A wealthy woman is murdered in her beach house. The husband is allegedly knocked out first. He inherits all. He has a female ex criminal prosecutor represent him in court.
Director: Richard Marquand | Stars: Jeff Bridges, Glenn Close, Peter Coyote, Robert Loggia
Votes: 16,776 | Gross: $40.50M
34. Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)
PG-13 | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Roman J. Israel, Esq., a driven, idealistic defense attorney, finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action.
Director: Dan Gilroy | Stars: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo, Lynda Gravatt
Votes: 43,133 | Gross: $11.96M
35. Murder in the First (1995)
R | 122 min | Drama, Thriller
An eager and idealistic young attorney defends an Alcatraz prisoner accused of murdering a fellow inmate. The extenuating circumstances: his client had just spent over three years in solitary confinement.
Director: Marc Rocco | Stars: Christian Slater, Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman, Embeth Davidtz
Votes: 30,620 | Gross: $17.38M
36. High Crimes (2002)
PG-13 | 115 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A successful lawyer's husband is arrested for murdering nine villagers in El Salvador in 1988 as a US soldier under a different name. She decides to defend him in military court and find out the truth about what happened.
Director: Carl Franklin | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Adam Scott
Votes: 48,162 | Gross: $41.54M
37. The Trial (1962)
Not Rated | 119 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
An unassuming office worker is arrested and stands trial, but he is never made aware of his charges.
Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Anthony Perkins, Arnoldo Foà, Jess Hahn, Billy Kearns
Votes: 23,985
38. The Firm (2012)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Defense Attorney Mitch McDeere is targeted for execution by the Chicago Mob in retaliation for bringing down a profitable Mob-operated Memphis law firm ten years earlier.
Stars: Josh Lucas, Callum Keith Rennie, Molly Parker, Juliette Lewis
Votes: 6,143
39. Devil's Knot (2013)
Not Rated | 114 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The savage murders of three young children sparks a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a Satanic ritual.
Director: Atom Egoyan | Stars: Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Alessandro Nivola, James Hamrick
Votes: 23,839
40. Just Cause (1995)
R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A Harvard professor is lured back into the courtroom after twenty-five years to take the case of a young black man condemned to death for the horrific murder of a child.
Director: Arne Glimcher | Stars: Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Capshaw, Blair Underwood
Votes: 29,456 | Gross: $36.85M
41. Misconduct (2016)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When an ambitious young lawyer takes on a big case against a powerful and ruthless executive of a large pharmaceutical company, he soon finds himself involved in a case of blackmail and corruption.
Director: Shintaro Shimosawa | Stars: Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Alice Eve
Votes: 17,818
42. Night Falls on Manhattan (1996)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A newly elected District Attorney finds himself in the middle of a police corruption investigation that may involve his father and his partner.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Andy Garcia, Richard Dreyfuss, Lena Olin, Ian Holm
Votes: 8,778 | Gross: $9.88M
43. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)
PG-13 | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Remake of the 1956 film noir film "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" in which a writer's plan to expose a corrupt district attorney takes an unexpected turn.
Director: Peter Hyams | Stars: Jesse Metcalfe, Amber Tamblyn, Michael Douglas, Joel David Moore
Votes: 13,667 | Gross: $0.03M
44. True Crime (1999)
R | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Can an over-the-hill journalist uncover the evidence that can prove a death row inmate's innocence just hours before his execution?
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Isaiah Washington, LisaGay Hamilton, James Woods
Votes: 38,494 | Gross: $16.64M
45. The Juror (1996)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A juror in a Mafia trial is forced to convince the other jurors to vote not guilty by an obsessive mob enforcer.
Director: Brian Gibson | Stars: Demi Moore, Alec Baldwin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Gandolfini
Votes: 19,949 | Gross: $22.75M
46. Suspect (1987)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When a homeless man is accused of murdering a Justice Department file clerk, a public defender is tasked with mounting his legal defense.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Cher, Dennis Quaid, Liam Neeson, John Mahoney
Votes: 11,656 | Gross: $18.78M
47. 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: 18,295 | Gross: $22.42M
48. Murder One (1995–1997)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Theodore Hoffman is a prominent defense attorney in a prestigious Los Angeles law firm. After successfully defending the wealthy but suspicious Richard Cross in a lurid murder trial, he is ... See full summary »
Stars: Mary McCormack, Michael Hayden, J.C. MacKenzie, Barbara Bosson
Votes: 2,448
49. The Chamber (1996)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young man fresh out of law school tries to win a reprieve for his racist grandfather who is on death row.
Director: James Foley | Stars: Chris O'Donnell, Gene Hackman, Faye Dunaway, Robert Prosky
Votes: 16,112 | Gross: $14.55M
50. Fearless (I) (2017)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Emma Banville (Helen McCrory), a human rights lawyer known for defending lost causes, sets out to prove the innocence of Kevin Russell (Sam Swainsbury), who was convicted for the murder of a school girl fourteen years earlier.
Stars: Brooke Haynes, Helen McCrory, Sam Swainsbury, Jonathan Forbes
Votes: 4,947