It is one of the first surviving legal dramas and, in a fascinating way, it shows that cinema as a technology has been associated with ideas of truth and reality since its beginnings. A scientist shows friends his movie camera in his lab. They`re going to leave, but when you walk into the room, the scientist is dead. The woman who found her is brought by the police, but she protests that she is innocent. So who killed him? The answer lies in the camera, which has its main moment in the climaxing scene of the courtroom as we watch the assembled crowds watch the evidence. It only lasts three minutes and although it`s not on any of the streamers, you can dig it up if you snoop a bit yourself. There is also an appearance by directing pioneer DW Griffith (pictured in a hat, with Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks after the founding of United Artists), who made the very yikes-y Birth of a Nation. Erin Brockovich – Erin Brockovich, an unemployed single mother, gets a job as a legal assistant and brings down a California energy company accused of polluting the water of an almost single city. Duration: 131 minutes Director: Steven Soderbergh. Stars: Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, David Brisbin Watch the movie: Erin Brockovich 1979 legal drama by Canadian director Norman Jewison. And Justice for All stars Al Pacino as Arthur Kirkland — a Baltimore lawyer who is forced to defend a rape-accused judge who had previously detained him for contempt of court for beating him at his client`s hearing. Increasingly frustrated and disgusted by the corrupt legal system, Kirkland – who, in addition to defending the shady judge, sees his fellow lawyer and friend have a nervous breakdown and a client commit suicide – strikes during the judge`s trial, culminating in a glowing diatribe in which he rages: “You are out of order! The whole process is not right! AFI described forensic dramas as “a film genre in which a judicial system plays a crucial role in the narrative of the film. Innocent until proven otherwise.
These four words inspire stories where the result can make the difference between life and death. The drama inherent in courtroom theatre – the accused entering, the prosecution and the defence present their case, and a jury deliberates – relies on the moment a verdict is read. “A legal drama doesn`t necessarily have to focus on court scenes to be satisfying. Civil lawsuits also exist, and Erin Brockovich is a crackling thriller about law and lawyers, as well as a character study and the dismantling of American companies. Steven Soderbergh`s film is probably best known for Julia Roberts` Oscar-winning performance and her bold, dirty and overall endearing portrayal of the eponymous real-life legal assistant that exposes environmental neglect and cover-up by California`s leading electric and gas utility. It`s also a sunny exploration of how corporations knowingly poison people and do nothing about it, and the kind of bravery and stubbornness it takes to bring them down. Unfortunately, there are very few good resources for those interested in lawyers` movies. That`s why we decided to compile a list of the best lawyers` films in chronological order, dating back to the 1930s. Not only will you come across courtroom classics of all time, but you`ll also discover a huge number of legal movies you`ve never heard of before! Legal Eagles – A New York DA works and flirts with his legal opponent and strange artist client, who is on trial for a murder she didn`t commit. Duration: 116 minutes Director: Ivan Reitman. Stars: Robert Redford, Debra Winger, Daryl Hannah Watch the movie: Legal Eagles One of the first major films to deal with AIDS-related discrimination, Philadelphia plays Tom Hanks as Andrew Beckett, a gay corporate lawyer who was fired from his prestigious law firm after his bosses discovered he had AIDS, under the pretext of incompetence, and Denzel Washington in the role of Joe Miller – a young lawyer initially homophobic and reluctant, who takes over his case. The captivating and moving film was inspired in part by the actual trial of attorney Geoffrey Bowers and earned its lead actor Hanks a number of awards, including an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Actor.
The dangerous and mass-produced chemicals that Mark Ruffalo`s tenacious lawyer, Robert Bilott, fights against can be found in seemingly boring objects like non-stick pots and pans. There`s a surprising banality in the real horrors explored in Dark Waters, the story that makes headlines by a lawyer waging a decades-long legal war against DuPont, one of the world`s most powerful companies. The kitchen table where families gather to break bread and discuss their day becomes a crime scene.
