Question of the Week
What’s Your Favorite Legal Movie?
Posted Jul 24, 2008 8:13 AM CST
By Molly McDonough
The August issue of the ABA Journal (online now!) presents a double feature, The 25 Greatest Legal Movies and How I Learned to Litigate at the Movies.
To Kill a Mockingbird was the winner, according to the judges.
But we wondered...
What would be your top pick?
After you've had a chance to vote on your favorites on the top 25 list, we'd like you to share your favorite legal movie. Don't forget to note the scene and let us know if the movie inspired any part of your lawyering.
Answer in the comments below.
Read last week's question and answers about useful info you've read on blogs.
No stand-out favorites from last week.
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- Schools Ranked by 'Super Lawyers' Produced
- Law Firm Price Wars Break Out as Some Try ‘Loss Leader’ Bids for Work
- Five Questions for Law Firms Abandoning Lockstep Compensation
- Judge Jails 2 Attorneys for Contempt in 4 Days
- Reed Smith Will Ask Nonequity Partners to Pony Up Possibly 15% of Pay
- Court Deputy Ordered to Apologize or Face Jail After Taking Lawyer's Paperwork
- Skadden Jumps on the Bonus Bandwagon
- ABA Executive Director Resigns
- Nasty Attitude to Co-Worker, Naughty Word in E-Mail Cost 2 Their Jobs
Should Supreme Court Justices Be Able to Review News Accounts Before Publication?
Comments
k. daerr-Bannon
Jul 25, 2008 2:30 AM CST
Don’t watch many movies but use youTube videos for teaching trials,
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Gary
Jul 25, 2008 2:47 AM CST
“Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys,” a made-for-TV movie from 1976. Great portrayal of the famous 1930’s case, where 9 young black defendants in Alabama were falsely accused of raping 2 white girls.
I also really enjoy “Amistad”, the portrayal of the trials stemming from an 1840s slave ship revolt.
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K. Mayo
Jul 25, 2008 4:52 AM CST
“Murder on a Sunday Morning” is the legal film that moved me the most. It depicts the investigation and trial of a 15 year-old black child being charged for the murder of two white tourists in Florida.
The movie is narrated by the child’s public defender. He goes through the investigative techniques of the police (if you can call them that) and the techniques of the public defender. My favorite part is the PD’s narration of his trial strategy and then seeing his strategy in action during the movie.
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Joel
Jul 25, 2008 5:20 AM CST
Witness for the Prosecution. Riveting drama, excellent storyline and superb acting.
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Ellen A.
Jul 25, 2008 5:25 AM CST
“A Time for a Kill,” with Samuel Jackson, Matthew McConaghy, Ashley Judd, Sandra Bullock, and Donald Sutherland. An African American father is defended against a murder charge after the rednecks who raped, beat, and left for dead his little girl are acquitted by a Southern, all-white jury. Sutherland, as always, is outstanding in his supporting role as a disgraced attorney.
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Nate
Jul 25, 2008 5:39 AM CST
One movie that didn’t make the cut was the Oxbow Incident.
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D.C. St. Clemmons
Jul 25, 2008 6:04 AM CST
I enjoyed “The Firm,” with its star cast, creative story, and Memphis Beale Street roots.
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Michael
Jul 25, 2008 6:13 AM CST
Definitely A Few Good Men, easily the most quotable of legal movies. That said, I’m basically living The Paperchase, so I have to give that a nod as well!
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kate
Jul 25, 2008 6:14 AM CST
i like Primal Fear—
ed norton & richard gere
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Terri
Jul 25, 2008 6:17 AM CST
I loved Presumed Innocent with Harrison Ford. I haven’t seen it in a long time, but it was a good one.
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Anonymous
Jul 25, 2008 6:30 AM CST
“A Few Good Men” with all of its technical flaws in the courtroom, most notably Tom Cruise testifying time after time, is still at the top of the list. One of the few times military lawyers got some well deserved recognition.
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Hanson Reynolds
Jul 25, 2008 6:44 AM CST
Anatomy of a Murder. Robert Welch, Boston lawyer played the judge. Chastised Jimmy Stewart and George C. Scott, the defense lawyer and prosecutor, for unnecessary wrangling. Excellent scene holds up.
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Kristina
Jul 25, 2008 7:05 AM CST
Everyone should watch or rewatch 12 Angry Men every few years. It’s a powerful reminder of how awesome a responsibility the US criminal justice system puts on jurors and on the advocates that inform and educate jurors.
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Hadley V. Baxendale
Jul 25, 2008 7:16 AM CST
Anatomy of a Murder. A close second is “Compulsion” based on the Leopold and Loeb case. I still remember the defense lawyer’s summation to the jury after 50 years. The words were Clarence Darrow’s.
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Tracian Laignel
Jul 25, 2008 7:20 AM CST
Fracture with Anthony Hopkins was fantastic. It is a newer film that came out in ‘07 I believe. After just finishing criminal law last semester I loved the ending and it all clicked!! I don’t want to spoil it but the movie is a must see. Ryan Gosling plays a young attorney just trying to get his dues in for public prosecuting so he can move on to private practice. He is handed a case just before he is ready to leave for private practice and it is Anthony Hopkins accused of murdering his wife ...
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CB
Jul 25, 2008 7:20 AM CST
I have to agree that To Kill A Mockingbird is the best, by far. However, I’ve always had a very soft spot for From the Hip. It’s not a classic like Witness for the Prosecution or 12 Angry Men but I swear it shaped a generation of litigators - at least a little.
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Peter
Jul 25, 2008 7:21 AM CST
Body Heat. One of the few movies involving the rule against perpetuities.
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Mike
Jul 25, 2008 7:35 AM CST
My Cousin Vinny- Best of all time!
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Kim M.
Jul 25, 2008 7:37 AM CST
One of my faves is Erin Brockovich. Here was a woman who had no legal experience, and she fought for the sick people of CA and ended up winning one of the highest paid settlements in the US against a major corporation.
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Neil
Jul 25, 2008 7:37 AM CST
I have two, depending on my mood. “Witness for the Prosecution” if I want something truly good, or “My Cousin Vinnie” for fun.
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Jessalyn
Jul 25, 2008 7:37 AM CST
I know it’s far-fetched, but The Devil’s Advocate is my favorite. It shows how the legal profession is a catch-22 a lot of the time, and Al PAcino as the devil makes it believable.
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Brian
Jul 25, 2008 7:39 AM CST
While the films on the Top 25 list are all good choices, my own personal favorite is The Sweet Hereafter, a film about a very small town coming to grips with a devastating school bus crash that kills most of the town’s children. As an outsider attorney comes to town in hopes of building a lawsuit, the townspeople find themselves conflicted between a desire to find someone to blame and their traditional reliance on one another in times of tragedy. At the heart of the film is a 16-year-old girl, the sole survivor of the crash, upon whom the success or failure of any lawsuit likely will depend. A haunting film, and a must-see for any attorney, in my opinion.
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Rich
Jul 25, 2008 7:46 AM CST
Legally Blonde…the best movie ever!
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Jennie
Jul 25, 2008 7:50 AM CST
Serious: To Kill a Mockingbird
Funny: My Cousin Vinny and Legally Blonde
Also have to agree with Peter: Body Heat is a GREAT movie - almost no one else I know has seen it or remembers it!
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Steve Latimer
Jul 25, 2008 7:51 AM CST
To Kill a Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men are probably the best, but there is an old Mae West movie, called “She Done Him Wrong” (I think). In the middle of a divorce trial she fires her lawyer and does a smashing cross on the paramour. She then turns to the jury, all middle aged white men and says “How ‘m I doin’ boys” in her own inimitable style—probably one of the best trial scenes ever.
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Charles
Jul 25, 2008 7:51 AM CST
The Verdict. Hands down. It’s not close, although My Cousin Vinnie is plenty fun, and oh do I love Marissa Tomei.
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EPW
Jul 25, 2008 7:59 AM CST
“You can’t handle the truth!”
Definitely “A Few Good Men.” I’d say it was the movie that pushed me toward my career today as a Judge Advocate.
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barbara res
Jul 25, 2008 8:12 AM CST
I think A Civil Action (book was much better) portrays what happens in court most realistically.
It is almost never about who is right.
BR
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twoyouths
Jul 25, 2008 8:21 AM CST
My Cousin Vinny
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Lynn
Jul 25, 2008 8:36 AM CST
My Cousin Vinny - “They don’t teach procedjah in law school.”
No Vinny, that they don’t!
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Jamie
Jul 25, 2008 8:38 AM CST
Oooh, I can’t resist Legally Blond, either.
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Deirdre Healy
Jul 25, 2008 8:48 AM CST
A Civil Action gets my vote. I show it to my students every semester and they love it.
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Tom Cruise II
Jul 25, 2008 8:53 AM CST
Legally Blonde is arguably the most accurate film made of a top tier law school ever. The scene where she interacts with other first year students is indicative of how the kids at top tier schools conduct themselves and behave. The film was brilliantly written and easily ranks above all other “lawyer” type films, including “12 Angry Men,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and “The Firm.” And the cute pink outfits, the little dog, and other humorous anecdotes make this film a must-see for all kids matriculating at Harvard Law and other law schools.
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Brinkman
Jul 25, 2008 9:02 AM CST
What about “The Firm”
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knyd
Jul 25, 2008 9:06 AM CST
It didn’t make the list, but I always liked Runaway Jury with John Cusack. Although, I have to say - I can’t watch it now without thinking periodically, “That’s definately grounds for (appeal, retrial, etc.).”
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Eldon Spencer
Jul 25, 2008 9:08 AM CST
Reversal of Fortune is the best for showing the type of hard work that goes into preparing for a trial, and leaving us with the hard reality that the real truth may never emerge from the trial process, no matter how thorough that preparation and how vigorous the advocacy. The characters are well drawn, especially the defendant and the law professor interacting with his enthusiastic law student defense research team
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Crystal
Jul 25, 2008 9:10 AM CST
12 Angry Men
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Allen Madison
Jul 25, 2008 9:18 AM CST
I had planned on going to law school since I was a junior in high school after winning a regional business law competition. After graduating college, however, I put it off. A few years later, I watched “My Cousin Vinnie.” It inspired me to get back to my earlier desire.
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Retired Partner
Jul 25, 2008 9:18 AM CST
Runaway Jury and Primal Fear should have made the list.
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Jason
Jul 25, 2008 9:23 AM CST
Liar Liar
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Dave Hoffman
Jul 25, 2008 9:30 AM CST
I’ve always been partial to “From the Hip.”
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Mary Ellen Burns
Jul 25, 2008 9:33 AM CST
“A Man For All Seasons” is my favorite movie, period, with “To Kill a Mockingbird” coming a close second as top legal movie.
Must add that “Chicago” is one of my least favorite movies of all time!
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sanford
Jul 25, 2008 9:37 AM CST
To Kill a Mockingbird—shows what is most noble about the profession. Also The Verdict; and Body Heat was fantastic entertainment—the lawyer was like some we know—”. . . not too smart.”
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Dan McAuliffe
Jul 25, 2008 9:47 AM CST
How can everybody seemingly ignore “And Justice for All.” Pacino’s opening statement for Judge Fleming may be the best, albeit most unrealistic, lawyer scene ever put on film.
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Retired Partner
Jul 25, 2008 9:53 AM CST
I agree with Ms. Burns. How did “Chicago” make the list, an entertaining movie, but hardly of the caliber of the rest of the list
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Rising 2L
Jul 25, 2008 9:58 AM CST
Adam’s Rib (Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn)
If you haven’t seen it, you should.
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Jeff Asperger
Jul 25, 2008 10:05 AM CST
“My Cousin Vinnie” had realistic cross examinations. I used a tape measure to cross an expert who claimed that taped-over sprinkler heads would not be visible from the ground. Received a $40 million verdict. Thanks, Vinnie.
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Zoomie
Jul 25, 2008 10:21 AM CST
Breaker Morant, followed closely by To Kill a Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men (the Henry Fonda version, of course)
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In-House O&G
Jul 25, 2008 10:39 AM CST
Witness for the Prosecution. I loved Charles Coburn as the defense attorney.
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Cali Girl
Jul 25, 2008 11:04 AM CST
Lawyer movie: My Cousin Vinnie - my Evidence professor used some of the Marisa Tomei testimony scenes when discussing expert witnesses—and when she says “That’s a Fact!” it’s not—it’s an opinion!!
Law School movie: The Paper Chase—should be mandatory viewing for 1L’s.
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