A Glean movie guide
The Definitive Courtroom Dramas
Justice, served on screen.
Masterful performances and high-stakes legal battles that defined the genre.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
12 Angry Men
A masterclass in tension that unfolds entirely within the confines of a single jury room.
The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.
- 02
To Kill a Mockingbird
An iconic exploration of morality and prejudice anchored by one of cinema's most noble legal defenses.
Scout Finch, 6, and her older brother Jem live in sleepy Maycomb, Alabama, spending much of their time with their friend Dill and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. When Atticus, their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.
- 03
Witness for the Prosecution
Billy Wilder delivers a sharp, witty courtroom mystery packed with legendary plot twists.
An ailing barrister is thrust back into the courtroom in what becomes one of the most unusual and eventful murder cases of the lawyer's career when he finds himself defending a man being tried for the murder of a socialite.
- 04
Anatomy of a Murder
Renowned for its uncompromisingly realistic and detailed portrayal of the American legal process.
Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed that he raped her. Over the course of an extensive trial, Biegler parries with District Attorney Lodwick and out-of-town prosecutor Claude Dancer to set his client free, but his case rests on the victim's mysterious business partner, who's hiding a dark secret.
- 05
A Few Good Men
A modern classic featuring an electrifying, high-stakes confrontation between military lawyers and command.
When cocky military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee and his co-counsel, Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway, are assigned to a murder case, they uncover a hazing ritual that could implicate high-ranking officials such as shady Col. Nathan Jessep.
- 06
Judgment at Nuremberg
A profound and harrowing examination of moral responsibility during post-WWII war crimes trials.
In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.
- 07
The Verdict
Paul Newman shines as a washed-up lawyer fighting for redemption in a gritty medical malpractice case.
Frank Galvin is a down-on-his-luck lawyer and reduced to drinking and ambulance chasing, when a former associate reminds him of his obligations in a medical malpractice suit by serving it to Galvin on a silver platter—all parties are willing to settle out of court. Blundering his way through the preliminaries, Galvin suddenly realizes that the case should actually go to court—to punish the guilty, to get a decent settlement for his clients... and to restore his standing as a lawyer.
- 08
Inherit the Wind
A gripping dramatization of the Scopes Trial that pits faith against science in the courtroom.
Schoolteacher Bertram Cates is arrested for teaching his students Darwin's theory of evolution. The case receives national attention and one of the newspaper reporters, E.K. Hornbeck, arranges to bring in renowned defense attorney and atheist Henry Drummond to defend Cates. The prosecutor, Matthew Brady is a former presidential candidate, famous evangelist, and old adversary of Drummond.
- 09
Paths of Glory
A searing, concise look at military injustice during a tense WWI court-martial.
A commanding officer defends three scapegoats on trial for a failed offensive that occurred within the French Army in 1916.
- 10
Primal Fear
A quintessential 90s legal thriller that keeps you guessing until its final, shocking reveal.
Defense attorney Martin Vail takes on jobs for money and prestige rather than any sense of the greater good. His latest case involves an altar boy, accused of brutally murdering the archbishop of Chicago. Vail finds himself up against his ex-pupil and ex-lover, but as the case progresses and the Church's dark secrets are revealed, Vail finds that what appeared a simple case takes on a darker, more dangerous aspect.