A Glean movie guide
The Standout Courtroom Dramas
Justice, drama, and the law.
Compelling legal battles and high-stakes trials from the modern era.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Anatomy of a Fall
A gripping, psychologically complex trial that dissects the unraveling of a marriage.
A woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness.
- 02
The Trial of the Chicago 7
A high-stakes historical drama that captures the intensity of a politically charged courtroom.
What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a violent clash with the police. What followed was one of the most notorious trials in history.
- 03
Just Mercy
An emotionally powerful look at the fight for justice within the broken appeals process.
The powerful true story of Harvard-educated lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who goes to Alabama to defend the disenfranchised and wrongly condemned — including Walter McMillian, a man sentenced to death despite evidence proving his innocence. Bryan fights tirelessly for Walter with the system stacked against them.
- 04
Michael Clayton
A masterclass in tension, following a corporate 'fixer' caught in a massive legal cover-up.
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 multi-billion dollar class action suit.
- 05
The Lincoln Lawyer
A sharp, fast-paced legal thriller centered on defense strategy and courtroom maneuvering.
Mick Haller is a charismatic defense attorney who does business out of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Mick spends most of his time defending petty crooks and other bottom-feeders, so it comes as quite a surprise when he lands the case of a lifetime: defending a Beverly Hills playboy who is accused of attempted murder. However, what Mick initially thinks is an open-and-shut case with a big monetary reward develops into something more sinister.
- 06
Dark Waters
A relentless pursuit of truth that highlights the grueling nature of environmental litigation.
A tenacious attorney uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths to one of the world's largest corporations. In the process, he risks everything — his future, his family, and his own life — to expose the truth.
- 07
Marshall
A focused look at Thurgood Marshall’s early career and his brilliant courtroom tactics.
Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, battles through one of his career-defining cases.
- 08
Fracture
A clever cat-and-mouse game between a calculated defendant and a determined prosecutor.
A husband is on trial for the attempted murder of his wife, in what is seemingly an open/shut case for the ambitious district attorney trying to put him away. However, there are surprises for both around every corner, and, as a suspenseful game of cat-and-mouse is played out, each must manipulate and outwit the other.