Some of the best films of all time are the tense, stressful courtroom battles that keep you on the edge of your seat.
Many people have various opinions as to which are the top rated movies, but Martin Chilton, Culture Editor for The Telegraph website recently published his top picks. Below are some of the top 20 in drama history that he believes are the classics.
- 12 Angry Men (1957) – A teenage boy is accused of murdering his father and one of the jurors, played by Henry Fonda, begs the other 11 jurors to analyze the case closely.
- To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) – Actor Gregory Peck is an attorney in a small town that is defending a black man accused of murdering a white woman.
- Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) – This film, which won five Oscars including Best Picture, is an intense custody drama starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep.
- My Cousin Vinny (1992) – This is a witty comedy about two young men wrongly accused of a small southern town murder who can only afford their cousin as their lawyer.
- A Few Good Men (1992) – Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson star in this film regarding two marines accused of murdering a fellow marine.
- Philadelphia (1993) – A story based on an attorney who sued a law firm for an unfair dismissal of an AIDS discrimination case. This film stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.
- Erin Brockovich (2000) – Julia Roberts plays a real life single mother, Erin Brockovich, who is instrumental in organizing an environmental damages case against Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California.
- Michael Clayton (2007) – George Clooney stars as attorney Michael Clayton in this courtroom drama that was nominated for seven Academy Awards and Best Picture.
- The Social Network (2010) – This movie is based on lawsuits filed against Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, once the social website became a success. People argue Zuckerberg stole their idea as while others feel they were cut out of the loop.
- Devil’s Knot (2013) – The defense investigator, played by Colin Firth, and Reese Witherspoon star in this film about the case of murdered boy.
See Chilton’s other top ten choices and learn more extensive details regarding each of these courtroom classics.