Great courtroom dramas get made every year, but only a few of them explore the intricacies of the legal system in great detail, or put aside cinematically satisfying drama for the sake of accuracy. While they may create memorable cinematic moments, many legal drama tropes do not happen in real courtrooms. So, it’s a difficult task to look for a courtroom drama that is entertaining while staying true to reality.

However, that makes an accurate courtroom drama or TV show such a pleasure to watch. There’s immense satisfaction to be found in seeing a realistic portrayal of a legal proceeding that explores its moral conundrums and depicts all due processes in full detail. Of course, some unrealistic courtroom dramas can be just as satisfying and enjoyable because dramatic monologues and memorable twists create cinematic moments. So, a perfect courtroom drama does not sacrifice accuracy in its portrayal of trial procedure in order to provide a thrilling edge-of-the-seat experience with its inevitable twists and turns.

10

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Directed by Billy Wilder

Agatha Christie, who has mostly written mystery whodunits that focus on the detective aspect of solving crimes, wrote Witness for the Prosecution in 1953 as a play, based on an older short story of hers. The courtroom drama was a hit with audiences, and the same is true of Wilder’s movie adaptation of the play. One of the best Agatha Christie movie adaptations, Witness for the Prosecution features one of Marlene Dietrich’s finest performances of all time – that scene where she takes the stand is one of the best scenes in legal drama history.

Tyrone Power is known for his swashbuckling roles as a romantic hero during the ’30s and the ’40s. He tragically died at 44, still not having finished filming all his scenes for the epic Solomon and Sheba. Thus, his final role is in a courtroom drama, which is a genre rarely ᴀssociated with him, as a man accused of murdering a rich woman, being defended by a lawyer who’s come out of retirement to do so. Witness for the Prosecution is one of the finest legal dramas, and rightfully earned Wilder his fifth Oscar nomination for Best Director.

9

A Few Good Men (1992)

Directed by Rob Reiner

He has successfully dabbled in so many genres that it’s hard to pick which is Rob Reiner’s best movie. However, The Princess Bride, Stand By Me and When Harry Met Sally…, all of which are among the best feel-good movies of the 1980s, clearly prove that the decade was his greatest era as a director. Yet, his only Oscar nomination came in the early ’90s, as a producer of his courtroom drama A Few Good Men. It also marks the screenwriting debut of one of the most decorated screenwriters in Hollywood today – Aaron Sorkin.

A Broadway production written by Sorkin, who wrote the movie adaptation as well, A Few Good Men is an incredible legal drama that has come to redefine the genre. “You can’t handle the truth.” is one of the most quoted lines today. Sorkin was inspired by a conversation with his sister, who had been stationed in a military court at the time of writing. It is a detailed exploration of the toxicity in the military and covers many lesser-known details of legal procedure and the internal workings of the navy.

8

The Rainmaker (1997)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

While he’s a highly celebrated director with various films in different genres, Francis Ford Coppola’s only legal drama movie doesn’t get enough love. Based on John Grisham’s ’94 novel, The Rainmaker follows a law school graduate, played by Matt Damon, who decides to take on a high-profile case of insurance fraud, despite having significantly lesser resources than the company his clients have litigated against.

A riveting courtroom drama, it explores the way corruption and cruelty can ruin the lives of people who put their faith in insurance companies. Considerably accurate in its depiction of the way such cases are handled, The Rainmaker is still just as relevant over 25 years later. Written by Michael Herr and the director himself, the movie doesn’t shy away from portraying the shadiness of corporate law.

7

12 Angry Men (1957)

Directed by Sidney Lumet

While it may sound awful if you explain it to someone, Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men is perhaps the most influential and famous legal drama film of all time. Even though it won none of the three Academy Awards it was nominated for – Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay – it’s often considered to be one of the greatest films ever made in the history of cinema.

Based on Reginald Rose’s play of the same name, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie, it tells the story of a conflicted jury member who makes everyone else reconsider their verdict. 12 Angry Men is a gripping exploration of the failings of the judicial system in the case of a botched investigation, and the power of doubt. However, it’s not entirely accurate as the jury performs its own investigation, which is illegal, but that’s what allows the film to explore the power of manipulation and makes the drama that much more riveting.

6

Rashomon (1950)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa is known for his genius filmmaking, which still holds up today, and for the indelible mark he’s left on the craft. As one of the most influential filmmakers of all time, his The Hidden Fortress, which is one of the best martial arts adventure movies, inspired George Lucas to create Star Wars, which has arguably become the biggest franchise of all time. Yet, none of his works are likely as influential as Rashomon, which has led to the coining of a term after it.

Based on a short story by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa – not the one of the same name, which only inspired the тιтle and a few of the scenes – it follows the murder trial of a samurai. A bandit has been accused of murdering the samurai, but four key witnesses describe different accounts of the events. Using obscured camera angles and his expertise in blocking, Kurosawa creates a narrative where even the viewers can’t make up their minds about the truth in Rashomon. In fact, the phenomenon of unrealiability of eyewitnesses is known as the Rashomon effect today.

5

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Directed by Robert Benton

Just a year after her breakout roles in the television miniseries The Holocaust, and the movie The Deer Hunter, Meryl Streep starred in one of the movies that defined her career. A custody drama between a couple, played by Dustin Hoffman and Streep, it explores the impact of their divorce proceedings on their son and the subsequent realizations they come to about marriage and parenting.

Justin Henry became the youngest ever Oscar nominee – a record he still holds – for his portrayal of the son in the movie. A harrowing look into the personal failings of two people supposedly in love, it doesn’t shy away from exploring the ugliness that one can see in such cases. Almost fifty years later, Kramer vs. Kramer is still considered to be a gold standard in divorce drama writing and directing.

4

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Directed by Robert Mulligan

Atticus Finch is often considered to be the greatest movie hero in Hollywood history, and for good reason. The protagonist of To Kill a Mockingbird, based on Harper Lee’s Pullitzer-winning novel of the same name, is a model citizen, unafraid to speak out against social injustice and parents through example instead of fear. Played by Gregory Peck, who won an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in the movie, he’s an aspirational character whose words ring true and relevant even today.

One of the greatest films ever made, To Kill a Mockingbird has inspired many legal dramas over the years. It features painstakingly staged extensive courtroom scenes that portray how long-winded and detail-oriented a trial can become. Its exploration of how social stigma and community resistance can determine verdicts and put a lawyer on social trial remains one of the best instances of such thematic exploration in a legal drama.

3

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

Directed by Justine Triet

One of the best modern courtroom drama movies, Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall won the Palme d’Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival 2023. Sandra Hüller stars in the movie and delivers one of her greatest performances as a woman attempting to prove her innocence in the case of her husband’s death. With a riveting Oscar-winning screenplay at its heart, the film explores the destructive impact of a murder trial on the mental health of the accused and her immediate family, which is her son, both of whom are supposed to be grieving.

Anatomy of a Fall‘s realistic courtroom trial scenes are long and detail-oriented. However, at no point does the two-and-a-half-hour-long movie drag. It makes use of its extended runtime to depict the nitty-gritty of the murder trial, from staged performances by a manipulative prosecutor to technologically recreated simulations of the possible murder. Every performance in the film is remarkable, but the highlight is the dog Messi, whose sympathetic screen presence melts viewers’ hearts. He won the Palm Dog Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023.

2

My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Directed by Jonathan Lynn

When one thinks of courtroom dramas, one pictures elaborate reconstructions of criminal activities, intensely pᴀssionate monologues, shocking revelations delivered with dramatic flair, and a serious atmosphere. Yet, one of the best and most accurate legal dramas of all time, which features Marisa Tomei’s Oscar-winning breakout role, is decidedly comedic. My Cousin Vinny marks Tomei’s rise to fame, and while she would later be nominated for Oscars for her roles in In the Bedroom and The Wrestler, that’s the only time she has won the award.

My Cousin Vinny tells the story of how the тιтular Vinny (Joe Pesci), who has recently pᴀssed the bar exam after failing six times, will rise to the occasion when he’s called upon to defend his cousin, who’s been wrongfully accused of murder. The film covers extensive ground in depicting the procedures involved in setting up a successful defense during a trial, portraying events unfolding inside and outside the courtroom. Along with praise from lawyers, the movie has been praised by magicians for Joe Pesci’s sleight-of-hand trick.

1

The Accused (1988)

Directed by Jonathan Kaplan

While she’s most famous for playing the protagonist in The Silence of the Lambs, which also features Sir Anthony Hopkins as a character that helped reshape genre expectations, Jodie Foster actually had already won an Oscar for Best Actress three years prior to its release. Foster’s performance as the protagonist in The Accused won her her first Academy Award, and her second nomination of a total of five as of now.

Loosely based on the highly publicized trial after the gang rape of Cheryl Araujo in 1983, The Accused is a landmark courtroom drama that pays homage to the case. Along with the men who raped her, Araujo brought charges against two enablers, who were present at the scene and did nothing to stop the perpetrators. The film explores multiple aspects of rape culture, including victim-blaming, and apart from the possibly unnecessary graphic rape scene, its lack of sensationalism makes it an essentially perfect legal drama.