Legal dramas, thrillers, and comedies have been part of Hollywood since the very beginning. Whether it's classic shows like L.A. Law and Ally McBeal, or movies like A Time To Kill and To Kill A Mockingbird, there is every kind of movie about the law, and the lawyers who practice it.
L.A. Law
Admit it, you can hear that saxophone intro as the trunk slams on the Mercedes that opened every episode of L.A. Law for eight seasons from 1986 until 1994. It was one of the anchors of NBC's legendary Thursday nights in that era. It was the only drama in the lineup, and for those of us who grew up at the time, it was the perfect way to end the evening.
A Time To Kill
Matthew McConaughey's first movie role came as a cast member of the legendary Dazed and Confused, where he was responsible for some classic lines. He really became a more rounded movie star with his starring turn in A Time To Kill, with Samuel L. Jackson. McConaughey plays a lawyer defending Jackson's character for what audiences see as a justified murder.
Ally McBeal
The legal world has always been a rich area for comedy. I'm not going to make any comments about lawyers here... But Ally McBeal helped define late '90s TV and made stars of Calista Flockhart, Jane Krakowski, and Portia de Rossi.
Juror #2
Lawyers aren't always the focus of legal dramas. Sometimes, movies are about the jury, like the appropriately named Juror #2, directed by Clint Eastwood. Nicholas Hoult plays a juror who quickly learns he may actually be responsible for the death of the person the man on trial is accused of murdering. It's an intense movie, to say the least.
Perry Mason
In the early days of television, one of the most popular and longest-running shows was Perry Mason. It proved so enduring that Raymond Burr, who starred as the titular attorney, returned to play the role in more than two dozen TV movies right up until just before his death in 1993. Perry Mason set the template of "case of the week" shows that followed it.
A Few Good Men
Years before JAG made the Navy's Judge Advocate General's Corps a staple on TV, the Aaron Sorkin-penned, Rob Reiner-directed classic A Few Good Men brought audiences into the world of military political thrillers. Tom Cruise plays a cocky but inexperienced officer defending two Marines accused of murder in this amazing movie with amazing performances all around, especially Jack Nicholson.
My Cousin Vinny
Marisa Tomai might have won an Oscar for My Cousin Vinny, but she's hardly the only amazing performance in this fish out of water legal comedy starring Joe Pesci as a New York lawyer...well, almost lawyer... who travels to a small town in Alabama to defend his nephew and his nephews friend, who are charged with murder. It's a hilarious classic.
Legally Blonde
You knew we had to include the beloved Legally Blonde on this list. It's the movie that really made Reese Witherspoon an A-list star and spawned multiple sequels, a musical, and a streaming TV show on Prime. The law in it may be dubious, but the comedy is not.
Marshall
2017's Marshall is the origin story of a real-life superhero, future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. The film, starring Chadwick Boseman as Marshall, tells the story of an early case in the legend's career when he defended an innocent man, played by Sterling K. Brown, accused of murder. It's a movie that doesn't often get mentioned, but it should because it's as powerful as it sounds.
To Kill A Mockingbird
One of the true American classics of both literature and cinema is To Kill A Mockingbird. The movie, based on the book by Harper Lee, stars Gregory Peck as the single father and lawyer Atticus Finch, who defends a man accused of assault. It's hard to understate how important both the book and movie are to millions of people.
Suits
Of course, these days, Suits is maybe most famous for being the Duchess of Sussex's greatest success on screen. Meghan Markle is part of a great cast of this legal drama that first became a hit on the USA network before finding a second life years later on Netflix, when its renewed popularity spawned a spinoff, Suits LA, on the streamer.
The Firm
The Firm is about a different kind of practice than most legal thrillers. There aren't any courtrooms or dramatic moments deposing witnesses; instead, it's about a slimier side of the law. Tom Cruise plays a young lawyer fresh out of law school who unwittingly goes to work for a mobbed-up law firm. Like others on this list, it's based on a John Grisham book, one of his first.
Amistad
One of Steven Spielberg's more under-appreciated movies has to be Amistad, about the trial of a group of enslaved men accused of murder on the high seas. It features a ton of wonderful performances, including Anthony Hopkins in the role of former President John Quincy Adams, who helped defend the men in this true story.
Boston Legal
The Practice was a more serious legal drama on ABC in the late '90s, but its spinoff, Boston Legal, mixed in a ton more humor. James Spader and William Shatner both play lawyers in the show, and both are brilliant in their roles. It had some very serious moments, and some completely over-the-top ridiculous ones, too. It was a great blend of drama and humor. It's a rare example of a spinoff meeting and maybe exceeding its predecessor.
Erin Brockovich
Julia Roberts' character, the titular Erin Brockovich, is a real person, though she wasn't a lawyer. That doesn't mean she didn't understand the law, though, nor was she unwilling to fight for those that couldn't get anyone else to help.
Law & Order
Of course, we had to include Law & Order. The enduring show has run for more than two dozen seasons over the years, though not all consecutively. We'll just include all its various spinoffs here; otherwise, we'd only be able to half the list we have here with all the different versions over the years. And you can admit it, you're humming the theme song right now.
Better Call Saul
There are a handful of TV spinoffs on this list, and one is Better Call Saul, which, of course, was spun off of Breaking Bad. The immensely popular show was critically lauded, but somehow the Bob Odenkirk-led drama never won an Emmy, which is bonkers.
The Rainmaker
John Grisham has written a ton of books that have been adapted into movies, and one of the best of those adaptations is the underrated The Rainmaker, starring Matt Damon as a young lawyer suing an insurance company in a true David v. Goliath plot. It's one of Francis Ford Copolla's most overlooked movies.
How to Get Away with Murder
Shonda Rhimes has developed everything from medical dramas (Grey's Anatomy) to political thrillers (Scandal), so of course, she's got a legal drama under her belt with How to Get Away with Murder. It's unique because it blends law school with law practice, and it definitely benefits from the wonderful performance by Viola Davis in the starring role.
Matlock
Right there with Perry Mason as one of the most famous TV lawyers of all time is Andy Griffith's Matlock in the show of the same name. Sure, it's been the butt of jokes on The Simpsons for years, but the show was truly beloved when it aired and even spawned a reboot recently on CBS.
Philadelphia
One movie that people love, but can only watch once because it is so heavy, is Philadelphia, starring Denzel Washington as a lawyer suing on behalf of another lawyer who was let go from his law firm after contracting AIDS. It was one of the first movies to ever confront the epidemic and its effects directly, and it's an amazing and heartbreaking legal drama.
12 Angry Men
12 Angry Men, from legendary director Sidney Lumet, is considered one of the best movies ever made, to say nothing of one of the best legal dramas ever. It's a power takedown of McCarthyism at the height of the Red Scare in 1957, and it's a fearless movie in that regard. The cast is led by Henry Fonda and includes actors like Jack Klugman, Jack Warden, Ed Begley, Sr., and Martin Balsam as the jury foreman.
Anatomy Of A Fall
The Best Picture-nominated Anatomy Of A Fall gives audiences a peek into the legal system in France, which is very different from most of the entries on this list. The movie is set around a mysterious death that could be murder. It's a powerful and engaging movie that holds the viewer's attention for every second of the film.
Night Court
If you grew up watching TV in the 1980s, there is little doubt that Night Court on NBC was a favorite sitcom. The cast became legendary, winning all kinds of Emmys and other awards. The plot, about the goings on of a court in New York City, was not secondary to the characters, either, as every episode had some over-the-top legal moments, few of which were realistic but most of which were hilarious.
The Lincoln Lawyer
Television producer David E. Kelly has a great history of developing legal dramas for TV, which include Ally McBeal, The Practice, and Boston Legal. His fourth on that list is The Lincoln Lawyer, based on a book by Michael Connelly called The Brass Verdict about a lawyer who literally practices law out of his car, a Lincoln. The first book in the same series was adapted into a movie starring Matthew McConaughey in 2011.
The Good Wife
The parade of guest stars that appeared in episodes of The Good Wife is long and distinguished, but that isn't all the show is remembered for. Unlike most legal TV shows, the show often had long story arcs over multiple episodes. It made the show unique and insanely bingeable.
The Pelican Brief
The Pelican Brief is John Grisham's third book, and the second to be adapted into a movie (behind The Firm). Like most of Grisham's stories, it's fast-paced and entertaining, but it's a pretty different story from The Firm or A Time To Kill (Grisham's first novel). It almost has the vibe of a spy thriller as much as a legal thriller. Julia Roberts' career was really exploding at the time, as was Denzel Washington's, so the movie was almost guaranteed to be a hit, and it was.
Legal Eagles
1996's Legal Eagles is unique on this list in that it is a rom-com as much as it is a legal movie. There aren't all that many movies that cross those genres, and while the '80s movie does feel a little dated, it is buoyed by two solid performances from Debra Winger and Robert Redford, and some snappy directing from Ivan Reitman.
The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Anyone alive in 1995 remembers the O.J. Simpson murder trial all too well. It was literally inescapable. In a way, it's surprising that it took more than 20 years for a movie (or, in this case, a mini-series) to be made about it. It was worth the wait, though, as the Ryan Murphy-produced show was gripping, despite the fact that everyone knew how it was going to end. It also has a fantastic ensemble cast.
A Civil Action
1998's A Civil Action was one of the first legal movies to tackle a civil litigation against a big company. Based on the true story of a lawyer named Jan Schlichtmann (John Travolta), the movie follows a class action lawsuit against two companies accused of contaminating groundwater, causing widespread cases of cancer. While it is very much a "'90s" movie, and it didn't do all that well at the box office, it's got some solid performances by a slew of great actors.
From The Hip
We had to include this oft-forgotten classic comedy that we think is very underrated. From The Hip features a hilarious performance from Judd Nelson as a young lawyer trying his first case and not understanding (or caring about) the rules of the court. Not the best movie on this list, but a fun deep cut if you've seen all the others.
The Client
Another great legal drama based on a book by John Grisham is The Client, starring Susan Sarandon, who works on behalf of an 11-year-old who is a witness in a mob case. Brad Renfro, who is an actor who died tragically before turning 40, plays the boy in a scene-stealing performance.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
