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  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

The 25 greatest courtroom dramas - no objections!

Features
By GamesRadar Staff published 22 December 2016

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15. The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928)

The Case: Jeanne d'Arc (Maria Falconetti) is put on the stand where judges attempt to coerce her into admitting that she is lying about her mission from God.

Only In The Movies: Though The Passion is a black-and-white silent film, director Carl Theodor Dreyer helped build the tension by using crash close-ups and refusing to let his actors wear make-up.

14. The Caine Mutiny (1954)

The Case: Lt. Cmdr. Phillip Queeg (Humphrey Bogart) is relieved of duty by the first officer when he starts showing signs of mental instability. Queeg's response? Charge the first officer with mutiny.

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Only In The Movies: The climax of the court martial trial is contrasted simultaneously with scenes of the ship getting battered by a typhoon not over the top at all, then.

13. A Few Good Men (1992)

The Case: Navy lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) enters the courtroom in order to defend Marines who have been charged with murder.

Only In The Movies: Do lawyers really have teeth as perfect as Tom Cruise's?

12. Witness For The Prosecution (1957)

The Case: Screen adaptation of Agatha Christie's mystery, in which Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power) is charged with the murder of a rich widow. Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton) is the lawyer hired to defend him.

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Only In The Movies: Like the best courtroom dramas, what starts out as a fairly simple open-shut case quickly balloons into something beautifully complicated, much to the chagrin of Sir Wilfrid Robarts.

11. A Man For All Seasons (1966)

The Case: Thomas More (Paul Schofield) stands up to one of history's most terrifying figures when he opposes Henry VIII's plans to divorce Catherine of Aragon.

Only In The Movies: Far more than being a history lesson, Fred Zinnemann's film looks into what happens when the law is questioned. Is a King above the law?

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10. JFK (1991)

The Case: New Orleans DA Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) investigates the assassination of the American president, and discovers that not everything the FBI have reported can be validated.

Only In The Movies: One man against the world the kind of story that movies were made for.

09. Philadelphia (1993)

The Case: Lawyer Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) is fired by his firm when it discovers he has AIDS. Determined to file a wrongful dismissal lawsuit, Beckett hires small-town lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington).

Only In The Movies: Philadelphia tackled a hugely controversial topic at a time when most people were trying to look the other way, making it a brave stand for Hollywood.

08. In Cold Blood (1967)

The Case: Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and Richard Hickock (Scott Wilson) stand trial for the murder of the Clutter family in Kansas.

Only In The Movies: A fictional character was created for the movie in The Reporter (Paul Stewart), presumably to refine messy exposition.

07. Judgement At Nuremberg (1961)

The Case: Four Nazi judges are put on trial in an American court for their war crimes.

Only In The Movies: Nuremberg plays around with notions of justice beautifully, suggesting that sometimes the only way justice can be attained is by noting injustices.

06. Anatomy Of A Murder (1959)

The Case: An army lieutenant (Ben Gazzara) is accused of the murder of a bartender who he says raped his wife. Lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart) attempts to figure out the truth.

Only In The Movies: Director Otto Preminger lent his film a realistic bent by casting real-life lawyer Joseph N. Welch as Judge Weaver.

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