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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.
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.
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?
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.
