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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
spawned a spinoff, Suits LA, on the streamer.
role of former President John Quincy Adams, who helped defend the men in this true story.
spinoff meeting and maybe exceeding its predecessor.
never won an Emmy, which is bonkers.
spawned a reboot recently on CBS.
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.
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.
actor who died tragically before turning 40, plays the boy in a scene-stealing performance.