The List Hero's Top 10 Courtroom Movies

As a nod to 2011's excellent The Lincoln Lawyer, I've put together a list of 10 good courtroom films.  Maybe some of your favourites are missing, or maybe they should be higher up the list.  Please feel free to let me know!

Here goes:

10.  A Few Good Men (1992)

Despite a great script and cast, I have to admit that I mainly enjoyed the moments when Jack Nicholson was on the screen.... "You want the truth?  You can't handle the truth!"  

Oh Yeah!

9.  The Lincoln Lawyer  (2011)

People will scream me down for putting this above A Few Good Men, but I don't care.  Matthew McConaughey's performance is better than Tom Cruise's, the movie is much slicker, and I was far more entertained!  So there!  For more about the film, see my recent review (August 2011).

8.  The Devil's Advocate  (1997)

Keanu Reeves stars as a top defence attorney who is offered a large salary by a big law firm owned by Al Pacino.  As it turns out, Pacino's character John Milton isn't quite who he says he is and the film takes some very interesting turns... some of which are a little bit head-spinning.

7.  The People vs Larry Flynt  (1996)

Woody Harrelson stars as the owner of a controversial porn magazine that is being sued by the holiest of men.  Harrelson, Edward Norton, and, in particular, Courtney Love are all excellent in another quality Milos Forman flick.

6.  Sleepers  (1996)

An all-star cast appear in Barry Levinson's emotional revenge film.

5.  My Cousin Vinny  (1992)

Who said that courtroom movies have to be serious all the time?  My Cousin Vinny, starring Joe Pesci, is not only a laugh-a-minute but also a great film.  It even earned Marisa Tomei an Academy Award.

4.  Erin Brockovich  (2000)

Julia Roberts gives a top draw performance in the title role of this Steve Soderbergh flick.  She plays a single mother who takes on a gas company for compensation.  Gripping stuff!

3.  And Justice For All   (1979)

A bit of a morality tale here as Al Pacino stars as Arthur Kirkland, a hotheaded lawyer trying to take on the system.  Famous for the final scene, in which Pacino screams "You're out of order! The whole trial is out of order!", this film received two Oscar nominations.

2.  12 Angry Men  (1957)

Sidney Lumet, who went on to direct a number of top films (Dog Day Afternoon, Network, The Verdict), received an Oscar nomination for his directing of 12 Angry Men.  The film is set in just one scene with a collection of jurors deciding on the fate of a teenage slum boy.  The setting is a hot, sweaty day and the jurors are quite happy to condemn the boy guilty as charged without barely discussing the details.  That is apart from one (played by Henry Fonda), who shows the rest the opposite side of the story.  As the story unfolds, the acting is superb and the movie is absorbing.  12 Angry Men was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay (as well as Lumet's directing nomination) but lost all three to Bridge on the River Kwai.

1.  Philadelphia  (1993)

This was one of the first big-budget movies to tackle the seemingly taboo topic of AIDS.  Directed by Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs), it starred a superb turn from Tom Hanks as a homosexual man, Andrew Beckett, who is HIV positive and then immediately fired by his law firm.  Hanks performance was so engaging, so real, and just so damn good that it earned him his first Academy Award.  Beckett turns to personal injury lawyer Joe Miller, portrayed with another fantastic performance from Denzel Washington.  For me, this is the most gripping of courtroom dramas, with the tension between Washington and Hanks superb at times.  The film also stars Antonio Banderas as Hanks' gay lover and was nominated for 3 Academy Awards (winning two).

My top 10 Oscar Winning Performances (Best Actor)

As the nominees for this year's Academy Awards are released, with Colin Firth, Javier Bardem, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg and James Franco battling it out for the prize, here are my personal 10 favourite performances that were worthy of winning the gong.

10.  Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris in Training Day  (2001)

In three words:  Powerful, horrible, brilliant

9.  Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham in American Beauty  (1999)

In three words:  Middle Aged Everyman

8.  F Murray Abraham as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus  (1984)

In three words:  Jealous little bitch

7.  Jack Nicholson as Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets  (1997)

In three words:  Painfully comic awkwardness

6.  Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbitt in Rain Man  (1988)

In three words:  Autism done brilliantly

5.  Daniel Day Lewis as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood  (2007)

In three words:  Powerfully brilliant selfishness

4.  Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs  (1991)

In three words:  Psychotic murdering cannibal

3.  Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather  (1972)

In three words:  Scene stealer extraordinaire 

2.  Al Pacino as Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman  (1992)

In three words:  Brilliant blind monster

1.  Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump  (1994)

In three words:  Humbling simple man

And the Academy Award goes to...

Although the nominations aren't in yet, I've seen pretty much all of the big ones now, bar 127 Hours and True Grit.

So, here are my predictions...

Best Picture    -    The Social Network

This is the most open that the main Oscar has been since I've been a film geek!  The Social Network will go in as hot favourite, and will clearly stand a big chance, with its flawless script, high-profile director and superb acting, but I think there are other films of extreme quality competing.  Black Swan is very original, its subject matter is one that has rarely been tackled and its easily Arononofsky's best film to date, which is a strong claim to make!  The Fighter is a real-life fairytale and, moreover, is an almost perfect film with phenomenal performances from its entire cast.  These three, in my opinion, will be the hot contenders.

Inception will be hotly tipped, however I'm not sure that the movie was meaningful enough to land the main Oscar.  The King's Speech is beautifully directed, brilliantly acted and tells a wonderful story, but the tale isn't gripping enough to get the top nod.  Toy Story 3 is sure to get a nomination now that there are 10 slots up for grabs, but Pixar's previous two films (Wall-E and Up) have actually been much more powerful, add this to the strength of the competition this year and its unlikely they'll land the gong this year.  Other contenders include The Town (which was probably too predictable) The Kids Are All Right (a strong film but lacked the element of edginess that the Academy likes), and Winter's Bone (which may be slightly too dark).

Therefore, I believe it will be a close-run thing between The Social Network, Black Swan, and The Fighter.  But having had so much buzz already, I will have to play it safe and place my bets on The Social Network.

Actor in a Lead Role    -    Colin Firth  (The King's Speech)

This award will be a battle between Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) and Colin Firth (The King's Speech).  Both performances are extremely strong, I would actually say the Eisenberg's is stronger; he is so subtle in showing the audience the deep social awkwardness of his character.  However, having played a homosexual last year, and a stuttering king this year, the Academy will be wondering where else there is to go for the highly-rated Englishman, Colin Firth.  For me, Ben Stiller should get a nod for his wonderfully awkward performance as Roger Greenberg, but the film has not received so much buzz.

Actress in a Lead Role    -    Natalie Portman  (Black Swan)

Despite some strong performances this year, Natalie Portman's appearance as a leading ballet dancer will probably be a career best.  She portrays the nervous dancer so well that you can feel the butteflies fluttering around in her stomach.  Jennifer Lawrence introduced herself to the world of cinema with a powerful performance as a girl on a mission in Winter's Bone, but is still young and, although she's nailed-on to get nominated, will have plenty of time later in her career to actually land the award.  The Kids Are All Right drew two strong performances from a couple of experienced pro's; Julianne Moore and Annette Bening.  It's hard to know exactly where their nominations will land them as they both top the bill in the film.  In my opinion, Moore steals the show but Bening's performance is still strong, and, whichever category they're nominated in, they're sure to be close contenders.  Like Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig gives a solid performance in Greenberg but is unlikely to get a nod.

Best Supporting Actor    -    Christian Bale  (The Fighter)

Bale needs to get recognised for this film.  Throughout the years, he has put in some excellent, powerful performances, and this is no exception.  However, he faces stiff competition.  Andrew Garfield is very much the man of the moment and he was superb in The Social Network, which also featured a great turn from Justin Timberlake in a supporting role.  Geoffrey Rush was fantastic at getting the audience on side in The King's Speech, Jeremy Renner continued to fulfil his potential in The Town, and Mark Ruffalo gave another grand performance in The Kid's Are All Right.

Best Supporting Actress    -    Julianne Moore  (The Kids Are All Right)

One of the hardest categories to call.  I think that if one of Julianne Moore or Annette Bening from The Kids Are All Right land in here then they may just steal it - but it will be close!  Other strong contenders include Jacki Weaver (for her delightfully evil performance in Animal Kingdom), Amy Adams and Melissa Leo (as the warring in-laws-to-be in The Fighter), Helena Bonham Carter (for her unbelievably accurate portrayal of the late Queen Mother in The King's Speech), and Mila Kunis, who I see as a far outsider, from Black Swan.

Best Director    -     David Fincher  (The Social Network)

Hard to call but David Fincher will probably get the nod.  His closest rivals will probably be Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), David O. Russell (The Fighter), and Tom Hooper (The King's Speech).  Can't see Christopher Nolan (Inception) having much chance.

Best Animated Film    -    Toy Story 3

How To Train Your Dragon is getting a lot of love but can't see past Pixar.  Depsicable Me is great fun but too childish to win.  Toy Story 3 has all the necessary bases covered in order to grab this prize for Pixar for the 4th year running.

Best Adapted Screenplay    -    The Social Network

Best script of the year by a country mile.

Best Original Screenplay    -    The Kids Are All Right

Not sure about this one.  Black Swan will be in there, along with Inception, The Fighter and The King's Speech.  Hard to pick but I have a feeling that The Kids Are All Right will land this one.

Best Sound Editing/Sound Mixing/Art Direction/Visual Effects    -    Inception

If it doesn't land all of these then I'll eat my hat.  Black Swan is, in my opinion, the only serious contender.  Other "contenders" will be film such as Alice In Wonderland and Tron: Legacy.

LOOK FORWARD TO THE NOMINATIONS - TO SEE HOW WRONG I AM!!!!!

The List Hero's Favourite Films of the 80's

Top ten films from the decade I was born.  My knowledge of this decade is not vast but here are 10 solid movies that I do enjoy.  Some, as I'm sure you'll realise, is fairly tongue-in-cheek and, as always, in reverse order.




10.    The Little Mermaid  (1989)

9.    See No Evil, Hear No Evil    (1989)

8.    Platoon    (1986)

7.    Running Man    (1987)

6.    Return to Oz    (1985)

5.    Amadeus    (1984)

4.    Labyrinth    (1986)

3.    Rain Man    (1988)

2.    The King of Comedy    (1983)

1.    Scarface    (1983)