10 Famous Movie Courtroom Scenes Ranked From Most To Least Believable

10 Famous Movie Courtroom Scenes, Ranked From Most To Least Believable

To create a courtroom movie scene that stays realistic is hard to do, but movies like The Social Network pulled it off. Others — not so much.

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Time again, there are moments when films try to be as realistic as they can be in certain scenes. It’s always ok to have a film be somewhat unrealistic and the rest of the film can remain realistic and not go too far. Most of the time, this happens with courtroom scenes.

To try and create a courtroom scene that stays realistic and doesn’t fall too deep into the realm of falsehoods and unrealism is pretty difficult. While there are some. films that do a good job of keeping it real, some let the scenes get away from them.

10 To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)

As a whole, the movies being brought up are good films. There’s no doubt about that. The dialogue, story, characters, everything there. It’s just that every now and then, the realism gets away from the intended story, something To Kill A Mockingbird avoids, thankfully.

From the opening argument to the ending, To Kill A Mockingbird showcases great use of law and order. The closing argument in particular showcases not only justification but also an understanding of the courtroom guidelines and skills. Not to mention just being a good film altogether.

9 Kramer vs Kramer (1979)

While most of the courtroom scenes deal with intense scenes and ideas, usually murder or corruption, some scenes are more down to earth, like with Kramer Vs Kramer. The movie follows a family going through a custody battle that’s only been rivaled by the likes of Netflix’s Marriage Story.

Now, the film does a decent job of showcasing custody battles even though some of the scenes are a little flawed. However, Meryl Streep taking the stand and giving a heartfelt monologue about her son is enough to make the scene work as a whole alongside the hard-to-watch story and excellent acting.

8 My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Usually, audiences expect most courtroom scenes to take place in an intense, dramatic film. The truth is though, some of the best scenes derive from comedies for one reason or another, like My Cousin Vinny.

Following Joe Pesci as a first-time lawyer trying to free his cousin from trumped-up charges in the South. Combined with the awesome comedy and memorable lines like “what is a yuet?” the film, especially the final scene, has great use of cross-examination and has even been used in law school studies over the years.

7 Legally Blonde (2001)

On the surface, Legally Blonde looks like a simple comedy about a girl who switches colleges to be with her boyfriend and gets into law and is accompanied by some great inspirational quotes. Yet, as the movie progresses, it shows the competency of legal knowledge and knowhow

When Elle gets into her first case, there’s an entire scene where even though it’s mainly played for laughs, shows herself as being intelligent with key information on the witness and even blows the case open in a sense. Despite the comedy, the scene works.

6 12 Angry Men (1957)

What’s interesting about courtroom dramas is that sometimes the drama extends past the courtroom, into unfamiliar scenes. With 12 Angry Men, the entire story takes place not in the courtroom but with the jury rather than the judge and lawyers and is one of the best films to take place in a single room.

It’s an intriguing take on an unseen subject, with many a scene occurring in just a single room with a lot of drama unfolding. However, the drama in such scenes as one of the jurors going on a rant about his childhood does take away from the realism.

5 A Few Good Men (1992)

Typically, when a scene is done, it’s usually played for emotion or to sell the audience on the climax or big moment. And for many, there’s no scene better than the climax of A Few Good Men, where Lieutenant Kaffe, who may not be as heroic as people remember cross-examines Colonel Jessup.

Known for having the iconic “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH” moment, the scene as a courtroom drama doesn’t work nearly as well as others. Yes, it’s a great scene but it’s mainly played for the emotional weight over realism and Jack Nicholson’s iconic line alone.

4 Primal Fear (1996)

Sometimes the unrealistic nature of a film derives from what comes after the intended scene. Every so often, there’s a moment where the character ends up being less than accurate and as such, it may end up affecting the previous scene.

Primal Fear, a drama following a lawyer attempting to prove a boy’s innocence, does have some great trial scenes yet the movie is somewhat strained by one scene of the person on trial going nuts. It takes away from the courtroom drama established

3 Good Will Hunting (1997)

Now, not every film that has a court-related scene in it has to be just a courtroom drama. Many a time, the best scenes are those that have nothing to do with the courtrooms, like with the classic Good Will Hunting, (A film that may not have aged that well)which showcased a parole scene.

The parole scene, although brief, did have some realism to it with Matt Damon and the other characters adding to the scene. Yet, added to the briefness of the scene, the entire show of it does lack a little in a few spots for certain reasons.

2 The Social Network (2010)

Alongside Good Will Hunting, there is yet another film that isn’t solely based in the world of law and order. The Social Network, a film that specifically deals with the rise of Facebook and the aftermath that follows, does have a courtroom based scene.

Alongside the previously mentioned scene, the scene is just as brief and doesn’t carry the same amount of weight as some of the other scenes. However, Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jessie Eisenberg, showcases some great quotes that upset the judge and almost win him the case.

1 The Untouchables (1987)

Just because a movie has some action and legal boundaries to it doesn’t mean that it’s per se a good scene. The Untouchables, which follows the officers who took on Al Capone is a fantastic film on its own that everyone should watch at some point, and is one of Andy Garcia’s best movies.

Yet, the scene at the end, where Capone is tried, is pretty unrealistic even though it’s based on real events. The actual court scene is sandwiched between some fictional and over-the-top action and does take away from the film in some capacity.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/famous-realistic-movie-courtroom-scenes/

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