My favorite courtroom/trial films are "12 Angry Men" and "To Kill a Mockingbird." The reason I like these two films so much is that they present the viewer with an interesting dilemma: Who do you believe? In "12 Angry Men," you have to decide if the accused man, who has been found guilty by a jury of his peers, should be put to death for killing another person. You can't ignore the fact that he killed someone else, but there's also no doubt in your mind that this man was wrongfully convicted.
In "To Kill a Mockingbird," you're faced with the same problem, only instead of one person being on trial, it's a whole town. Do you side with the Southern white men who are trying to keep their women in line or do you side with the black children who are being abused and mistreated? Again, it seems like a no-brainer. But then again, it's not as easy as it may seem. It takes a strong character to stand up for what's right when everyone around them is doing something completely different.
I've always thought that these two films were pretty close to perfect, and I'm sure most people would agree with me. However, there is one film out there that comes very close to matching the greatness of "12 Angry Men" and "To Kill a Mockingbird": "The Verdict."
This 1980 courtroom drama stars Paul Newman as a defense attorney who finds himself on the other side of the law after his client is found guilty of murder. He decides to take on the case and prove that his client didn't commit the crime, which means taking on the prosecutor and his team of lawyers.
It's a really good movie and I highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy courtroom dramas. And while the film is certainly worth watching, it doesn't quite match up to my favorite courtroom films. That honor goes to "A Few Good Men," which came out in 1992 and starred Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, and Rob Reiner.
"A Few Good Men" tells the story of two Marines who are charged with murder after a fellow Marine dies under mysterious circumstances. The two Marines, played by Cruise and Nicholson, claim that they were just following orders and that they had no choice but to obey those orders. They say that they couldn't disobey their superiors even though they knew that what they were doing was wrong. As you can imagine, things don't go well for the two Marines, who end up spending some time behind bars.
The film is a little slow at times, but it does have its share of twists and turns. The ending is definitely worth the wait. I suggest checking it out, if you haven't seen it yet. It's not as good as "12 Angry Men" or "To Kill a Mockingbird," but it's still a pretty decent film.
After watching the movie, I decided to check out the book that inspired the film. I read the novelization of "A Few Good Men" back in high school, and it wasn't bad. It was written by Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the screenplay for the film, so it's basically a condensed version of the film. It doesn't contain any new scenes, but it does include a few additional lines of dialogue.
The book is a lot better than the film, mainly because it gives you more insight into the characters' thoughts and feelings. It also explains why certain things happen in the movie. For example, we know that Jack Nicholson's character, Colonel Jessup, isn't crazy because he says so. We also know that his hatred for the military is rooted in a past incident where he was sexually assaulted by a superior officer.
But the biggest difference between the book and the film is that the book explains how the Marines ended up in court in the first place. The film leaves out the fact that the two Marines had previously been court-martialed and discharged from the military for killing another Marine during a training exercise. This incident happened right before the trial begins, so it's never explained in the film.
If you want to get a real feel for what the movie is about, I suggest reading the book. But if you're looking for a fun and entertaining way to spend a couple of hours, I'd stick with the film.
When I was growing up, my parents used to take me to the movies all the time. It was a great bonding experience for us, and I remember going to see a lot of different kinds of films. Some were good, others weren't. But I always enjoyed seeing them.
As I got older, I started to develop my own tastes and interests, which led me away from mainstream cinema. These days, I tend to watch films that focus on subjects I find interesting. And since I enjoy watching courtroom dramas, I decided to look into the history of the genre.
According to the American Film Institute, the term "courtroom drama" refers to a film that depicts the inner workings of a court room. These films typically involve a lawyer who represents a defendant, who is either innocent or guilty, and a prosecutor who represents the state.
Most courtroom dramas take place in a modern day setting, although there are exceptions. For example, "A Few Good Men" takes place in the 1960s, and "To Kill a Mockingbird" takes place in the 1930s. I guess you could say that courtroom dramas are timeless.
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