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Summertime and lighthearted comedies seem to go together, but there's something about fall that calls for a movie with a little more meat on it. Film fans are overdue for a good old-fashioned legal drama/thriller. Conviction looks promising (and could have tearjerker potential) with heavyweights Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell in the story of a woman who goes to law school to prove her brother's innocence. Could Conviction deliver one of those triumphant courtroom showdowns? Here are a few of my favorite courtroom scenes:
To Kill a Mockingbird: (1962): The granddaddy of 'em all. This brilliant film starring Gregory Peck as lawyer Atticus Finch was set in 1930s Alabama. When Finch defends a black man, Tom Robinson (Brock Peters), accused of raping a white woman, the small town's racism comes to a head and Finch and his family are threatened. Finch powers on in his belief of Robinson's innocence, and in a dramatic courtroom scene, he exposes Robinson's accusers as liars. But the jury convicts Robinson. It's a heartbreaking story, lightened up by the performance of Mary Badham as Finch's daughter Scout. Mockingbird was author Harper Lee's only novel; it's worth another read and a permanent place on any bookshelf.
And Justice For All (1979): Al Pacino stars as Arthur Kirkland, an energetic lawyer who is hitting the wall of the legal system. When Kirkland's called upon to defend his nemesis, Judge Henry Fleming (John Forsythe), on rape charges, his morals are put to a test. The highlight of this fast-moving, gripping film is Kirkland's "defense" address to the jury; he completely loses his cool, but you're cheering him on the whole time.
The Accused (1988): Jodie Foster won an Academy Award for her portrayal of the hard-partying Sarah Tobias, a woman who is gang-raped on a pool table as onlookers cheered. Kelly McGillis plays the lawyer who prosecutes the men and along the way, finds friendship with hardened Tobias. The courtroom scene where Tobias recounts that night at the bar is hard to watch, heartbreaking, but powerful – and Foster owned that Oscar.
A Few Good Men (1992): Tom Cruise is Lt. Kaffee, a Navy lawyer defending two Marines accused of murder at Gitmo. But uncovering the truth means going up against the my-way-or-the-highway Col. Jessup, played to precision by Jack Nicholson. Say what you will about Cruise's last few films, his performance is a good reminder of what a force he used to be. The pivotal showdown scene turns into a shoutdown scene, but it's a well-written, beautifully timed war of words. Quotable, very quotable.
As for courtroom comedy scenes, Freeway (Reese Witherspoon and Kiefer Sutherland) and Miracle on 34th Street (the original with Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood) make my list. So let's hear what your favorite disorder-in-the-court scenes are. -- Francine Ruley
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