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FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
Thu Sep 21, 2017, 11:27 PM Sep 2017

Lately I've been watching a lot of old legal thrillers (movies)

Free HBO for 3 months, plus a new DVR from Fios, and I'm watching lots of movies!
For some reason I've been going for the legal thrillers lately, and I'm not sure why that is.

Watched these in the last couple of days, all of which I've seen before and really loved:


Erin Brockovich (2000) with Julia Roberts and Albert Finney


A Few Good Men 1992 with Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore


A Time to Kill 1996 with Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock and Sam Jackson


Woman in Gold 2015 with Ryan Reynolds and Helen Mirren

These are on my DVR and I plan to watch them in the next few days:


Presumed Innnocent 1900 with Harrison Ford, Raul Julia and Bonnie Bedelia


The Client 1994 with Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones


The Lincoln Lawyer 2011 with Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei and Bill Macy

Does anybody have any suggestions for awesome legal thrillers?
Let's hear them!



69 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Lately I've been watching a lot of old legal thrillers (movies) (Original Post) FakeNoose Sep 2017 OP
Can't go wrong with Morgan Freeman movies like Kiss the Girls MLAA Sep 2017 #1
Thanks I'll look for those FakeNoose Sep 2017 #2
I thought The Rainmaker was pretty good. What was the one with Cher and Dennis Quaid set in D.C.? bettyellen Sep 2017 #4
Suspect MLAA Sep 2017 #9
Yes! Thanks. I remember liking that. bettyellen Sep 2017 #14
Suspect! longship Sep 2017 #16
"Cause for a mistrial" only if caught by the prosecutor or judge. Heh. WinkyDink Sep 2017 #31
Sometimes one catches the judge. longship Sep 2017 #38
;-) WinkyDink Sep 2017 #49
"Witness for the Prosecution". PoliticAverse Sep 2017 #3
Are you recommending the original from 1957 or the remake from 2016? FakeNoose Sep 2017 #6
Original! Original!! n/t PoliticAverse Sep 2017 #8
Turner TCM has this on for next week FakeNoose Sep 2017 #11
Enjoy it. n/t PoliticAverse Sep 2017 #12
Yes, thanks! I saw this in the movies at age 14, and it began a life-long almost-obsession with WinkyDink Sep 2017 #33
I can't think of any remakes that could hold a candle to the original ailsagirl Sep 2017 #55
The Tyrone Power original! (There's a re-make?! Travesty!) WinkyDink Sep 2017 #32
Two that I enjoyed... True Dough Sep 2017 #5
Wow good ones! FakeNoose Sep 2017 #7
The Insider True Dough Sep 2017 #10
Yes I remember it from the late 1990's FakeNoose Sep 2017 #13
I like Runaway Jury. Lars39 Sep 2017 #15
I personally liked "The Firm" lastlib Sep 2017 #17
Otto Preminger's "Anatomy of a Murder" n/t FSogol Sep 2017 #18
Is that the one with Grace Kelly? FakeNoose Sep 2017 #21
No Lee Remick was in Anatomy with Jimmy Stewart n/t FSogol Sep 2017 #23
"Dial 'M'" is fantastic! Not a legal thriller, though. WinkyDink Sep 2017 #34
Anatomy of a Murder plods a bit gratuitous Sep 2017 #24
Welch was the lawyer who took down Joseph McCarthy! longship Sep 2017 #39
Thanks - I did find this on TCM FakeNoose Sep 2017 #41
12 Angry Men 1957 irisblue Sep 2017 #19
Yes I've seen it but not recently FakeNoose Sep 2017 #20
I saw it last in 2008, on a vacation irisblue Sep 2017 #22
Primal fear! Richard Gere, Laura Linney, and Edward Norton Jr. Upthevibe Sep 2017 #25
Thanks Snackshack Sep 2017 #27
Superb choice! WinkyDink Sep 2017 #35
Good suggestion - Thanks FakeNoose Sep 2017 #46
Some... Snackshack Sep 2017 #26
These are great suggestions FakeNoose Sep 2017 #42
And Justice for All bench scientist Sep 2017 #28
Great suggestions thanks! FakeNoose Sep 2017 #43
You call those old? Dark n Stormy Knight Sep 2017 #29
I love "Double Indemnity," but is it a "legal thriller"? I can't remember. WinkyDink Sep 2017 #36
Oh, right, yeah, I guess not. Dark n Stormy Knight Sep 2017 #52
Yes these are good movies FakeNoose Sep 2017 #44
TCM is the main thing I've missed these past few years Dark n Stormy Knight Sep 2017 #50
Also check your local library FakeNoose Sep 2017 #63
Last time I looked, our library seemed to have all the same ones I could get Dark n Stormy Knight Sep 2017 #64
Ahhh... those were the days ailsagirl Sep 2017 #56
"Suspect," with Cher (yes!) and Dennis Quaid. Terrific legal thriller! WinkyDink Sep 2017 #30
The true story of "Madeleine," an accused poisoner. Director David Lean, 1950. Do NOT blink at the WinkyDink Sep 2017 #37
The Runaway Jury and the Rainmaker are really good too. dewsgirl Sep 2017 #40
Yes! Good suggestions FakeNoose Sep 2017 #45
Though I like most of those, there is one to me that stands out above them all: DFW Sep 2017 #47
Paul Newman won the Oscar for that one FakeNoose Sep 2017 #48
I had forgotten that Newman won an Oscar for that DFW Sep 2017 #51
Same here TuxedoKat Sep 2017 #65
I cannot watch any move made before 1970, with certain exceptions Fluke a Snooker Sep 2017 #53
I liked "The Pelican Brief" plus it had the late, great Sam Shepard in it. catbyte Sep 2017 #54
Good one! I have to look for that FakeNoose Sep 2017 #59
"To Kill a Mockingbird" nt ailsagirl Sep 2017 #57
Yep that's an all-time great FakeNoose Sep 2017 #60
They do! ailsagirl Sep 2017 #62
Runaway Jury Bayard Sep 2017 #58
All good suggestions on your list FakeNoose Sep 2017 #61
I use that term loosely Bayard Sep 2017 #67
Body Heat--Kathleen Turner, William Hurt, and Mickey Rourke kairos12 Sep 2017 #66
Fracture hurl Sep 2017 #68
Primal Fear and Witness for the Prosecution are a couple of my favorites. nt Still Blue in PDX Sep 2017 #69

MLAA

(17,165 posts)
1. Can't go wrong with Morgan Freeman movies like Kiss the Girls
Thu Sep 21, 2017, 11:35 PM
Sep 2017

And of course any of the John Grisham books that have been made into movies like Runaway jury. An oldie but goodie is Cher's Suspect.

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
2. Thanks I'll look for those
Thu Sep 21, 2017, 11:38 PM
Sep 2017

Good suggestions! I love John Grisham's books but some of the movies were a little disappointing.
For example "The Firm" was a great book but I didn't like the movie so much. YMMV

 

bettyellen

(47,209 posts)
4. I thought The Rainmaker was pretty good. What was the one with Cher and Dennis Quaid set in D.C.?
Thu Sep 21, 2017, 11:47 PM
Sep 2017

longship

(40,416 posts)
16. Suspect!
Fri Sep 22, 2017, 05:27 AM
Sep 2017

Totally implausible plot. A jurist interfering in a case would be cause for a mistrial. But if one let's that pass, it's not a bad story. Also, a young Liam Neeson as a mute doing a very good job.

Cautiously recommended.

longship

(40,416 posts)
38. Sometimes one catches the judge.
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 05:55 AM
Sep 2017

Sorry for the spoiler. Still a fairly good flick. Introduced me to Liam Neeson, who was pretty damned good.

PoliticAverse

(26,366 posts)
3. "Witness for the Prosecution".
Thu Sep 21, 2017, 11:43 PM
Sep 2017

"The Verdict"

"My Cousin Vinny". (ok that's a comedy not a 'thriller')

"And Justice for All"

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
6. Are you recommending the original from 1957 or the remake from 2016?
Thu Sep 21, 2017, 11:51 PM
Sep 2017


I haven't seen either but the original looks better. Maybe they have this on the Turner movie channel.

Thanks!



 

WinkyDink

(51,311 posts)
33. Yes, thanks! I saw this in the movies at age 14, and it began a life-long almost-obsession with
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 05:37 AM
Sep 2017

Agatha Christie (waaay before PBS and Suchet! I'm 67 now!).

Finally I got to see "The Mousetrap" on the London stage (while my husband went to a play with 2 Redgraves. Pffft!)!

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
13. Yes I remember it from the late 1990's
Fri Sep 22, 2017, 01:29 AM
Sep 2017

I really liked it with Al Pacino and Russell Crowe. Even the good guys are bad in that movie!

I'm not sure if I'll be able to book it before my "Free HBO" runs out at the end of the month. I get a few other channels with heavy movie scheduling so there's still a chance to get it even if it's not on HBO.

Thanks!

lastlib

(22,982 posts)
17. I personally liked "The Firm"
Fri Sep 22, 2017, 07:54 AM
Sep 2017

Last edited Sun Sep 24, 2017, 01:33 PM - Edit history (1)

Tom Cruise and Wilford ("I Am The Walrus&quot Brimley, Ed Harrison, others. Good flick!

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)
24. Anatomy of a Murder plods a bit
Fri Sep 22, 2017, 07:16 PM
Sep 2017

But the judge is played by Joseph Welch, who was one of the prosecutors at Nuremberg after World War II.

In a similar vein to Anatomy of a Murder is The Verdict with Paul Newman and James Mason. Newman's talking the case over with his mentor. Newman asks his mentor (Jack Warden) who's representing the other side, and mentor mentions James Mason's character, Concannon. Newman grunts and says, "He's good." Warden: "Good?! He's the Prince of Fuckin' Darkness!"

longship

(40,416 posts)
39. Welch was the lawyer who took down Joseph McCarthy!
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 06:06 AM
Sep 2017
"At long last have you no decency?" It's an iconic takedown.



I don't know about him at the Nuremberg trials, but I wouldn't be surprised.

BTW, he was great as the judge in Anatomy of a Murder, which is a great flick. Arthur O'Connell and Eve Arden are wonderful supporting actors. The Duke Ellington score is equally wonderful. It made Lee Remick's career, deservably so. And George C. Scott, too (a couple years before the gum chewing General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's wonderful Dr. Strangelove).

Trailer:

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
41. Thanks - I did find this on TCM
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 07:45 AM
Sep 2017

The Turner Movie Channel and they're running this next week. So I've booked it on my DVR.
Looking forward to this one.

irisblue

(32,829 posts)
19. 12 Angry Men 1957
Fri Sep 22, 2017, 02:56 PM
Sep 2017

It is on the National Film Registry.
Tightly shot, well written & the actors are amazing in their craft.

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
20. Yes I've seen it but not recently
Fri Sep 22, 2017, 03:26 PM
Sep 2017

The acting is awesome, with an all-star cast.!

I think they have 12 Angry Men on the Turner Movie channel.

Thanks!

irisblue

(32,829 posts)
22. I saw it last in 2008, on a vacation
Fri Sep 22, 2017, 03:29 PM
Sep 2017

We were so mesmerized, we missed our dinner reservation @ a beach front restaurant. We did eat there later that night, but it was worth the wait.

Upthevibe

(7,884 posts)
25. Primal fear! Richard Gere, Laura Linney, and Edward Norton Jr.
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 02:03 AM
Sep 2017

This is one of my favorites of all time.

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
46. Good suggestion - Thanks
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 08:06 AM
Sep 2017

Primal Fear was on HBO earlier this summer.

HBO seems to rotate the older movies from the 90's with newer ones that are about 5 years old. My "free HBO" runs out in a couple of weeks but I still get other movie channels on my Verizon cable. So Primal Fear will be on again I'm sure.

Snackshack

(2,540 posts)
26. Some...
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 02:21 AM
Sep 2017

Michael Clayton

The Firm

A Civil Action

The Generals Daughter

Philadelphia

And Justice For All

My Cousin Vinny

The Rainmaker



FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
42. These are great suggestions
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 07:49 AM
Sep 2017

Thanks for all of these. Yes I've seen them all before but I'd love to see again.

My "free HBO" runs out pretty soon so I'm trying to take advantage of it while I can.
But I have some other movie channels that are always up on my Verizon cable.

I'll check and see if any of these movies are running in the next couple of weeks.

bench scientist

(1,107 posts)
28. And Justice for All
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 02:53 AM
Sep 2017

The Paradine Case
Anatomy of A Murder
The Verdict
In Cold Blood
Cry in the Dark
Jagged Edge

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
43. Great suggestions thanks!
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 07:52 AM
Sep 2017

I'll look for these. Some of these are new to me but I'll be happy to watch if I can get them.

Dark n Stormy Knight

(9,760 posts)
29. You call those old?
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 03:40 AM
Sep 2017


I like them reeeeealy old! A few come to mind:

Double Indemnity (1944)
Adam's Rib (1949)
12 Angry Men (1957)
Inherit the Wind (1960)

Dark n Stormy Knight

(9,760 posts)
52. Oh, right, yeah, I guess not.
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 03:32 PM
Sep 2017

Sorry. I haven't watched it in ages, and misremembered it as having significant courtroom scenes.

Still, I don't think I'm misremembering that it's an excellent film, but it belongs on a different list.

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
44. Yes these are good movies
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 07:57 AM
Sep 2017

Pretty sure I've seen these, and they're all great.

HBO usually doesn't show movies this old but the Turner Movie channel has all the MGM library from way back.
Turner is more likely to show the really old ones. So I'll check and see if they're running in the next couple of weeks.

Thank you!

Dark n Stormy Knight

(9,760 posts)
50. TCM is the main thing I've missed these past few years
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 03:24 PM
Sep 2017

after we got off the cable. Netflix streaming doesn't carry many and Amazon Prime charges extra for the good old films. Which is why we still have Netflix DVD, though they are letting their classic films section dwindle also.

We have these services through a PlayStation and they haven't offered TCM.

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
63. Also check your local library
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 08:01 PM
Sep 2017

Our library in Pittsburgh has an awesome collection of movies on DVD (some blu-ray too).
It's hard to get the new movies that everybody reserves.
But the older ones just sit there and you can usually check them out for a week.


Dark n Stormy Knight

(9,760 posts)
64. Last time I looked, our library seemed to have all the same ones I could get
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 09:30 PM
Sep 2017

on Amazon Prime or Netflix, but it couldn't hurt to check again. We do have a great system of libraries with an online catalog and reserve system, but you have to have a title. I just searched on classic movies and got a bunch of crap from 2016 and 2017!

To me, classic movies are from before I was born.

 

WinkyDink

(51,311 posts)
37. The true story of "Madeleine," an accused poisoner. Director David Lean, 1950. Do NOT blink at the
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 05:46 AM
Sep 2017

very end!

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
45. Yes! Good suggestions
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 08:00 AM
Sep 2017

I've seen these and I know they're great.
I'll check to see if I either of these are scheduled in the next couple of weeks.
I got "free HBO" for the summer and it runs out pretty soon.

Thanks

DFW

(54,059 posts)
47. Though I like most of those, there is one to me that stands out above them all:
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 08:12 AM
Sep 2017

The Verdict

With Paul Newman, James Mason and Jack Warden. Even though I KNEW I was just watching a film, I have rarely gotten so emotionally involved with a film while watching it, and the whole time, I KNEW it was just a film. It was SOOO brilliant. Newman 's character was so flawed and helpless, and the opposition was so incredibly evil, while maintaining a smug, "respectable" façade. Just exceptional acting and writing throughout.

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
48. Paul Newman won the Oscar for that one
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 08:17 AM
Sep 2017

Yes The Verdict is an awesome movie and it's been maybe 15 years since I watched it last time.

I'm going to search for that one. Maybe HBO will have it, also I get a few other movie channels as well.

DFW

(54,059 posts)
51. I had forgotten that Newman won an Oscar for that
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 03:27 PM
Sep 2017

But it was deserved. That was one of the most powerful films I ever saw. About ANY subject.

 

Fluke a Snooker

(404 posts)
53. I cannot watch any move made before 1970, with certain exceptions
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 04:07 PM
Sep 2017

The entire movie industry was a bastion of white supremacist oppression prior to then, with certain exceptions of course. WAAAAYYY too much white male republicanism for me!

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
59. Good one! I have to look for that
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 06:06 PM
Sep 2017

Thanks for the great suggestion.

Denzel Washington, Julia Roberts, Sam Shepard - awesome cast and great story.

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
60. Yep that's an all-time great
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 06:08 PM
Sep 2017

Thank you! I think they run this on the Turner Movie Channel from time to time.

Bayard

(21,810 posts)
58. Runaway Jury
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 04:32 PM
Sep 2017

With John Cusack and Gene Hackman is pretty good. Also has Dustin Hoffman and Rachel Weisz.
Of course, Harrison Ford in both The Fugitive and Presumed Innocent.
Enemy of the State, stars Will Smith as an attorney, again, with Gene Hackman.
The Pelican Brief, Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington
Thinner, made from a book by Stephen King
Sleepers, with Brad Pitt, Robert DeNiro, Kevin Bacon is quite good.

FakeNoose

(32,356 posts)
61. All good suggestions on your list
Sat Sep 23, 2017, 06:11 PM
Sep 2017

I haven't seen Thinner and I wasn't aware that it was a legal thriller.
I've seen the other on your list and they're all good.

I'll check and see if any other these are on HBO or the other movie channels in the next couple of weeks.

Thank you,

Bayard

(21,810 posts)
67. I use that term loosely
Sun Sep 24, 2017, 12:18 PM
Sep 2017

The star is a lawyer, and there's a judge involved. Some legal chicanery.

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