Highest-Rated Movies about 'Defense Attorney', Sort by Popularity

A Short Film About Killing (1988), Mother (2009), Sacco and Vanzetti (1971), Just Mercy (2019), The People vs. Jean Harris (1981), Molly's Game (2017), Scottsboro: An American Tragedy (2000), Jack Reacher (2012) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Defense Attorney movies.

#2. Mother (2009)

Storyline: A mother lives quietly with her twenty-eight-year-old son, Do-joon, providing herbs and acupuncture to neighbors. One day, a girl is brutally murdered, and Do-joon is charged with the killing. Now, it's his mother's call whether to prove him innocent or to leave him imprisoned.

Plot Keywords: mother, widow, son, suspect, police detective, defense attorney, dark ...

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#3. Sacco and Vanzetti (1971)

Storyline: In 1920, the anarchist Italian immigrants Nicola Sacco (Riccardo Cucciolla) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (Gian Maria Volonté) are sentenced to death, falsely accused of a robbery and murder. Indeed they are condemned due to their political beliefs, in one of the most shameful and hypocrite judgments of the human history.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Keywords: shoemaker, peddler, prosecutor, wife, judge, defense attorney, emotional ...

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#4. Just Mercy (2019)

Storyline: A powerful and thought-provoking true-story, "Just Mercy" follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan might have had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Larson.) One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Foxx,) who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him, with the odds-and the system-stacked against them.—Gregg Brilliant

Plot Keywords: defense attorney, death row inmate, wrongly accused, emotional, disheartening, passionate, powerful ...

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#5. The People vs. Jean Harris (1981)

Storyline: French secret agent Joss Baumont is sent to one of the African countries to kill their president Njala. However, at the last moment the political situation changes and the French secret service turns him in to the African authorities, and he is sentenced to a long-term imprisonment. After the daring escape he returns to France and deliberately informs his former chiefs of his presence promising them to kill Njala who has just arrived to the country with the official visit.—Yuri German <blsidt1@imf.org>

Plot Keywords: headmistress, mistress, defense attorney, prosecutor, judge, doctor, disturbing ...

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#6. Molly's Game (2017)

Storyline: Molly Bloom, a beautiful young Olympic-class skier, ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans, and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned that there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led us to believe.

Plot Keywords: skier, fbi agent, movie star, athlete, russian mobster, defense attorney, spectacular ...

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#7. Scottsboro: An American Tragedy (2000)

Storyline: A look at the infamous "Scottsboro Boys" case that occurred in Alabama in 1931, in which nine young black men were arrested, tried and quickly convicted in the rape of two white women, despite overwhelming evidence that showed their accusers had falsely accused them and the fact that one of the women later admitted that no rape had in fact occurred (although both had had sexual relations with their boyfriends on the day prior to the "rape"). The case was one of the first that shined a spotlight on what many called the "legal lynchings" that occurred in the South whenever blacks were accused of crimes, especially against whites and most especially against white women.—frankfob2@yahoo.com

Plot Keywords: african-american teenager, white person, prosecutor, accuser, defense attorney, disturbing, powerful ...

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#8. Jack Reacher (2012)

Storyline: In an innocent heartland city, five are shot dead by an expert sniper. The police quickly identify and arrest the culprit, and build a slam-dunk case. But instead of confessing, the accused man writes the words, "Get Jack Reacher." Reacher himself sees the news report and turns up in the city. The defense is immensely relieved, but Reacher has come to bury the guy. Shocked at the accused's request, Reacher sets out to confirm for himself the absolute certainty of the man's guilt, but comes up with more than he bargained for.

Plot Keywords: investigator, defense attorney, sniper, hit man, police officer, fiery, suspenseful ...

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#10. Night Falls on Manhattan (1996)

Storyline: New attorney Sean Casey (Andy Garcia), a former policeman, has been unexpectedly tapped to prosecute a case against drug dealer Jordan Washington (Shiek Mahmud-Bey). Washington's lawyer, Sam Vigoda (Richard Dreyfuss), claims that there is a police cover-up against his client. However, Casey wins the trial and soon becomes county district attorney. It's then that he finds evidence that there may have really been corruption in the force, and it could involve his father, Liam (Ian Holm).

Plot Keywords: lawyer, father, partner, drug dealer, defense attorney, district attorney, gripping ...

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#11. Veronica Mars (2014)

Storyline: Former teenage private eye and now an aspiring New York City lawyer, Veronica Mars gets one phone call from ex-boyfriend Logan Echolls and she gets pulled right back into the seedy underbelly of Neptune, California. Logan's pop star girlfriend, Bonnie DeVille, has been murdered and he needs Veronica's help to clear his name. DeVille is a fellow Neptune High alum, and her murder and Veronica's return to Neptune coincide with their 10-year high school reunion. Veronica is face to face with old friends and foes alike and finds it's much harder to leave home a second time.

Plot Keywords: sleuth, ex-boyfriend, police detective, defense attorney, assassin, father, charming ...

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#12. The Unknown Man (1951)

Storyline: Prominent attorney Brad Mason takes on the defense of Rudi Walchek, a young hit-man hoodlum accused of murder. Convinced of the youthful thug's innocence, Mason get him acquitted. Later, he learns from the murder-victim's father that Walchek is a low-level member of a protection-racket gang and was undoubtedly guilty. Mason is anxious to get the gang-leader, but when he discovers it is the eminently respected head of the city's Crime Commission, he feels that a conviction in a court-of-law would be impossible. In a rage, he kills the man, but all evidence, including the murder weapon points to Walchek. When the latter is again brought to trial, Mason, although he senses a higher justice is at work, feels he must defend him with the best of his ability.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>

Plot Keywords: defense attorney, wife, district attorney, defendant, murderer, shop owner, engaging ...

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#13. A Murder of Crows (1998)

Storyline: After a lawyer gets disbarred, he goes off to write a book about his experience. He meets a man who lets him read his manuscript. The man dies and the lawyer passes the book off as his. Just when the book becomes a big success. He gets arrested for the true life murders of the five lawyers in his book. He then finds himself, trying to prove that he is innocent of the murders.—Anonymous

Plot Keywords: defense attorney, novelist, murder suspect, prosecutor, detective, suspenseful, thrilling ...

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#14. Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)

Storyline: ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. is a dramatic thriller set in the underbelly of the overburdened Los Angeles criminal court system. Denzel Washington stars as Roman Israel, a driven, idealistic defense attorney who, through a tumultuous series of events, finds himself in a crisis that leads to extreme action. Colin Farrell costars as the monied, cutthroat lawyer who recruits Roman to his firm.

Plot Keywords: lawyer, defendant, defense attorney, civil rights leader, victim, law partner, gripping ...

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#15. Closed Circuit (2013)

Storyline: It was a typical morning in London when a powerful bomb exploded in the heart of the city. After the smoke cleared, sole surviving terrorist cell member Farroukh Erdogan (Denis Moschitto) was quickly taken into custody. As preparations for his trial begin, however, the government's plan to use classified evidence to prosecute the suspect leads the Attorney General (Jim Broadbent) to appoint Special Advocate Claudia Simmons-Howe (Hall) to the case. Claudia's unique position as a government-approved defense lawyer ensures that she can review the top-secret evidence, and advocate for full disclosure during the inevitable "closed" session portion of the trial. Once Claudia has reviewed the evidence, however, any communication with the defense team and the defendant himself is strictly forbidden. Later, When Erdogan's lawyer dies just before the trial begins, Claudia's driven ex-lover, attorney Martin Rose (Bana), takes his place. Realizing that their previous affair could jeopardize their...

Plot Keywords: lawyer, prosecutor, defendant, defense attorney, judge, ex-lover, gripping ...

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