Super-injunctions ahoy! | Great Film Courtroom Scenes
All this talk of super-injunctions has got me thinking. Boy Hollywood has brought us some classic courtroom scenes over the years.
A great courtroom scene really immerses you and you feel you’re right there in amongst the cut and thrust of it all. Witnessing the razor-sharp banter between the defence and prosecution and cries of Objection your honour!
So, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, here for your consideration is a selection of films with great courtroom scenes.
JFK (1991)
The courtroom climax to Oliver Stone’s take on the assassination of John F Kennedy makes up a hefty part of the film’s final real. Costner is DA Jim Garrison who has tirelessly investigated the murder and and aims to bring those (including Tommy Lee Jones as Clay Shaw) he believes are culpable to justice. The magic bullet sequence is riveting (down and to the left!) and you can hear Costner’s voice crack when he presents his closing statement.
My Cousin Vinny (1992)
Directed by the co-creator and co-writer of the acclaimed BBC political comedy series Yes, Minister, and Yes, Prime Minister (Jonathan Lynn), Vinny (Pesci) is an inexperienced lawyer who is brought in to defend his cousin (an amazingly youthful Macchio) and friend in a murder charge in the the Deep South.
Vinny clashes constantly with the judge (Fred Gwynne) and spends most nights in the local jail for contempt of court. The best scene is when he calls his long-suffering fiancee (Tomei) to the stand to use her car mechanic knowledge to crush the prosecution’s case.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Gregory Peck is Harper Lee’s Atticus Finch, in this tale of a lawyer in the Depression-era South who defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice. Finch embodies everything that is good whilst trying to get justice for a man who has already been found guity based on his skin colour.
A Few Good Men (1992)
I’m not a big fan of Mr Cruise, but definitely include AFGM in the shortlist of his best (the other being Jerry Maguire). He plays Lt. Daniel Kaffee a smart-arse Navy lawyer who is enlisted to fight the case of two soldiers who are charged with murdering a fellow officer.
Based on Aaron Sorkin’s original stage play, Reiner (best known for comedy at this point) continues his flare from the dramatics and takes full advantage of not being restricted by a stage.
Everyone remembers Nicholson’s scenery-chewing “You can’t handle the truth” moment in the film’s climax, but Kiefer Sutherland is equally transfixing as the murdered man’s Lieutenant who puts Private Santiago’s death down ‘He had no code, he had no honour, and God was watching”.
The Castle (1997)
If you’ve never come across this Australian comedy gem then shame on you.
On the face of it, this is just a film which pokes fun at some poor white lower-class Aussies. But look a little deeper and you’ll see the story of a proud man Darryl Kerrigan (Michael Caton) who loves his family and wants to stop big business for tearing down his home. Tiriel Mora is the local laywer (Dennis Denuto) who is totally out of the his league in the courtroom and even tries to use an “It’s the Vibe of the Thing” defence. Finally, I guarantee you’ll be slipping the phrase “He’s dreamin'” into your vocabulary after watching this film.
Case closed!