It’s movie night! Grab the pop corn and settle in for an evening of excellent court drama!
If you’re a regular follower of our blog, you’ll remember the two part series we posted back in December of 2016 that listed our favorite Michigan-based legal dramas. Well, we’ve have numerous conversations since then with clients and colleagues who’ve read some of the books we recommended and thoroughly enjoyed them. But the question we keep getting asked is about movies.
Books are great, they tell us, but what about movies? Do we have favorite legal thrillers and dramas that we enjoy and identify with? We got talking and decided that it was time to share our ‘favorites’ list with all those fans of the court out there! Chances are, you’ve already seen a few of these, but maybe you’ll stumble across one you haven’t watched yet. If so, you’re welcome!
An oldie but a true story goodie! Erin Brockovich pairs the appeal of the underdog – she’s an unemployed single mom – who takes on the might of a California power supply company and wins. After people in a small town start getting sick due to the pollution in their water supply ( recklessly put there by a million dollar power company) this legal clerk sets out to make sure that the little guy doesn’t get trampled under the feet of giants.
It’s a modern day David and Goliath story. A tale of dedication, compassion, and the importance of doing the right thing in the face of hardship. If you haven’t seen it already, then do yourself a favor and rent it.
This is a good one. Matthew McConaughey stars as “the Lincoln Lawyer” – a defense attorney who works out of the backseat of his Lincoln, which an assistant drives around for him as a sort of ‘mobile office’. Based on a novel by bestselling author Michael Connelly, this story deals with the difficult subject of guilt. Specifically, the guilt of one’s client, who the lincoln lawyer believes may actually be guilty of far more than just the crimes he’s charged with.
It’s an exciting story, full of suspense and drama, that does a great job of conveying the ethical dilemmas sometimes faced by criminal defense attorneys. So bust out the popcorn and enjoy one of the best legal thrillers made in the last decade. Seriously, why are you still reading this list? Go and watch it right now. Right now!
Another older film, but boy-oh-boy, this one has a cult following! My Cousin Vinny tells the story of two young men from New York who mistakenly get accused of murder in rural Alabama. At a loss for how to handle their situation, they hire one of their cousins – loud mouth, fast talking Vinny – to represent them in court. Problem is, Vinny doesn’t understand the way law is practiced in the South, and what’s more – he’s never represented anyone accused of murder before!
Although the story is hilarious, it does a great job of depicting of real courtroom procedure and trial strategy. Many Hollywood versions of trials show a highly glamorized version of the court. So while it’s a few years old, and many things have changed in the intervening years, this movie is a great place to start if you want to see what a ‘normal’, non-glamorized murder trial looks like. Plus, the story is great for a laugh!
This is a complex and very interesting story. It charts the tale of a man accused of murdering his unfaithful wife, and the district attorney who prosecuted him. It deals with fascinating subjects within the law, like evidence that is ruled to be inadmissible, and the issue of ‘fruit of the poisonous tree.’
Ryan Gosling plays a young, driven prosecuting attorney who’s trying to put Anthony Hopkins’ character behind bars for murder. But the situation keeps changing. No one is able to figure out how to put him behind bars. Evidence gets tainted. Facts are manipulated. In the end, did he do it or didn’t he? And is he going to get away with murder? Boy, this sounds like a typical day at the office for the criminal attorneys at The Kronzek Firm.
This movie starts out explosively, and then whips you back in time to the events unfolding that led to that critical opening scene. After a lawyer representing a guilty company in a billion dollar class action lawsuit has a total breakdown, the law firm brings in their ‘fixer’ to salvage the situation. The fixer, however, has problems of his own.
This story stretches probability to the max, but it’s a wonderfully enjoyable film, full of unexpected twists and complex characters. George Clooney, Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson play their roles beautifully, and the script earned Michael Clayton rave reviews. If you haven’t already seen this one, you should do yourself a favor and cancel your plans tonight. Watch this instead.
Join us next time as we wrap up our top ten list with our remaining five favorite court dramas. Until then, if you or a loved one have an actual drama, that may play out in a real Michigan courtroom, you’re going to need a lot more than a good actor on your side. You need a real defense attorney, with many years of experience and a reputation for success. You need The Kronzek Firm. So call us today at 866 766 5245. We are here to help you.