"You can't just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!" ―Beelzebot, Futurama

@@neil2444 "As a robot i cant feel emotions, and sometimes that makes me feel sad."- Bender B. Rodriguez

Almost every actor there is a fairly well known character actor , or star.

@@unstrung65 I cant say i know all of these actors. but most of them have made a name

@@unstrung65 Henry fonda is clearly the most accomplsihed. Jack Kulgman the next most recognizable. Some other faces seem familiar. Can you break them all down?

@@mikesied Lee J Cobb - famous actor - in 'On The Waterfront' with Marlon Brando . Martin Balsam with a long movie and TV career - in ' All The Presidents Men ' . John Fiedler was in tons of TV shows , also was in the movie 'The Odd Couple' and the spin off TV series . E.G. Marshall had over 150 Film and TV appearances to his credit , also starred in Tora!Tora!Tora!. Jack Warden was in a ton of TV shows a also in 'All The Presidents Men' . Ed Begley - immediately recognizable in countless TV shows and movies - was in 'Sweet Bird of Youth' with Paul Newman . -- The rest of the actors were not as well known . But I saw the film when it came out and these 'character actors' I mentioned were immediately recognizable and all played their roles exceedingly well

GREAT supporting actors in this film - all of them guys who had made their bones in other great movies. Great writing + great talent = one great f'ng movie.

I had a similar experience (although I hadn't seen this movie yet) - and I was one of those who initially thought the defendant was guilty - though by the end we did find the defendant not guilty. When I finally saw this movie it rang so true.

Thank you for honoring the immense service it is to judge another

I was on a jury where on two of the charges I was the only one thinking "guilty" and I thought of this movie at that time. The others did convince me and in the end I felt that Justice had been done. We considered five charges in total.

A jury of your peers is still the best method of judgment. It’s not perfect and It can be wrong but it’s much better than to be judged by one or a few professional judges whose goal is to run you through the court system as fast as possible so they can go home early. You act like a system giving government officials(judges) omnipotent power over its citizens would be more fair.

@@thewiseoldherper7047 Giving a tribunal of judges omnipotent power is more fair than a jury selected with lawyers present. It isn't more fair than a truly random jury. But you won't get that anymore, not ever, because of constant lawyer objections to any independent minded people.

Instead of a film people should be taught in school how to actually analyze evidence and how eye witness testimony is the worst kind of evidence there is in science.

@@rustincohle2135 or car chases or CGI but it is incrediable how engaging the film is being focused 95% in one room. A real display of characrer acting and writing.

Agree. Based on a Pulitzer prizewinning book, it’s one of the most beloved stories in America

And after that you need to watch Just Mercy, directed by Michael B. Jordan.

I was about to comment much the same thing. Not only is it one of the best legal movies ever - “To Kill A Mockingbird” is my favorite movie of all time. A few other great “legal” movies, “Presumed Innocent”, “Witness For The Prosecution”, “My Cousin Vinnie”, and “The Rainmaker”.

You gotta include "Anatomy of a murder" if you're listing the greatest legal movies. There's a few more recent movies that could fit the category, Philadelphia, A Few Good Men and Erin Brockovich are all fantastic.

@@MravacKid I’m glad I wasn’t the first to think of “ Anatomy of a Murder”. I need to watch it again.

I believe this was originally a stage play which is why the screenplay works so well. I also believe this is the best screen version of it by far.

This was originally a CBS TV movie from 1954 , Robert Cummings played the role that Henry Fonda has in the movie . Henry Fonda produced this movie for silver screen , there are lot of actors in this movie that were not good enough for big movie studios , when they were TV actors .

@@pete_lind I'm sorry you're mistaken it was a stage play for a number of years before it was on t.v. also more than 3/4 of the actors were big movie stars at the time.

@@KngOfTheBlind written by Reginald Rose for CBS in 1954 , he and Henry Fonda produced it to silver screen movie , it came stage play after when , when it's perfect for a stage , it happens in one room .

@@gregorywilson1960 Were is they key word , there is Lee J Cobb , who played cops in several movies , like in Exorcist , Henry Fonda , who has only few TV shows in his credits , E G Marshall who has 8 credits for 1957 , most TV , Robert Webber its his first movie and after this not much in his credits than TV series , Then you have the older men their movie careers were over at this point , who cared if they were big in 1930s and 1940s Ed Begley did movies from 1946 to 1952 , after that nothing much more that TV shows . Entertainment business is ruthless and Opera still consider you to be a has been , if you go and sing in Phantom of the Opera , when thats a musical , so clearly your ability to sing has gone .

Plus his takedown of the racist after his rant immediatly made me respect him even more

The actors name is E.G. Marshall. He was big on TV in the 1960s and 70s. Interestingly he plays one of the grandparents in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

@@thewiseoldherper7047 As a kid, I actually remember him most from Superman 2. He played the President.

@@NemeanLion- I was checking out his bio and he’s credited with 150 appearances on TV shows or in movies. Not surprising as he had real talent. He really nails it in this movie.

@@thewiseoldherper7047 Great supporting actors have the best movie careers I think. They’re never burdened with the success or failure of a film, don’t usually get typecast and never have trouble finding work. This certainly was one of his best performances.

Absolutely a classic. And the first film I thought of for any lawyer to react to. *A Few Good Men* would also be great.

I've seen other lawyers say that, too - that the workings of the case in the film, and Vinny's approach, are surprisingly accurate, behind all the laughs. Great film.

@@vercoda9997 "I got no more use for this one." Somehow, still one of my favorite lines and delivery...

My Cousin Vinny is very entertaining but not all that accurate. You actually can watch some attorneys reacting to the movie on other channels. A Few Good Men is also very good with a great cast but having served in the JAG Corps it is not very accurate at all.

@@jonhenry8268 Well,no way his girlfriend is approved as an expert witness lol. So some people keep saying it's accurate just confuses me.

The fact that MCV is considered so highly by lawyers is fascinating to me. It's impressive that they could make hilarious movie that still took care with details that another film might've flubbed because "who would know?"

Yeah, the remake is also very good, its only real problem is that it has to be compared to this masterpiece. :)

@@MravacKid It depends which you see first. For example as with Miracle on 34th Street many think that the original is superior, but I grew up watching the 90s Richard Attenborough remake and simply find it better, even though I appreciate the nuance of the original.

It one of my favorite movies. Never a wasted moment, camera shot, or word of dialogue. It’s one of the greatest made so far. Love the glasses Mary.

I was going to suggest "A Few Good Men" & "The Caine Mutiny" myself. I've not seen "Witness For The Prosecution" but since you have included it, I'm adding it to my to watch list.

And Justice For All, two Oscars nominations for Best Actor and screenplay.

Something along the same lines, although not set in a courtroom - "The Ox-Bow Incident". A western dealing with justice, trial by peers, prejudice, assumptions, morality of the death penalty, vigilantism and the difference between civilization and anarchy. Excellent film.

Judgment at Nuremberg, another great courtroom drama.

THE VERDICT is also directed by Sydney Lumet.

The Verdict is one of Paul Newman's greatest performances, maybe his very greatest. If the movie had no other virtues (and it has many, many other virtues) it would still be worth watching just for Newman.

The verdict is one of my favourite courtroom movies

The Verdict is outstanding, Newman was robbed of an Oscar that year. I think the only comparable performance by him was Cool Hand Luke.

And a return of Jack Warden.

Anatomy of a Murder would be another good one.

NY lawyer here to second all of these!

What about "The Accused" Jodie Foster

@@davidchalk8883 I honestly think they forgot! There are just so many! Another one ..."The Verdict" '82 🎭Paul Newman and the list goes on. Gotta give to🎭Jodie though, a kick ass, oscar winning performance.🤩🤗

Another "lawyerly" type movie is "The Firm" with Tom Cruise

Yeah -- what does an elderly man know about being elderly?

Yeah, he really knocked it out of the park. Although I don’t know their names, most of the cast are well known character actors I recognize from other movies of that time

@@seanmcmurphy4744 What’s remarkable to me is that he did so as a normal, believable character. Christoph Waltz stole the show as Hans Landa. Alan Rickman stole the show as the Sheriff of Nottingham. However, both of them were playing over-the-top villains with varying degrees of caricature as part of their respective roles. Cobb, however, plays Juror 3 as a relatable (mostly), ordinary, and ultimately even sympathetic character. Being so understated yet impactful at the same time is a remarkable feat.

I agree, Lee J Cobb's performance in '12 Angry Men' is outstanding and probably his best ever. Although his performance as Johnny Friendly in 'On The Waterfront' has to be a close second and the cast of 'On The Waterfront' had to be every bit as good as the cast in this movie.

That's MY list! -- but I'll add "The Verdict".

Gene Kelly and SPENCER TRACY!

I thought so to until I learned about the massive fictional changes in inherit the wind from the real situation (the film had a prejudiced hate-filed side) Judgment at Nuremberg was a better more powerful film.

@@noirgatherer Didn't know that, Judgment at Nuremberg is a great movie too, Spancer Tracy, Judy Garland.... Great movie

Brilliant recommendation!

I can see how MCV would be their favourite. It has great performances, it's funny, it's memorable. More importantly, it also shows what not to do (though Vinny gets away with lot, I think), how an open-and-shut case can be anything but, how witnesses can be unreliable in multitude of ways, how knowing procedure and your (and your clients') rights is paramount, how expert witnesses work, how unrelated things can screw you in the court, how important it is to be prepared and to know the case and to gather your own evidence, how having a good rapport with the judge and the jury is important, how working with the police is important, how a judge can rule against you even if you are making a good argument, and so on. When you start thinking about it, there's a lot to unpack in that movie. AFGM is about drama. I don't know if it is accurate or not, but there doesn't seem to be much to learn there. Instead, it could make impressionable lawyers incriminate themselves by try to bluff high-ranking officers into confessing in court without any evidence to back you up. Trying to play a witness by bluffing them in court sounds like a bad idea generally, even if the judge doesn't step in to stop you. If they sidestep the attempt, what then? Are you going to try again?

@@blechtic Yeah, AFGM isn’t really accurate with the court procedure. It is very much about the drama… But man it’s good drama. A court martial can also vary in how it is conducted based on the offense. It is similar but has distinct differences from civilian courts. I am not an expert in such matters though, I only have the sparse info gleaned from being in the service and being aware of people who have had to go through them.

The first two films I thought of as well.

Yeah, it was made on a budget of $337,000 and shot almost entirely in one room. I would suggest that the majority of the budget went to the payroll of the excellent cast and the rest of the crew. It was based on a television drama from an age when television was particularly constrained for space and time, and was also reworked as a stage play. You can see the play being performed today frequently by high school drama programs because it's fairly simple to produce. Usually today it's renamed _Twelve Angry Jurors,_ and has a more gender diverse cast.

I think the play was published after the movie. It just fits perfectly on a stage with its one-location setting.

Especially in our system, one of the few legal systems in advanced countries which still has the death penalty.

and in the Exorcist Lee. J Cobb

One of the most important parts of a trial is the jury selection, cases can be won and lost on it. A good defense team would have excluded the juror with his own personal grievance.

For me the 97 one is a pale imitation, if you hadnt seen the original it is a good film, but seeing the original just blows your mind, i found the remake had to have some tick boxes, but it was interesting as well.

@@Greenwood4727 I actually agree with you. I usually hate the idea of movie remakes as they frequently seem to end up worse than the original. Many times ideas like "This movie needs a car chase in it to spice things up!" get added. UGH! I should have clarified that they redid the movie and kept true to the original intention. I absolutely would NEVER suggest watching the newer version over the 1957 one.

@@Mr.Batsu12 it was a decent enough film in itself, the acting the 97 one, dont get me wrong i did enjoy it, just not to the level of the original. I like movies even remakes if they add something to the lore, to the story, psycho the remake was almost shot for shot it didnt add anything even a few scenes cheapened the movie, the obvious masturbation part.. halloween 2018 added something different to the story. the night mare on elm street remake it was more gritty, but i personally would have wanted that freddy was innocent and thats why he was killing the kids, adding something new to the story