Courtroom Dramas, a list by Daniel Tomlinson

91

/51922/

87

/29483/

4.6

/2415769/

89

/146/

98

/53482/

82

/22/

3.5

age 15+

Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.

87

8.3

/1218301/

82

/44967/

79

/21215/

4.1

/2684689/

98

/291/

90

/42244/

88

/37/

4.0

age 6+

Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.

86

8.1

/530099/

79

/18204/

78

/8583/

4.1

/567176/

97

/378/

93

/2949/

93

/45/

3.5

age 15+

The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.

86

8.1

/953475/

80

/29129/

80

/15636/

4.2

/2728073/

92

/313/

87

/5569/

88

/48/

4.0

age 16+

The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee who becomes his trusted protégé. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting, the battle for an enormous family fortune and the slow and then sudden upheavals that transformed Europe during the first half of the 20th century.

85

7.9

/368185/

77

/11200/

77

/7258/

4.0

/1305256/

95

/408/

85

/35/

94

/53/

4.0

age 16+

A stage director and an actress struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal extremes.

85

7.8

/342434/

77

/9484/

75

/4613/

3.9

/272792/

96

/84/

89

/6872/

87

/33/

4.0

age 13+

Wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to death, Richard Kimble escapes from the law in an attempt to find the real killer and clear his name.

84

8.3

/1190135/

83

/27119/

81

/13389/

4.4

/2692870/

97

/89/

94

/15812/

71

/28/

3.0

age 15+

Headstrong yet aimless, Will Hunting has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he secretly solves highly difficult graduate-level math problems, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau, who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he gets court-ordered therapy. Eventually, therapist Dr. Sean Maguire helps Will confront the demons that are holding him back.

84

8.6

/1986952/

85

/43194/

83

/22456/

4.4

/3097724/

84

/156/

95

/26052/

65

/22/

3.5

age 17+

Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Somerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.

83

8.2

/1691318/

81

/49554/

77

/22117/

3.8

/1861219/

85

/285/

94

/66667/

70

/41/

4.0

age 13+

Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham City. Unable to work within the system, he instead creates a new identity, a symbol of fear for the criminal underworld - The Batman.

83

7.5

/299696/

73

/12219/

74

/3908/

4.0

/1137823/

93

/473/

84

/1570/

89

/63/

4.0

age 16+

When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one—until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.

83

7.8

/466192/

75

/16627/

75

/7285/

3.9

/864023/

95

/468/

86

/325/

94

/55/

3.5

age 17+

Pennsylvania, 1956. Frank Sheeran, a war veteran of Irish origin who works as a truck driver, accidentally meets mobster Russell Bufalino. Once Frank becomes his trusted man, Bufalino sends him to Chicago with the task of helping Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful union leader related to organized crime, with whom Frank will maintain a close friendship for nearly twenty years.

83

7.8

/284043/

82

/25384/

80

/10213/

3.9

/609771/

93

/323/

93

/2736/

74

/47/

3.5

age 10+

The untold story of Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – brilliant African-American women working at NASA and serving as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.

83

7.8

/164420/

75

/2952/

75

/2377/

4.1

/172908/

90

/101/

89

/1940/

77

/9/

4.0

age 13+

Ted Kramer is a career man for whom his work comes before his family. His wife Joanna cannot take this anymore, so she decides to leave him. Ted is now faced with the tasks of housekeeping and taking care of himself and their young son Billy.

83

7.8

/190618/

76

/3355/

75

/1976/

4.1

/126365/

96

/135/

90

/2576/

85

/34/

3.5

age 16+

A research chemist comes under personal and professional attack when he decides to appear in a 60 Minutes exposé on Big Tobacco.

83

7.7

/412002/

76

/9289/

78

/7376/

4.2

/1315606/

88

/262/

82

/27141/

87

/41/

4.0

age 15+

In 1960s Wyoming, two men develop a strong emotional and sexual relationship that endures as a lifelong connection complicating their lives as they get married and start families of their own.

83

7.8

/151369/

79

/7679/

77

/2220/

4.1

/350491/

97

/208/

91

/1197/

81

/30/

3.5

age 12+

Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive.

83

8.2

/610805/

81

/12408/

79

/6319/

4.2

/662620/

79

/77/

93

/12204/

73

/17/

4.0

age 18+

In Las Vegas, two best friends--a casino executive and a Mafia enforcer--compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.

83

8.1

/762932/

80

/17335/

79

/10149/

4.2

/1083952/

90

/98/

93

/16408/

83

/28/

3.0

age 18+

Heroin addict Mark Renton stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends --Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Tommy. He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane, along for the ride. After cleaning up and moving from Edinburgh to London, Mark finds he can't escape the life he left behind as Begbie and Sick Boy come knocking.

83

7.8

/765208/

77

/27685/

72

/15811/

3.9

/883517/

92

/388/

86

/17713/

81

/49/

4.0

age 14+

When Bond's latest assignment goes gravely wrong, agents around the world are exposed and MI6 headquarters is attacked. While M faces challenges to her authority and position from Gareth Mallory, the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, it's up to Bond, aided only by field agent Eve, to locate the mastermind behind the attack.

82

7.6

/28420/

73

/402/

71

/379/

3.9

/18332/

93

/160/

84

/747/

83

/40/

4.0

age 18+

Abortionist Vera Drake finds her beliefs and practices clash with the mores of 1950s Britain – a conflict that leads to tragedy for her family.

82

7.5

/107495/

74

/1849/

73

/1447/

3.8

/45304/

97

/60/

86

/1955/

80

/26/

4.0

age 17+

A death row inmate turns for spiritual guidance to a local nun in the days leading up to his scheduled execution for the murders of a young couple.

82

7.5

/228874/

73

/4110/

70

/2312/

3.7

/96036/

93

/222/

85

/4670/

86

/34/

4.0

age 17+

An exploration of the United States of America's war on drugs from multiple perspectives. For the new head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the war becomes personal when he discovers his well-educated daughter is abusing cocaine within their comfortable suburban home. In Mexico, a flawed, but noble policeman agrees to testify against a powerful general in league with a cartel, and in San Diego, a drug kingpin's sheltered trophy wife must learn her husband's ruthless business after he is arrested, endangering her luxurious lifestyle.

82

7.7

/49923/

75

/1111/

74

/692/

4.0

/54637/

88

/40/

88

/744/

77

/17/

4.0

age 15+

Frank Galvin is a down-on-his-luck lawyer and reduced to drinking and ambulance chasing, when a former associate reminds him of his obligations in a medical malpractice suit by serving it to Galvin on a silver platter—all parties are willing to settle out of court. Blundering his way through the preliminaries, Galvin suddenly realizes that the case should actually go to court—to punish the guilty, to get a decent settlement for his clients... and to restore his standing as a lawyer.

82

8.0

/180241/

77

/3929/

76

/2315/

4.1

/131992/

85

/73/

88

/3450/

72

/29/

4.0

age 16+

Follows the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison.

82

7.8

/111840/

78

/8393/

75

/2662/

4.1

/623319/

99

/253/

89

/1264/

88

/38/

3.0

age 6+

Paddington, now happily settled with the Browns, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy, but it is stolen.

82

7.8

/480999/

78

/11140/

75

/5824/

3.9

/307833/

81

/213/

90

/84/

76

/38/

4.0

age 17+

Loosely based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina, who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War, before being detained by a task force led by Newark Detective Richie Roberts.

82

8.3

/962887/

81

/18461/

80

/10662/

4.1

/1460947/

80

/182/

93

/28635/

71

/32/

3.5

age 18+

The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island residents are shattered when their addictions run deep.

81

7.4

/44105/

70

/659/

69

/387/

3.9

/26685/

93

/141/

81

/1066/

86

/31/

4.0

age 16+

Summertime on the coast of Maine, "In the Bedroom" centers on the inner dynamics of a family in transition. Matt Fowler is a doctor practicing in his native Maine and is married to New York born Ruth Fowler, a music teacher. His son is involved in a love affair with a local single mother. As the beauty of Maine's brief and fleeting summer comes to an end, these characters find themselves in the midst of unimaginable tragedy.

81

7.5

/163880/

74

/4167/

72

/2344/

3.7

/128158/

96

/68/

84

/3924/

80

/17/

4.0

age 16+

While a diamond advocate attempts to steal a collection of diamonds, troubles arise when he realises he’s not the only one after the collection.

81

7.8

/20589/

78

/845/

76

/416/

3.9

/31872/

93

/15/

87

/608/

During the trial of a man accused of his father's murder, a lone juror takes a stand against the guilty verdict handed down by the others as a result of their preconceptions and prejudices.

81

7.7

/144831/

76

/2953/

75

/2109/

3.9

/166546/

93

/55/

88

/1987/

83

/16/

age 17+

New York cop Frank Serpico blows the whistle on the rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.

81

7.9

/543824/

79

/14889/

79

/8854/

4.0

/591036/

92

/264/

91

/4157/

77

/47/

3.0

age 17+

Loosely based on the true-life tale of Ron Woodroof, a drug-taking, women-loving, homophobic man who in 1986 was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and given thirty days to live.

81

7.5

/673399/

76

/46099/

74

/16481/

3.7

/2743754/

92

/395/

86

/4143/

86

/53/

3.5

age 17+

After being coerced into working for a crime boss, a young getaway driver finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.

80

7.4

/43356/

72

/998/

70

/658/

3.8

/47680/

96

/49/

81

/582/

77

/11/

4.0

During an extreme heatwave, a beautiful Florida woman and a seedy lawyer engage in an affair while plotting the murder of her rich husband.

80

7.8

/126024/

77

/2926/

76

/1850/

3.9

/129626/

79

/29/

90

/1311/

65

/11/

4.0

age 16+

Two FBI agents investigating the murder of civil rights workers during the 60s seek to breach the conspiracy of silence in a small Southern town where segregation divides black and white. The younger agent trained in FBI school runs up against the small town ways of his partner, a former sheriff.

80

7.5

/36983/

73

/1450/

74

/778/

4.0

/493558/

84

/257/

81

/92/

80

/45/

4.0

age 16+

A controlling father’s attempts to ensure that his two children succeed in high school backfire after his son experiences a career-ending sports injury. Their familial bonds are eventually placed under severe strain by an unexpected tragedy.

80

7.4

/10461/

71

/197/

70

/169/

3.8

/10741/

93

/28/

81

/122/

80

/16/

4.0

New York City detective Daniel Ciello agrees to help the United States Department of Justice help eliminate corruption in the police department, as long as he will not have to turn in any close friends. In doing so, Ciello uncovers a conspiracy within the force to smuggle drugs to street informants.

80

7.1

/21119/

71

/429/

66

/342/

3.5

/15659/

92

/53/

78

/222/

93

/18/

4.0

Wealthy Sunny von Bülow lies brain-dead, husband Claus guilty of attempted murder; but he says he's innocent and hires Alan Dershowitz for his appeal.

80

7.4

/212036/

71

/3310/

71

/2323/

3.6

/103628/

86

/93/

83

/4499/

86

/31/

4.0

age 16+

In the 1930s, Count Almásy is a Hungarian map maker employed by the Royal Geographical Society to chart the vast expanses of the Sahara Desert along with several other prominent explorers. As World War II unfolds, Almásy enters into a world of love, betrayal, and politics.

80

7.9

/245368/

78

/4389/

78

/3361/

4.1

/179136/

84

/51/

91

/4454/

66

/25/

3.5

Free after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld. Reconnecting with his dancer girlfriend, Carlito gets entangled in the shady dealings of his friend Dave Kleinfeld, who also serves as his lawyer. An encounter with shifty gangster Benny Blanco sets the duo on a dangerous path.

80

7.7

/352782/

77

/6804/

75

/4721/

3.8

/258337/

88

/57/

89

/5867/

77

/21/

3.5

age 17+

An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and identifies more with the mafia life at the expense of his regular one.

80

7.6

/373661/

75

/10480/

73

/5585/

3.8

/344606/

95

/277/

85

/15331/

80

/41/

3.5

age 15+

Following the murder of her father by a hired hand, a 14-year-old farm girl sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. Marshal she can find—a man with 'true grit'—Reuben J. 'Rooster' Cogburn.

80

7.6

/342049/

75

/15805/

72

/7122/

3.6

/215978/

91

/314/

87

/2549/

81

/48/

3.5

age 13+

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, Powers' only hope is New York lawyer James Donovan, recruited by a CIA operative to negotiate his release. Donovan boards a plane to Berlin, hoping to win the young man's freedom through a prisoner exchange. If all goes well, the Russians would get Rudolf Abel, the convicted spy who Donovan defended in court.

80

8.5

/1564760/

83

/36070/

82

/17095/

4.3

/1609958/

77

/206/

92

/43661/

66

/36/

3.0

age 14+

A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.

80

8.2

/1752135/

81

/59214/

80

/25356/

4.0

/3508357/

79

/283/

83

/9438/

75

/47/

3.5

age 17+

A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography.

79

7.3

/104996/

72

/2070/

70

/1192/

3.6

/49032/

88

/58/

80

/1197/

79

/24/

4.0

age 17+

Larry Flynt is the hedonistically obnoxious, but indomitable, publisher of Hustler magazine. The film recounts his struggle to make an honest living publishing his girlie magazine and how it changes into a battle to protect the freedom of speech for all people.

79

7.7

/203580/

77

/7430/

76

/3240/

3.8

/401749/

89

/344/

90

/454/

76

/49/

3.0

age 16+

What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a violent clash with the police. What followed was one of the most notorious trials in history.

79

7.1

/58374/

71

/2859/

68

/1322/

3.6

/86216/

98

/318/

81

/379/

87

/53/