Top courtroom drama films of all time

Are you a fan of courtroom dramas? If the answer is yes then you're in for a treat today on List hai toh hit hai. The movies that are based on legal courtroom dramas come with unique storylines, unexpected twists, and turns. They usually leave lasting impressions on the viewers, and more often than not it's the story plot that takes the cake followed by a nail-biting climax. 

This is your host Nikhil and welcome to OTTplay List hai toh hit hai, courtroom drama theme special.

Now let's explore my list of movies for you to watch on OTT platforms, shall we?

Primal Fear

The 1996 American legal thriller, starring Richard Gere, Edward Norton and Laura Linney in the lead is based on William Diehl’s book of the same name. The story is about a Chicago based defense attorney Martin Vail known for his greed, who is convinced that his client, an altar boy Aaron, is not guilty of murdering the Archbishop. As the trial begins he faces his ex-lover Janet Venable as the prosecutor. The mystery unravels as it is revealed that Aaron has a split personality disorder where he becomes an alter ego named Roy. In fact it is Roy who kills the Archbishop, who is suspected of being a pedophile. After the judge dismisses in favor as a case of insanity, Aaron’s final confession to Martin leaves the latter disillusioned with the entire case. 

OTTplay Rating - 7.9

Available - Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, Jio, Google Play, YouTube

Pink

A 2016 Hindi legal thriller film with a stellar ensemble cast of Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Angad Bedi, Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang, Piyush Mishra, Tushar Pandey, and Dhritiman Chatterjee is regarded as a masterpiece with brilliant performances by the entire cast. The story is about Minal and her two friends, Falak and Andrea, who are sexually assaulted by Rajveer and his friends at a party, but fail to raise an FIR as he is highly influential. A retired lawyer, Deepak steps in to fight their case in court. After a grueling interrogation, Deepak forces Rajveer to admit his misdeeds. The final climax has been shot extremely well where Deepak questions as to why are women stereotyped by their lifestyles, choices, and preferences.

OTTplay Rating - 8.4

Available - Netflix, Disney + Hotstar, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, iTunes

A few good men

This is a 1992 American legal drama film based on Aaron Sorkin’s play of the same name. The impressive star cast consists of Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Keifer Sutherland, and Jack Nicholson. This riveting film was nominated for four Academy Awards. Based on a true story, it revolves around a court-martial of two US Marines charged with the murder of a fellow Marine, and their case gets assigned to Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, an inexperienced military lawyer. His senior Lieutenant Commander Joanne Galloway suspects the Marines carried out the ‘Code Red’ order as per their commanding officer. However, Kaffee risks it by meeting Col Jessup to find the root of the conspiracy.

OTTplay Rating - 8.1

Available - Disney + Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Zee5, Sony Liv, iTunes, Mubi, YouTube

Mulk

This film has a star-studded ensemble of Tapsee Pannu, Rishi Kapoor, Prateik Babbar, Ashutosh Rana, Manoj Pahwa, and Rajat Kapoor. It was released in 2018 and is based on real-life events. The movie depicts the struggle of Murad Ali Mohammad and his family as they are forced to prove their love for the country when his son joins a terrorist organization. Mohammad’s daughter-in-law fights his case in the court to prove his innocence arguing that he has nothing to do with the terror link established by his son. The climax is worth a watch when the judge gives his verdict, is an eye-opener to any common man.

OTTplay Rating - 7.2

Available - Zee5, Vi

Jai Bhim

The Tamil film released during Diwali on 2nd November this year, has Suriya in the lead and Lijomol Jose, Prakash Raj, K Manikandan in supporting roles. It is based on a true story that happened in the 90s in a tribal village of Tamil Nadu. The story depicts an honest advocate Chandru who fights in court for a tribal woman, Senggeni, whose husband, Rajakannu, gets falsely convicted in a case. Things go haywire when they learn that Rajakannu goes missing from prison. Sensing something fishy, Chandru sets out to find the truth.

OTTplay Rating - 9.6

Available - Exclusively on Amazon Prime Video

Philadelphia

An American legal drama film released in 1993 stars Tom Hanks as Andrew Beckett and Denzel Washington as Joe Miller in the lead. The story follows Andrew, a senior associate in a law firm in Philadelphia who hides his homosexuality and AIDS diagnosis in order to save his career. But much to his dismay, his colleague spots a visible lesion on his forehead, caused by skin cancer, after which he gets fired. He files a case against the firm for AIDS discrimination, with the help of Joe Miller. The ending is a bitter-sweet tear-jerker. 

OTTplay Rating - 7.8

Available - Netflix, Google Play, YouTube, Sony Liv, Vi, iTunes

Alright, that's the courtroom drama special theme on today's list hai toh hit hai, time for me to sign off and see you again in a brand new podcast. It's your host Nikhil out of here

Aaj kya dekhoge OTTplay se poocho