Legal Drama backdrop

Legal Drama movies

Courtroom and justice drama built on cases, evidence pressure, moral dilemmas, and institutional constraints.

7th Floor

1. 7th Floor

Drama Thriller Legal Drama Domestic Thriller
5.8
20131h 24min

Overview

Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sebastián, a successful lawyer, leaves his ex-wife's condo, located on the seventh floor of an apartment building, to take his two children to school. While they run down the stairs, he uses the elevator. Once on the ground floor, Sebastián awaits the arrival of the children.

Themes

Deception within relationships, Fractured family dynamics, Missing children crisis, Apartment building context, Duty over emotion, Ex-spouse tension

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Closed Circuit

2. Closed Circuit

Mystery Drama Crime Thriller Legal Drama
6.2
20131h 36min

Overview

A high-profile terrorism case unexpectedly binds together two ex-lovers on the defense team - testing the limits of their loyalties and placing their lives in jeopardy.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Deception and trust, Secrecy vs transparency, Institutional complicity and accountability, State power and civil liberties, Immigration and belonging

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Devil's Knot

3. Devil's Knot

Crime Drama Thriller Serial Killer Crime Legal Drama
6.1
20131h 54min

Overview

The savage murders of three young children sparks a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a satanic ritual.

Themes

Public testimony and recantation, Family and community impact, Coercion in interrogation, Moral panic and suspicion, Legal jeopardy under pressure, Investigation vs evidence

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Hulu
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Lincoln Lawyer

4. The Lincoln Lawyer

Crime Drama Thriller Legal Drama Courtroom Thriller
7.3
20111h 59min

Overview

Mick Haller is a charismatic defense attorney who does business out of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Mick spends most of his time defending petty crooks and other bottom-feeders, so it comes as quite a surprise when he lands the case of a lifetime: defending a Beverly Hills playboy who is accused of attempted murder. However, what Mick initially thinks is an open-and-shut case with a big monetary reward develops into something more sinister.

Themes

Courtroom drama ethics, Wealth influence in justice, Attorney-client privilege, High-profile case, Credibility under pressure, Pro bono obligation

Available on

Apple TV
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Next Three Days

5. The Next Three Days

Romance Drama Thriller Crime Domestic Thriller
7.3
20102h 13min

Overview

A married couple's life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of murdering her boss. Her husband John would spend the next few years trying to get her released, but there's no evidence that negates the evidence against her. When the strain of being separated from her husband and son gets to her, John decides to find a way to break her out.

Themes

Family separation under pressure, Passport abetted deception, Appeal pressure, Escape artist tactics, Fingerprint evidence, Innocent misperception

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Conviction

6. Conviction

Drama Legal Drama
7.2
20101h 47min

Overview

When Betty Anne Waters' older brother Kenny is arrested for murder and sentenced to life in 1983, Betty Anne, a Massachusetts wife and mother of two, dedicates her life to overturning the murder conviction. Convinced that her brother is innocent, Betty Anne puts herself through high school, college and, finally, law school in an 18 year quest to free Kenny. With the help of best friend Abra Rice, Betty Anne pores through suspicious evidence mounted by small town cop Nancy Taylor, meticulously retracing the steps that led to Kenny's arrest. Belief in her brother - and her quest for the truth - pushes Betty Anne and her team to uncover the facts and utilize DNA evidence with the hope of exonerating Kenny.

Themes

Family loyalty under pressure, Coercion and perjury, Systemic barriers to justice, Dna evidence overturns verdict, Advocacy within a flawed system, Delayed justice and reform

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

You Don't Know Jack

7. You Don't Know Jack

Drama TV Movie History Legal Drama True-Story TV Movie
7.5
20102h 14min

Overview

Controversy and legal problems follow Dr. Jack Kevorkian as he advocates assisted suicide.

Themes

Professional ethics under pressure, Moral dilemma in medicine, Legal ambiguity around assisted suicide, Public opinion polarization, Regulation versus autonomy, Media manipulation and power

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Nothing But the Truth

8. Nothing But the Truth

Drama Thriller Legal Drama Courtroom Thriller
7.1
20081h 48min

Overview

When reporter Rachel Armstrong writes a story that reveals the identity of a covert CIA operative, the government demands that Rachel reveal her source. She defies the special prosecutor and is thrown in jail. Meanwhile, her attorney, Albert Burnside argues her case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Themes

Protection of sources, Assassination attempt, Journalist integrity, Legal accountability under pressure, Prison experience, Press freedom vs secrecy

Available on

fuboTV
The Roku Channel
The CW
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Reader

9. The Reader

Drama Romance Legal Drama Bittersweet Romance
7.6
20082h 4min

Overview

The story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who, as a teenager in the late 1950s, had an affair with an older woman, Hanna, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a concentration camp guard late in the war. He alone realizes that Hanna is illiterate and may be concealing that fact at the expense of her freedom.

Themes

Illiteracy stigma, Postwar accountability, Secret relationships, Gendered power dynamics, Memory and silence, Long-term trauma consequences

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Anything for Her

10. Anything for Her

Drama Thriller Legal Drama Domestic Thriller
7.1
20081h 36min

Overview

Lisa and Julien are married and lead a happy uneventful life with their son Oscar. But their life radically changes one morning, when the police comes to arrest Lisa on murder charges. She's sentenced to 20 years of prison. Convinced of his wife's innocence, Julien decides to act. How far will he be willing to go for her?

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Loyalty under pressure, Family bonds under strain, Desperate escape planning, Truth vs evidence, Law versus survival

Available on

Apple TV
Disney Plus
blue TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.