A Look at Famous Legal Scenes in Movies That Resonate With People
Cinema has provided outstanding legal thrills and cerebral trial strategy. Who could forget Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch or Tom Cruise as Daniel Kaffee? Read on to experience just a tiny bit of the brilliance of these five scenes.
In My Cousin Vinny, Joe Pesci’s Vincent Gambini needed six tries to pass the bar exam. He’s definitely not what you’d expect when you think of a successful trial lawyer. He has a keen legal mind, however, even if he can’t remember the “Chapter and Verse.” The scene where he questions Mona Lisa Vito, his fiancee played by Marisa Tomei after they have an argument is a classic blend of trial awareness and strategy when combined with humor. In fact, the realism of this movie has led it to be shown at prestigious law schools around the country.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom assaulted Mayella. So thinks everyone in the town. Atticus Finch proves that Tom very likely did not kill her, but Tom is Black. The racist townsfolk have convicted Tom even before the opening of the trial. Atticus loses, and Tom is convicted. Later, Tom is killed trying to escape. Atticus’s quiet, subdued heroism in the face of the most virulent hate led him to be voted the No. 1 movie hero of all time.
In A Few Good Men, Colonel Nathan Jessup, played brilliantly by a scene-stealing Jack Nicholson, dissolves on the stand in a way reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart’s Captain Queeg in “The Caine Mutiny.” Cruise’s Kaffee pounds away at Jessup until he breaks and incriminates himself. The risk Kaffee took, which included his own court martial if Jessup hadn’t broken, was immense. But, he defended his client with all the zealousness required by the Canons.
In 12 Angry Men, no one in the movie has a name. They’re all only known by their juror numbers or as “judge,” “bailiff,” or “the kid.” Each of the jurors is perfectly cast. There’s the reason of Jurors No. 8 and No. 4. There’s also the hateful bigotry of No. 10 and the meek honor of No. 2. And, the most powerful performance in the film belongs to Lee J. Cobb as No. 3, the broken man haunted by the son who hates him. His displacement of reciprocal hate onto the defendant instead of his son leads to his inevitable breakdown. No. 3 is a man of honor, though. When No. 10, skillfully played by nice guy Ed Begley, lambastes “them,” No. 3 turns his back on him with the others.
In M, there’s a child murderer roaming the streets of Berlin. The police begin searching for him, and their heightened activity is interfering with the operations of the elements of organized crime. The criminals resolve to catch the child murderer themselves and to hold him to account. Peter Lorre is unforgettable as Hans Beckert, the killer. Compelled to do things that he finds repellent, he is a tortured and twisted soul.
The organized criminals convene a kangaroo court and read a list of charges against Beckert. Wild-eyed and terrified, he screams at them, “ICH KANN DOCH NICHTS DAFÜR!,” which means, “I can’t help myself.” They tell him, “They ALL say that.” Then, he goes into a chilling monologue, telling them that they are the ones who choose their criminal path and, in some cases, do so proudly. He describes his madness as being “followed by himself, compelled to do things that he finds horrifying.” Then, the actual police rush in and arrest everyone.