For my fifth article in the Legal Lessons from Hollywood series, I decided to change it up a little. Instead of analysing one film in detail, I am sharing five of my favourite legal films with you which all have one thing in common - they were inspired by true events. Let us know on our social media accounts what films make your top five list!
5. Marshall
“From now on, we claim the Constitution as our own.” – Thurgood Marshall
As a lawyer for the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) represents innocent African Americans all over the country. In 1940, his work takes him to Connecticut where a man has been falsely accused of rape. However, the bigoted judge does not allow Thurgood Marshall to speak in court which forces him to team up with local lawyer Sam Friedman (Josh Gad).
The film is definitely worth a shot. However, even though Marshall is based on true events, do not believe everything happened the way the film suggests. In fact, it could be argued that the film went a little bit too far with its poetic license, for example in the portrayal of Sam Friedman. After the events in the film, Thurgood Marshall made history by winning the landmark case of Brown v Board of Education and by becoming the Supreme Court’s first African American justice.
4. Erin Brockovich
“I hate lawyers; I only work for them.” – Erin Brockovich
In this film, Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts) hires attorney Ed Masry (Albert Finney) after being involved in a car accident. They lose the case. Without the anticipated compensation and high medical costs, the unemployed single-mother of three children struggles financially. In desperate need for a pay check, she persuades her former attorney to give her a job in his law firm. Despite standing out like a sore thumb with her flashy clothes, potty mouth, sassy attitude and lack of legal training, Brockovich almost single-handedly puts together a direct-action lawsuit over contaminated water. The case achieved a historically ground breaking settlement of $ 333 million.
While some of the events in this legal drama may be hard to believe, the real Erin Brockovich herself has claimed in an article for CNBC that 98% of the film is accurate. The film is a reminder to never judge a book by its cover and shows that there are interpersonal skills and traits that are far more important than a formal legal education: compassion, curiosity, emotional intelligence and tenacity.
3. The Trial of the Chicago 7
“I’ve never been on trial for my thoughts before.” – Abbie Hoffman
In the late 1960s, eight men were initially charged with conspiracy under the Rap Brown Law for crossing state lines to incite a riot. One of the defendants and co-founder of the Black Panther Party, Bobby Seale, had his case declared a mistrial. The Chicago Seven – Abbie Hoffman, Tom Hayden, David Dellinger, Jerry Rubin, Rennie Davis, John Froines and Lee Weiner – were activists from different political groups peacefully protesting against the Vietnam War. Other than their shared objections against the war, the defendants couldn’t have been any different. In fact, they had never met before and despite that, the government believed that these men had conspired together.
The courtroom drama itself is a very colourful narration of the trial with flashbacks showing the events that lead to the riots in Chicago. Sacha Baron Cohen is known for making audiences laugh and his role as Hoffman is no exception, however that doesn’t make his serious moments any less authentic. Together with his co-star, Eddie Redmayne, he succeeds at making the tension between their characters feel tangible. Overall, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a great film which will make you chuckle at times, and, at other times, will make you incredibly angry at the judge.
2. Just Mercy
“My job is not to make people happy. It’s to achieve justice for my client.” – Bryan Stevenson
The film Just Mercy is based on one of Bryan Stevenson’s (Michael B Jordan) first cases fighting for justice for death row inmates. Amongst his clients is Walter “Johnny D” McMillian (Jamie Foxx) who had been convicted for murder and sentenced to death despite alibi witnesses. The film is an eye-opener to the racial discrimination and lack of justice many defendants in the American criminal justice system face.
If you want to read about Just Mercy in more detail, I recommend my article published in September which you can read here. If you have watched the film, or read the article, you will understand why this inspirational film made runner-up.
1. In the Name of the Father
“Our case was so insane, that if you made it up, nobody would believe it.” – Gerry Conlon
In the Name of the Father recounts the injustice inflicted on the Guildford Four and the Maguire Seven[ix]. They were convicted of the 1974 Guildford pub bombings despite police records and other evidence proving their innocence. The film focuses on the father-son duo Giuseppe (Pete Postlethwaite) and Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis), hence the film title. It is also a warning to prosecutors of the danger of relying on coerced confessions when obtaining convictions.
If you are able to understand the thick Northern Irish accent (or watch the film with subtitles), you will be able to appreciate this truly emotional and raw masterpiece. It is almost an injustice in itself that In the Name of the Father didn’t win any of its seven Oscar nominations.
Comentários