2023 Courtroom Movies Reviews
This year we not only got one, but we got three courtroom films. It’s a genre that has gone down in popularity since the 1990s. In the 90’s people couldn’t get enough of this genre culminating in the O.J. Simpson trial in 1995.
As stated on the Rewatchables podcast earlier this year when they did Lawyer Month on their show. True crime documentaries and true crime podcasts replaced the courtroom genre movies.
It’s a genre that comes with an inherent tension and drama. Any story in a courtroom immediately becomes more gripping because the stakes are usually high already. This year we got a welcome return to this tension-filled genre with three films, and I am going to give a brief review of each.
The Burial – Directed by Maggie Betts
Based on a true story; A big-time Plaintiff lawyer helps a funeral home owner save his family business from a big corporation and exposes the corporation in the process. It boasts a great cast of Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, Jurnee Smollett, and Alan Ryuk.
It takes place in 1995 and if you told me it was made in 1995 I would believe you. Obviously, the cast doesn’t look like the age they were in the 90’s. But the story and the way the film unfolds is very SOP. Almost a paint by numbers.
However, that doesn’t make this any less watchable. Again, the genre is inherently compelling because any lawsuit comes with high stakes. Not only is the story compelling, but it’s acted brilliantly.
Tommy Lee is compassionate and charming as an elderly southern gentleman, who thankfully doesn’t have to learn how to not be racist.
Instead, it touches on racism through a trial strategy which is a new take, and realistic one. But doing so brings in Jamie Foxx’s Willie Gary. A Johnny Cochran-type lawyer who is flashy and a wordsmith, making him a dynamic lawyer. Jamie is perfect in this role and is having a blast.
It’s a little long pushing just over two hours, but it is a fun watch, if a little basic.
This is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
3.5/5 Stars
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial – Directed by William Friedkin
Based on Herman Wouk’s Pulitzer-prize-winning novel this is the fourth or fifth adaptation. It was adapted into a two-act play that lived for a while, it was also a movie in 1954 starring Humphrey Bogart.
The big difference between the 1954 version and this version is most of the Bogart version takes place on the ship. Instead, Friedkin’s version takes place solely in the courtroom. There is no fluff and no frills, just Navy service men and women being examined on the stand.
It was interesting watching this after seeing the 1954 version because some of the situations they were talking about are played out in the 1954 version. So, I was envisioning Humphrey yelling at his men about missing cheese.
The one location could be a weakness of the film but Friedkin uses this to his advantage. Using brilliant actors and excellent editing to keep this film gripping for its 108-minute runtime. Its cast is phenomenal: Keifer Sutherland, Jason Clarke, Jake Lacy, Lance Reddick, Lewis Pullman, and many others.
The ending is slightly different and leaves on a shocking note, one I was not expecting. It’s also a bittersweet end for William Friedkin and Lance Reddick who we both lost this year.
This is currently streaming on Showtime, wherever you get Showtime.
4/5 Stars
Anatomy of a Fall – Directed by Justine Triet
Palme d’Or winner at Cannes this year. There was a lot of buzz about this film out of the Cannes Film Festival for the film and for Sandra Huller’s performance. It is a French film that bounces between English, French, and German.
Surprisingly this was not selected as France’s Oscar submission in the foreign film category. They picked The Taste of Things which seems to be more of a crowd pleaser, still waiting to see that film.
The film is not based on any real story or any pre-existing material. It’s about a woman who is trying to prove her innocence in the death of her husband. He dies from a fall out their attic window and she is the only one home, their son was taking their dog for a walk.
Its 150-minute runtime might deter some but the film flies because it is so gripping. Sandra Huller gives a brilliant and complex performance. Between this and The Zone of Interest don’t be surprised to see her at the Oscars in 2024.
I work in the legal world, so watching these films can be tough for me. Granted I do not know how French law works, but I would assume they’re allowed to say Objection.
And not every person is allowed to talk whenever they’d like. If so I stand corrected, but it felt like a tool to drop exposition and was a bit clunky, at least to me.
Currently, this film is in theaters and is a Neon release, so eventually, it will come to Hulu.
4/5 Stars
