WHAT COURTROOM DRAMAS TO WATCH...AND NOT

But first, who is winning the Trump vs Musk war?

“Musk already lost his war,” The Washington Post’s Philip Bump writes.

Asked who they would choose between Trump and Musk, 7 in 10 Republicans said Trump, with another 1 in 8 saying neither. (This, unsurprisingly, was the most common answer from Democrats.) Republicans chose Trump over Musk by a nearly 12 to 1 margin.

However, will this brouhaha result in a significant change to Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill?  Yahoo Finance has a detailed analysis of what could happen.  My sense, is that the Bill will pass pretty much as is.  Here is the access to this YouGov poll on this issue.

I recently watched two courtroom dramas, one each from Prime and Netflix.  Turned out to be terrible films, but this experience inspired me to wonder what were the best trial movies ever produced.  The various sources I researched pretty much had the same top ten.

The best from Google AI are:

• To Kill a Mockingbird (1962):

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  This film, based on Harper Lee's novel, follows Atticus Finch, a lawyer defending a Black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman in the racially charged South. It explores themes of prejudice, justice, and the importance of moral courage in the face of adversity. 

• 12 Angry Men (1957):
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  This film, set entirely within a jury room, focuses on the power of one juror's conviction to challenge the biases and prejudice of his peers. It highlights the importance of critical thinking and due process in the pursuit of justice. 
• A Few Good Men (1992):

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  This film follows a young lawyer who defends two Marines accused of murder, exposing a cover-up within the military. It explores the complexities of military justice and the pursuit of truth, even in the face of pressure. 
• Anatomy of a Murder (1959):

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  This film delves into the ethical considerations of a lawyer defending a client accused of murder, showcasing the potential for manipulation within the legal system. 
• Witness for the Prosecution (1957):

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  This film features a lawyer taking on a challenging murder case, highlighting the power of courtroom drama and the suspense of a trial. 
• Judgment at Nuremberg (1961):

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  This film explores the legal and moral implications of the trials of Nazi officials after World War II, examining the complexities of justice and accountability. 

Here from the American Film Institute is another ranking.  These best court dramas tend only to include American films.  

• 
  Time magazine had another list that had Japan's Rashomon (1950), featuring Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune.  Got 98/93 ratings from Rotten Tomatoes.  
• The Creative Law Center included Breaker Morant (1980) from Australia.  RT:  100/91.  

• 
  About AFI, had My Cousin Vinny (1992) as #1.  RT:  85/87.  This film makes some lists, but is usually nowhere near the top.   I thought that Inherit the Wind (1960) starring Fredric March and Spencer Tracy about the Tennessee 1920's evolution case should be in this AFI list.  RT:  93/91.  Wasn't.

IMDb (Internet Movie Database) has a list of the best 60 trial films, and I would have thought that the following deserved higher rankings:

• #63  The Caine Mutiny (1954) with Humphrey Bogart and José Ferrer.  RT:  95/87.
• #51  Breaker Morant (1980), mentioned above.

• 
  #40  Oppenheimer (1923), about the Manhattan Project.  RT:  93/91.  But I guess this production is mostly not about the eventual court case.
• #37  My Cousin Vinny (1992), mentioned above as #1 on one list.
• #14 is A Few Good Men (1992), #13 is 12 Angry Men (1997), #6 is Inherit the Wind (1960), #5 is Witness for the Prosecution (1957), and #3 to #1 are To Kill a Mockingbird, Judgement at Nuremberg and 12 Angry Men (1957).  Note the 1957 version is #1, while the 1997 production is #13.

Based on the above, I might try to watch, back to back, the two 12 Angry Men, if they're available on Netflix/Prime.  When I do, I'll report on this experience.  And, by the way, the two court films I saw that led to this posting were:

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  The Trial (2010), which got a Rotten Tomatoes audience rating of 29.
• I watched it because of an embarrassing mix-up.
• Before seeing the film on Prime, I went to Rotten Tomatoes, and saw a score of 100 for The Trial.  I didn't bother to read the details.  Big mistake.

• 
  Turns out that Netflix also has The Trial (O Processo in Italian, 2018), which is the one that scored a 100.  This is an Italian series with 8 episodes, each 50 minutes long.
• So after watching Prime's The Trial, not knowing of this blunder, I thought actually thought that this 29-rated film was sort of okay, but still hardly worth 100.  This was only because I was influenced by what I thought was supposed to be a 100 movie and, in my mind, thus, rated it much higher than I should have.

• 

  So that same night, as we saw one court case, noticed that there was another trial flick on Netflix,  Incident in a Small Town, with Walter Matthau and Harry Morgan.  Click on that and you can see the whole film, indicating how bad it must be.  This was error #2 that night.  Old, but why not because we know those actors.  Again, it was almost okay, but hardly worth my while.  Well, AFTER seeing it, I checked, and RT audiences only gave it a 43. 
  
• Incidentally, I later checked, and the two versions of 12 Angry Men were summarized by Google AI Overview:

The 1957 and 1997 versions share a similar core story, but differ in several key aspects, including cast diversity, character portrayals, and production choices. The 1997 version, filmed in color, features a more diverse cast and pushes for greater audience sympathy with the defendant. 

• The good result of two bad films is that I got inspired to write this blog today.

Want to see some trial highlights?

• View a video on the top courtroom dramas of all-time.  
• 12 must-watch modern courtroom movies.
• Trump on trial:  Day 20 highlights.
• Donald Trump found guilty on all counts.

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