Courtroom Dramas on Netflix
Last updated September 29, 2023
Bleak House
2005 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsAn orphaned girl finds a happy home with a wealthy man and his wards, never suspecting the truth about her origins -- or knowing her fate. But as the plot thickens, a suspenseful yarn of legal justice unfolds in this drama miniseries.
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American Violet
2008 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsInspired by true events, this penetrating drama centers on Dee Roberts (Nicole Beharie), a 24-year-old mother of four who's forced to take on a corrupt district attorney (Michael O'Keefe) when she's unjustly prosecuted in a large-scale drug case. Directed by Tim Disney, the inspiring tale also stars Alfre Woodard as Dee's mother, Alma, Tim Blake Nelson as ACLU attorney David Cohen and Will Patton as retired narcotics officer Sam Conroy.
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Bleak House
2005 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThe wealthy and kind John Jarndyce (Denis Lawson) takes orphaned Esther Summerson (Anna Maxwell Martin) into his household, where she befriends two of his wards, Richard (Patrick Kennedy) and Ada (Carey Mulligan). Meanwhile, Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson) guards a secret about Esther's origins -- and her fate. Charles Dickens's suspenseful yarn of legal justice comes to life in this BBC miniseries penned by period-piece writer Andrew Davies.
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In the Name of the Father
1993 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsNominated for seven Oscars in 1993, this biopic features the dramatic prowess of Daniel Day-Lewis as the Irishman Gerry Conlon, who was wrongfully sentenced to life in prison for an IRA terrorist attack that killed four people. As if a forced confession weren't enough injustice, the police work to implicate Conlon's father (Pete Postlethwaite) in the same crime. Emma Thompson plays the lawyer who worked for years to uncover the truth.
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The Rainmaker
1997 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsWhen young attorney Rudy Baylor goes to work for a seedy ambulance chaser, he wants to help the parents of a terminally ill boy sue their insurance company. But to take on corporate America, Rudy and a scrappy paralegal must open their own law firm.
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A Stoning in Fulham County
1988 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsBased on a true story, this thought-provoking drama profiles two fathers: an Amish man whose young child is killed by reckless teens, and the prosecutor who tries to bring the youths to justice despite the condemnation he faces from the community.
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Unspeakable Acts
1990 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsThe married couple Laurie and Joseph Braga are doctors specialized in interviewing sexual abused children. With a lot of energy they track down a pedophile who has abused many toddlers.
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Joy Road
2004 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsWhen he agrees to defend his sister's shady boyfriend against a murder charge, ambitious urban lawyer Tony Smalls finds himself sucked back into life in the 'hood -- and squaring off against a criminal justice system stacked against his client.
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Morning Glory
1993 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsWhen recently widowed Elly Dinsmore hires ex-con Will Parker to help out on her farm, the situation proves healing for both. But just as they're settling into a new rhythm of life, Will falls under suspicion for murder.
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Breaker Morant: Masterworks Edition
1980 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsThree Australian soldiers find themselves court-martialed for murder in 1901, at the end of South Africa's bloody Boer War. With just one day to prepare a defense, attorney Maj. J.F. Thomas must prove they acted under orders.
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Family Sins
2004 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsOutwardly, suburban foster parent Brenda Geck is a pillar of her New Hampshire community. But her family's cheerful veneer masks a shocking reality that includes arson, theft, insurance fraud, rape and slavery in this unsettling made-for-TV drama.
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Mistaken Identity
1999 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsIn this made-for-TV drama based on a true story, new mothers Sarah Barlow (Melissa Gilbert) and Linda Wells (Rosanna Arquette) are faced with an unimaginable crisis when they learn that their infant sons were switched at birth. The events that follow their discovery end up having a profound effect on their respective families and friends, turning into a conflict that ultimately ends up in the courtroom.
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Cry, the Beloved Country
1995 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsShot in the aftermath of Nelson Mandela's election, this film adaptation of South African author Alan Paton's novel tells the story of two men -- one black, one white -- who must cope with family tragedy in the apartheid era. Rural minister Stephen Kumalo (James Earl Jones) travels to Johannesburg in search of his troubled son, while white landowner James Jarvis (Richard Harris) comes to the city to attend to his activist son's murder.
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An American Crime
2007 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsBased on an appalling true story, this drama follows the grim fate of Sylvia Likens, a teenager who is left to live with Gertrude Baniszewski, a mentally unbalanced Indiana housewife who imprisons and tortures the girl in the basement.
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Puncture
2011 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsDrug-addicted attorney Mike and his business partner Paul take on a case involving an emergency room nurse who has been pricked by an infected needle. Uncovering a web of corporate conspiracies, Mike and Paul quickly find themselves outmatched.
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The Accused
1988 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsJodie Foster won an Oscar for her portrayal of Sarah Tobias in this fact-based drama. After being raped by three men in a local bar, Sarah, enraged at the light sentence her attackers receive, persuades attorney Kathryn Murphy (Kelly McGillis) to press charges against the men who cheered on the attack. But it won't be easy: Sarah has a shady past that could be used against her in court.
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Gang Related
1997 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsNot averse to stepping over the line, New York cops Divinci (James Belushi) and Rodriguez (Tupac Shakur) do what it takes to clean the hood of drug dealers. But when they accidentally kill an undercover DEA agent, they try to cover it up by framing a homeless man. The two soon find themselves drawn into even deeper deception, however, when they're tasked with solving the murder. Dennis Quaid and Lela Rochon co-star in this tense drama.
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The Baader Meinhof Complex
2008 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsA radical terrorist group known as the Red Army Faction uses extreme violence to combat what they perceive as a new fascist threat in 1970s Germany. The group's savagery belies its revolutionary postwar intentions in this fast-paced fact-based drama.
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The Conspirator
2010 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsRobert Redford directs this gripping historical drama that follows the efforts of young lawyer Frederick Aiken as he reluctantly defends Mary Surratt, a Confederate sympathizer accused of conspiring to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln.
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Justice
2004 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsPublic defender Carter (Roger Smith) has had all he can take dealing with a corrupt judicial system. Over the objections of his wife, Sharice (Monica Calhoun), he quits his job, opens an inner-city law office and organizes a group of activists out to change the system. In a moment of truth, Sharice must decide whether she'll stay with her husband and fight the good fight or move to the suburbs with their two young children.
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Bleak House
1985 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsThis production of Charles Dickens's classic is set at the Court of Chancery, where the Jarndyce v. Jarndyce case has dragged on for years. As new evidence is brought to light, a long line of innocent victims are ground down by the legal process.
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Bleak House
1985 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsAs an inheritance battle over the Bleak House estate languishes in the high court, the lives of those involved gradually fall apart in this faithful adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel based on his experiences covering the Chancery legal system.
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Fatal Memories
1992 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsA married mother of two, Eileen (Shelley Long) suddenly begins recalling repressed childhood memories of her father (Duncan Fraser) abusing her and killing her friend. But as she attempts to bring her estranged dad to justice, she encounters resistance from her brother and others. Based on a true story, this intense drama co-stars David McIlwraith as Eileen's husband and Helen Shaver as the district attorney handling the case.
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The Sicilian Girl
2009 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsIn this taut drama based on a true story, 17-year-old Rita (Veronica D'Agostino) is leading a privileged life when her father and brother are slain by rival Mafiosi. Bent on revenge, she turns to a sympathetic magistrate (Gérard Jugnot) and breaks the code of silence. In her journey from self-centered teenager to fearless advocate for justice, Rita enrages Sicily's most powerful men, putting her life in jeopardy.
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No One Killed Jessica
2011 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsThis political thriller tells the true story of model Jessica Lall -- who was shot dead while tending bar in a New Delhi restaurant -- and the lengthy campaign waged by her sister (Vidya Balan) and a news reporter (Rani Mukherjee) to deliver Jessica's killer to justice. Although a trial is conducted and dozens of witnesses testify, the suspected gunman is acquitted, but media outcry and petitions to the president lead to a reopening of the case.
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