Well, during the last days we've watched some movies from the past - but as I've said: oldies but goldies.
All are based on novels by John Grisham. And each of these movies are really high voltage: so there are:
THE PELICAN BRIEF (1993)
Two Supreme Court Justices have been killed. Now a college professor, who clerked for one of the two men and who is also having an affair with one of his students, is given a brief by her that states who probably wanted to see these two men dead. He then gives it to one of his friends, who works for the FBI. When the FBI director reads it, he is fascinated by it. One of the president's men who read it is afraid that if it ever got out, the president could be smeared. So he advises the president to tell the director to drop it, which he does. But later the professor and the girl were out and he was drunk and when he refused to give her the keys, she stepped out of the car. When he started it, it blew up. She then discovers that her place has been burglarized and what was taken were her computer and her disks. Obviously, her brief has someone agitated. She then turns to her boyfriend's friend at the FBI. He agrees to come meet her but before he does, someone shoots him and takes his place. At the meeting, he was about to kill her when someone shoots him. She then decides to turn to Gray Grantham, an investigative reporter, who was contacted by someone who says he has info on the killings but backed out at the last minute. He then meets her and tells her what her brief is, and basically, the man she suspects is a good friend of the president, and is trying to manipulate the outcome of a trial that is now before the Supreme Court. Grantham tells her that her brief can harm the president and although all they have are theories, he asks her to help him, but she wants to leave the country. Then Grantham's editor tells him that they have nothing, that he should drop cause the man she implicated is extremely powerful. Grantham is about to drop it when she says that she will help him. But can they stay alive? (IMdB)
A TIME TO KILL (1996)
When an innocent little African American girl named Tonya Hailey is raped and beaten by 2 beer-guzzling rednecks, the town of Canton, Mississippi is shocked. Her father, Carl Lee, is outraged, and figuring he could not see those boys be set free, decides to take justice into his own hands and kills them in front of numerous witnesses in the courthouse. Now it's up to Jake Brigance to get him off the hook. He has people that help him, but he is up against tough D.A. Rufus Buckley. Will he be able to prove that a black man can get a fair trial in Mississippi?
THE CLIENT (1994)
Mark Sway is an 11-year-old boy who lives with his mother and brother in a trailer. One day, he and his brother are hanging out when a car pulls over beside them. The driver then sticks a hose in his exhaust and puts the other end into the car. Mark pulls it out. But the man sees him and grabs him and takes inside the car. The man talks to Mark then later shoots himself. The shock sends Mark's brother into a catatonic state. .And one of his clients is a member of a mob family who is suspected of killing a Senator who was trying to take down his family. But because the Senator's body is missing, they can't prosecute him. Roy Foltrigg (
Tommy Lee Jones) thinks the lawyer told Mark where the body is which is why he wants to speak to him. Mark goes to meet Roy and when he threatens him, Mark steps out then Reggie comes in with a recording of his conversation with Mark telling him that made several violations. In the meantime, the mobster is told by the head of the family to take care of Mark. So, he threatens Mark. Mark doesn't know what to do and learns that Reggie has some secrets of her own and is uncertain if he can trust her. (IMdB)
THE CHAMBER (1996)
Having survived the hatred and bigotry that was his Klansman grandfather's only legacy, young attorney Adam Hall seeks at the last minute to appeal the old man's death sentence for the murder of two small Jewish boys 30 years before. Only four weeks before Sam Cayhall is to be executed, Adam meets his grandfather for the first time in the Mississippi prison which has held him since the crime. The meeting is predictably tense when the educated, young Mr. "Hall" confronts his venom-spewing elder, Mr. "Cayhall," about the murders. The next day, headlines run proclaiming Adam the grandson who has come to the state to save his grandfather, the infamous Ku Klux Klan bomber. While the old man's life lies in the balance, Adam's motivation in fighting this battle becomes clear as the story unfolds. Not only does he fight for his grandfather, but perhaps for himself as well. He has come to heal the wounds of his own father's suicide, to mitigate the secret shame he has always felt for the genetic fluke which made this man his grandfather, and to bring closure -- one way or another -- to the suffering the old man seems to have brought to everyone he has ever known. But, would mercy soften his grandfather's heart? (IMdB)
RUNAWAY JURY (2003)
Reviewers say 'Runaway Jury' is a courtroom thriller featuring a strong cast including Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, John Cusack, and Rachel Weisz. Themes of jury tampering, corporate influence, and ethical dilemmas are prominent. Hackman and Weisz receive praise for their performances. However, the film faces criticism for deviating from John Grisham's novel, particularly the change from a tobacco to a gun control lawsuit. Some find the plot convoluted and unrealistic, though it is generally considered entertaining despite its flaws. (IMdB)
THE GINGERBREAD MAN (1998)
Lawyer Rick Magruder has a one-night-stand affair with caterer Mallory Doss. He becomes hooked on her, and when he learns her nut-case father Dixon is threatening her, he puts the weight of his law firm behind Mallory, has Dixon arrested and subpoenas her ex-husband Pete to testify against Dixon in court. Dixon is sent to an asylum, but escapes from there and the lives of many people are in danger. (IMdB)
THE FIRM (1993)
Mitch McDeere is a young man with a promising future in Law. About to sit his Bar exam, he is approached by 'The Firm' and made an offer he doesn't refuse. Seduced by the money and gifts showered on him, he is totally oblivious to the more sinister side of his company. Then, two Associates are murdered. The FBI contact him, asking him for information and suddenly his life is ruined. He has a choice - work with the FBI, or stay with the Firm. Either way he will lose his life as he knows it. Mitch figures the only way out is to follow his own plan... (IMdB)
Every of these films is a high voltage gem. And if you like and love courtroom thrillers here they are --- VERY RECOMMENDED.