Reel Justice: The Courtroom Goes to the Movies

Please take note: The book has been updated in 2006 so the new edition includes significantly more movie analysis than the earlier copies. After giving a quick synopsis of "courtroom movies" of all kinds...including comedy...these two law professors discuss the legal issues raised by the films. For example: Did the lawyers use a correct basis for an appeal, what are the standards for expert witnesses, was the cross-examination proper, did the judge make legal error in failing to grant a motion to disqualify the jurors, did a lawyer make unethical statements in his closing argument, etc. Simply a terrific review of legal procedure for those who love the movies.

Narayan of Rebeccasreads highly recommends REEL JUSTICE as a great companion for the courtroom movie buff. "Every third Hollywood movie is bound to be a courtroom drama/ legal thriller." Not 100% true -- every third movie every produced is bound to be one. The fascination with law, lawyers & courtrooms is not restricted to Hollywood -- it also holds true for Bollywood (Hindi movies) & Mollywood -- the Malayalam movie industry over here in Kerala, India -- where I'm from. But how real are the concepts of law, courtroom & lawyers presented in movies? Through a finely selected collection of movies -- law professors & exponents in law & popular culture -- authors Paul Bergman & Michael Asimow explain where fact ends & fiction begins in some of the all-time classic movies from around the world. Though I've seen many of the courtroom classics discussed in REEL JUSTICE, I'm off to pick up CDs of those I'd never heard of.

I've read the new and older edition. Both are great, though the newer edition is even more fun and informative. There's a new feature, 'Picturing Justice' that provides an analysis of how cinema art -- the direction, imagery and screenwriting -- can add an extra dimension to judicial themes. This is a welcom edition for any cinema or legal library. And it's pretty witty, as well.

Courtrooms are the scenes of many of our greatest dramas, both on film and in real life. So it's no surprise that a book reviewing the legal and dramatic merits of dozens of law-related movies is a great read. You learn a lot about the law through the authors' explanations of what famous trial scenes in the movies were based in actual law or not. And you get lots of insights into the making of many excellent movies.Not only did I enjoy this book enormously, I've also used it as a guide for what movies to rent.

This is a generally well written and informative book that does well what it sets out to do. The legal analyses are nothing if not jurisprudentially educational, and indeed, for any movie listed within, these synopses will probably provide you with a much more thourough and insightful critique than you would get with Siskel, Ebert et.al. A particularly good gift for any lawyer who loves the cinema.