Now and then a movie comes along that makes you stop and think, changing the way you see things or giving you food for thought. These movies are often based on a true story or real events and can bring to light particular issues for an audience.
It may be that the audience has never been exposed to the facts about a situation or had to face a specific issue themselves personally. However, it could be that they have personal experience of an event and realize after seeing a movie that they wish to speak to a wrongful death lawyer, for example.
A Time to Kill
Based on the debut novel of John Grisham, A Time to Kill is a depiction of the issues of racism and injustice.
The plot focuses on a white lawyer, played by Matthew McConaughey, who represents a client played by Samuel L. Jackson. The father of a girl who was brutally raped and murdered, he watches her killers go free and so takes his revenge by killing them in the courtroom.
McConaughey’s character is then faced with the challenge of fighting the death penalty and challenging the jury on their different standpoint if the accused’s daughter was white. It confronts unconscious biases in how the jury treats the case in the instance of a white victim versus a black victim.
The Green Mile
Regarded by many as a modern classic of our time, The Green Mile is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, set in the Great Depression.
Tom Hanks plays the prison guard, Paul Edgecomb who discovers that one of the inmates, John Coffey, a black man with an imposing stature possesses a special gift.
Although he has been convicted of murdering two white girls, he does not have the character of a murderer and Edgecomb soon finds that supernatural events begin to happen after he arrives at the facility.
It challenges views on the death penalty and is an emotional rollercoaster, guaranteed to have the audience shed a tear. At over three hours long, it takes them on a journey where they can fully appreciate the passage of time in the prison.
The Rainmaker
Matt Damon plays the lead role of Rudy Baylor, an attorney battling against the odds as a lawyer just starting who takes on the judges, lawyers, and corrupt insurance company.
Based on the book by John Grisham, The Rainmaker has the audience cheering on the underdog in a battle for justice for an elderly couple against the corrupt corporate giants.
Jon Voight plays Damon’s opponent in the courtroom, a veteran lawyer who possesses charm and tactics from many years of experience in the legal battleground. However, what Damon lacks in experience he makes up for with grit and passion, forcing the courtroom to stand up and listen to his argument on behalf of the couple whose son is dying.
All three movies are great examples of the pursuit of justice through hard work, determination, and the fight for the truth. They will make you look at the legal system and understand its inner workings along with how a lawyer will use knowledge, tenacity, and passion to push any case forward and strive for justice for its victims.
