Best movies like Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Hard-nosed liberal lawyer Roman J. Israel has been fighting the good fight forever while others take the credit. When his partner – the firm’s frontman – has a heart attack, Israel suddenly takes on that role. He soon discovers some unsettling truths about the firm – truths that conflict with his values of helping the poor and dispossessed – and finds himself in an existential crisis that leads to extreme actions.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 42000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Canada, United Arab Emirates, USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: suspense, inspirational, tense, captivating, suspenseful, serious, dramatic, cult classic, black cinema
Best tv shows and movies like Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017):
Similar in 88%
12 (2007)
Plot Summary:
A loose remake of “12 Angry Men”, “12” is set in contemporary Moscow where 12 very different men must unanimously decide the fate of a young Chechen accused of murdering his step-father, a Russian army officer. Consigned to a makeshift jury room in a school gymnasium, one by one each man takes center stage to confront, connect, and confess while the accused awaits a verdict and revisits his heartbreaking journey through war in flashbacks.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Russia
Duration: 159 min
Plot tags: serious, sincere, realistic, intercultural, suspense, detective, captivating, independent film, extraordinary, inter cultural
Similar in 84%
The Insult (2017)
Plot Summary:
After an emotional exchange between a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian refugee escalates, the men end up in a court case that gets national attention.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France, Cyprus, Belgium, Lebanon, USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: political, tense, psychological, exciting, captivating, suspenseful, inspirational, social, art house, crime thriller
Similar in 86%
Justice (2006)
Plot Summary:
Justice is an American legal drama produced by Jerry Bruckheimer that aired on Fox in the USA and CTV in Canada. The series also aired on Warner Channel in Latin America, Nine Network in Australia, and on TV2 In New Zealand. It first was broadcast on Wednesdays at 9:00 but, due to low ratings, it was rescheduled to Mondays at 9:00, in the hope viewers of the hit series Prison Break would stay tuned. On November 13, 2006, the show was put on hiatus, but two days later the network announced it was shifting it to Fridays at 8:00 to replace the canceled Vanished. Fourteen episodes of the series were ordered, of which 13 episodes were produced. Twelve of the episodes of Justice have aired in the United States with the final episode airing in Mexico, the UK and Germany.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, rough, suspenseful, realistic, captivating
Similar in 79%
The Client (2011)
Plot Summary:
Elite attorney Kang Seong-Hee goes up against a top prosecutor over a case involving a man accused of killing his wife.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, serious, realistic, suspense, detective, twisted
Similar in 76%
Guilty as Sin (1993)
Plot Summary:
Before a criminal lawyer knows what has happened, she is forced to defend a wife killer she knows is guilty.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, erotic, psychological, neo noir, noir, suspense thriller, rough, serious, realistic
Similar in 80%
The Collini Case (2019)
Plot Summary:
A young lawyer stumbles upon a vast conspiracy while investigating a brutal murder case.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller, War
Country: Germany
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: psychological, atmospheric, captivating, surprise ending, enigmatic, bleak, surreal, political, suspense, social
Similar in 85%
The Star Chamber (1983)
Plot Summary:
Disgusted with criminals escaping the judicial system via technicalities, an idealistic young judge investigates an alternative method for punishing the guilty.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: exciting, suspense, intense, serious, suspenseful, retro, neo noir, action thriller, unpredictable, rough
Similar in 83%
Shaurya: It Takes Courage to Make Right... Right (2008)
Plot Summary:
Shaurya, revolves around the lives of two close friends, both lawyers in the Indian army.Maj. Siddhant Chaudhary and Maj. Akash Kapoor.Siddhant is defending and Aakash is prosecuting a soldier,convicted for killing his commanding officer.An unwilling participant at first, Siddhant only begins to take his role as a defence lawyer seriously when he meets a spirited journalist Kavya who makes him rea.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Duration: 149 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, light, inspirational, offbeat
Similar in 81%
Music Box (1989)
Plot Summary:
A lawyer defends her father accused of war crimes, but there is more to the case than she suspects.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, tense, emotional, political, heartbreaking, talky, sincere, realistic, serious, suspense
Similar in 83%
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)
Plot Summary:
Remake of a 1956 Fritz Lang film in which a novelist's investigation of a dirty district attorney leads to a setup within the courtroom.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Saudi Arabia
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: suspense, neo noir, tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, surprise ending, twist ending, detective, mindfuck
Similar in 78%
The Whole Truth (2016)
Plot Summary:
A defense attorney works to get his teenage client acquitted of murdering his wealthy father.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, suspenseful, tense, rough, disturbing, thought provoking, clever, detective, crime drama
Similar in 77%
12 Angry Men (1997)
Plot Summary:
During the trial of a man accused of his father's murder, a lone juror takes a stand against the guilty verdict handed down by the others as a result of their preconceptions and prejudices. The film is adapted by Reginald Rose from his own 1957 film version (directed by Sidney Lumet) and from the Westinghouse One television production that predated it. George C. Scott won a Golden Globe for his supporting role; righteous juror Jack Lemmon was denied such an honor for Best Actor, but recipient Ving Rhames (for Don King) dedicated his award to Lemmon.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: psychological, atmospheric, captivating, clever, talky, tense, inspirational, retro, philosophical, cerebral
Similar in 75%
High Crimes (2002)
Plot Summary:
A female attorney learns that her husband is really a marine officer awol for fifteen years and accused of murdering fifteen civilians in El Salvador. Believing her husband when he tells her that he's being framed as part of a U.S. Military cover-up, the attorney defends him in a military court.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 47000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: clever, suspenseful, suspense, twist ending, serious, surprise ending, tense, realistic, detective, psychological
Similar in 76%
The Chamber (1996)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: emotional, suspense, thought provoking, realistic, rough, serious, suspenseful, talky, anamorphic, contemplative
Similar in 85%
Accused (2014)
Plot Summary:
An assistant prosecutor zealously pursues a conviction in the case of a pediatric nurse accused of murdering her patients, but doubt arises when her evidence shows that the infants may have died of natural causes.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Netherlands, Sweden
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, realistic, serious, captivating
Similar in 79%
Silent Witness (2011)
Plot Summary:
Prominent defense attorney Tony Lord returns to his hometown to defend an old friend, a teacher accused of murdering one of his students. The case re-opens the heartache from Tony's own high school days, when he was a student falsely accused of murdering his first love.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 585
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min
Plot tags: realistic, tense, captivating, psychological, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 76%
The Rainmaker (1997)
Plot Summary:
When Rudy Baylor, a young attorney with no clients, goes to work for a seedy ambulance chaser, he wants to help the parents of a terminally ill boy in their suit against an insurance company. But to take on corporate America, Rudy and a scrappy paralegal must open their own law firm.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 82000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: suspense, exciting, intense, tense, thought provoking, clever, serious, realistic, scary, inspirational
Similar in 83%
Night Falls on Manhattan (1996)
Plot Summary:
A newly elected District attorney finds himself in the middle of a police corruption investigation that may involve his father and his partner.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: suspense, talky, serious, realistic, neo noir, suspense thriller, tense, bleak, suspenseful, detective
Similar in 76%
Class Action (1991)
Plot Summary:
Liberal activist lawyer Jedediah alienated daughter Maggie years ago when she discovered his many affairs. Now a conservative corporate lawyer, Maggie agrees to go up against her father in court. To gain promotion, she must defend an auto manufacturer against charges that their explosion-prone station wagons are unsafe. As her mother begs for peace, Maggie takes on her dad in a trial that turns increasingly personal and nasty.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: suspense, thought provoking, touching, serious, realistic, talky, emotional, clever, contemplative, exciting
Similar in 83%
Trial by Jury (1994)
Plot Summary:
Valerie is a juror in the trail of a mob boss. When her young son's life is threatened, she has no option other than to see that justice isn't done.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, rough, serious, realistic, neo noir, erotic, psychological, romantic, sexy
Similar in 84%
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
Plot Summary:
A lawyer conducts business from the back of his Lincoln town car while representing a high-profile client in Beverly Hills.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 251000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: clever, serious, captivating, suspense, psychological, tense, suspenseful, enigmatic, twisted, entertaining
Similar in 82%
Red Corner (1997)
Plot Summary:
An American attorney on business in China, ends up wrongfully on trial for murder and his only key to innocence is a female defense lawyer from the country.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, suspense, political, intense, psychological, thought provoking, serious, disturbing, rough, talky
Similar in 85%
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Plot Summary:
Two Supreme Court Justices have been assassinated. One lone law student has stumbled upon the truth. An investigative journalist wants her story. Everybody else wants her dead.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 94000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 141 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, suspenseful, political thriller, political, clever, exciting, intense, realistic, serious
Similar in 87%
A Time to Kill (1996)
Plot Summary:
A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 177000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 149 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, sincere, suspense, serious, political, realistic, tense, brutal, intense, emotional
Similar in 84%
...and justice for all. (1979)
Plot Summary:
An ethical Baltimore defense lawyer disgusted with rampant legal corruption is asked to defend a judge he despises in a rape trial. But if he doesn't do it, the judge will have him disbarred.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 38000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: suspense, realistic, disturbing, clever, offbeat, humorous, witty, cynical, captivating, inspirational
Similar in 82%
Runaway Jury (2003)
Plot Summary:
A juror on the inside and a woman on the outside manipulate a court trial involving a major gun manufacturer.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 103000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: clever, suspense, tense, surprise ending, captivating, stylized, political, cynical, detective, twisted
Similar in 80%
Just Mercy (2019)
Plot Summary:
The powerful true story of Harvard-educated lawyer Bryan Stevenson, who goes to Alabama to defend the disenfranchised and wrongly condemned — including Walter McMillian, a man sentenced to death despite evidence proving his innocence. Bryan fights tirelessly for Walter with the system stacked against them.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 74000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, touching, inspirational, enigmatic, motivational, emotional, educational
Similar in 87%
Marshall (2017)
Plot Summary:
Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, battles through one of his career-defining cases.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 26000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, History
Country: USA, China, Hong Kong
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, captivating, exciting, inspirational, retro, touching, political, social, detective
Similar in 90%
Fracture (2007)
Plot Summary:
A husband is on trial for the attempted murder of his wife, in what is seemingly an open/shut case for the ambitious district attorney trying to put him away. However, there are surprises for both around every corner, and, as a suspenseful game of cat-and-mouse is played out, each must manipulate and outwit the other.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 215000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: suspense, psychological, intellectual, twist ending, psychological thriller, clever, serious, enigmatic, suspenseful, surprise ending
Similar in 84%
A Few Good Men (1992)
Plot Summary:
When cocky military lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee and his co-counsel, Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway, are assigned to a murder case, they uncover a hazing ritual that could implicate high-ranking officials such as shady Col. Nathan Jessep.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 282000
Genere: Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, serious, realistic, tricky, clever, suspenseful, feel good, entertaining, sincere