The Best Legal Movie Lines
Adam Freedman ·
February 26, 2012 at 3:28pm
In honor of Oscar Night, the editors of Bloomberg Law have posted a selection of the top 10 lines from law-related movies. What do you think?
I think it's pretty good, but they completely overlooked my all-time favorite Witness for the Prosecution, the 1957 Billy Wilder movie with Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power, and Marlene Dietrich. It's full of great lines, but I'm especially fond of the moment when Charles Laughton (playing the defense barrister) destroys Dietrich on cross-examination with this: "The question is whether you were lying then or are you lying now... or whether in fact you are a chronic and habitual LIAR!"
What's your favorite legal movie line?
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Comments:
Sep '10
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
Easy, Anatomy of a Murder
Claude Dancer (Atty. General)
Mary Pilant (Witness for the Defense)
Barney Quill (the deceased)
Dancer –“Were you Barney Quill’s mistress, Miss Pilant?”
Mary – “No, no, I was not!”
Dancer – “Do you know that it’s common knowledge that you were living with Quill?”
Mary – “That’s not true, Barney Quill was—“
Dancer- “Was what, Miss Pilant?” ---- “Barney Quill was what, Miss Pilant?!!”
Mary – “He was my father.”
In four words, the prosecution’s case is destroyed.
You can see George C. Scott almost throw up --- what a great actor!!!
Aug '10
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
Not a movie, but there was a great scene from Clerks: The Animated Series where one of the characters puts George Lucas on the stand to answer for The Phantom Menace. He then puts Steven Spielberg on the stand to answer for Hook. Ditto Joel Schumacher for Batman & Robin. Then Spike Lee and Woody Allen.
The takeaway line from the scene, "I want my eight bucks back."
Dec '10
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
Adam,
I'm not sure that I could accurately transcribe this movie legal line. Just click the link and watch the clip, Animal Crackers.
Mar '11
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
Dang it, E.J, you beat me to it! So, I'll go to my second favorite, also by Spencer Tracy in Inherit the Wind:
"This man wishes to be accorded the same privilege as a sponge! He wishes to think!!"
Nov '11
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
One of my earliest memories is watching Witness for the Prosecution, what a terrific movie. And Lee Remick in Anatomy of a Murder has got to be one of the all-time sultriest performances (right up there with Gloria Grahame in, well, anything).
A Man for All Seasons is one of my favorites. I loved movies like that, or Becket, or On the Waterfront, with a man standing up for what's right and for God in a secular, sinful world. Now the only 'hero of conscience' movies they would ever make would be about environmentalist whistleblowers at 'evil corporations' or whatever, sigh.
And that one soundless scene in The Verdict, when Paul Newman finds out about the betrayal as he walks down the street in a far shot, gets me every time.
Mar '11
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
James Gawron: Adam,
I'm not sure that I could accurately transcribe this movie legal line. Just click the link and watch the clip, Animal Crackers. · 19 minutes ago
Ah, you no canna fool me, I know there ain't no such thing as a sanity clause.
Jul '11
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
"Caesar had his Brutus; Charles the First his Cromwell; and George the Third ....may he profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it!"
Dec '10
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
Illiniguy
James Gawron: Adam,
I'm not sure that I could accurately transcribe this movie legal line. Just click the link and watch the clip, Animal Crackers. · 19 minutes ago
Ah, you no canna fool me, I know there ain't no such thing as a sanity clause. · 3 minutes ago
Illi,
My psychiatrists are Jungadunga, Jungadunga, Jungadunga, and Freud. I think I left out a Jungadunga. I hope his feelings aren't hurt.
Regards,
Jim
May '11
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
katievs,
I always loved the following exchange from A Man For All Seasons. It sums up a conservative ethos on the rule of law nicely:
William Roper: So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!
Thomas More: Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
Roper: Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!
More: Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
May '10
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
May '10
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
bagodonuts: katievs,
I always loved the following exchange fromA Man For All Seasons. It sums up a conservative ethos on the rule of law nicely:
William Roper:So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!
Thomas More:Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?
Roper:Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!
More:Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!
Me too!
Also love where he says to the Duke of Norfok, "And when you go to heaven for following your conscience and I go to hell for not following mine, will come with me? For fellowship?"
Edited on February 26, 2012 at 8:54pmNov '11
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
From an early episode of La Law:"if stupidity was a crime, you'd be doing life."
Dec '11
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
It's hard to choose. But I have always been fond of this one:
Judge Randolph: And the witness will address this court as Judge or Your Honor. I'm quite certain I've earned it. Take your seat, Colonel.
A Few Good Men
Jun '11
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
Liar Liar
Greta: Mr. Reede, several years ago a friend of mine had a burglar on her roof, a burglar. He fell through the kitchen skylight, landed on a cutting board, on a butcher's knife, cutting his leg. The burglar sued my friend, he sued my friend. And because of guys like you *he won*. My friend had to pay the burglar $6,000. Is that justice?
Fletcher: No!
[Greta looks pleased, but then Fletcher continues]
Fletcher: I'd have got him ten.
[Greta stalks off, appalled]
Aug '10
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
Adam Freedman:
What's your favorite legal movie line?
The first thing that popped into my head when I read this question was, "What's your favorite illegal movie line?"
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
Sep '10
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
The best line in a tv law series was The Big Bang episode of Law and Order:
Ben Stone: "He's not your typical murderer."
Adam Schiff: "He killed a guy, didn't he?"
Feb '11
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
But Marlene Dietrich's best scene/line in Witness for the Prosecution is "Wanna kiss me, ducky?"
Anatomy of a Murder is a great courtroom movie as well, as others have rightly pointed out.
And then you could tangent off into Marlene Dietrich-Jimmy Stewart movies.
And there's always Omar's lines from The Wire where he's testifying against Bird and says to Bird's lawyer reminding the jury that Omar robs drug dealers. "I got the shotgun. You got the briefcase. But it's all in the game, right?"
Oct '10
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
"Oh, sweetheart, you don't need law school. Law school is for people who are boring and ugly and serious. And you, button, are none of those things."
Apr '11
Re: The Best Legal Movie Lines
Just a footnote to a great discussion, but I believe Laughton played the judge, not the defense lawyer. Remember his reflecting the light from his monocle into Dietrich's face?
Oops, spoke too soon. IMDB says Adam was correct, he played a "barrister."
Edited on February 27, 2012 at 12:53am