If "The People v. O.J. Simpson" has you itching to spend more time in the courtroom, consider these cases:
"Compulsion" (1959): The case against coldblooded murderers Leopold and Loeb has inspired several films, but none stuck closer to the facts than this telling in which Orson Welles faces off against E.G. Marshall.
"Helter Skelter" (1975): Network miniseries were all the rage during the release of this spellbinder about the case against Beatles fanatic Charles Manson.
"Roe vs. Wade" (1989): Holly Hunter collected an Emmy before securing her Oscar, playing the Texas mother who hires a novice attorney to defend her right to have an abortion.
"Inherit the Wind" (1999): Of all the dramatizations of the landmark evolution, this TV version stands out, if only because Jack Lemmon's portrayal of the Clarence Darrow-inspired attorney would be one of his last.
"John Adams" (2008): The HBO miniseries gets a little long-winded, but catch the first episode in which Paul Giamatti's future prez sticks to his guns to defend British soldiers.
"Phil Spector" (2013): Leave it to writer/director David Mamet to lend a sympathetic ear to the music producer (Al Pacino) as he faces murder charges. Jeffrey Tambor and Helen Mirren play members of Spector's own "dream team."
Neal Justin
