Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "public-defender"
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1. Better Call Saul (2015–2022)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama
The trials and tribulations of criminal lawyer Jimmy McGill in the years leading up to his fateful run-in with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.
Stars: Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks, Patrick Fabian
Votes: 651,455
2. Night Court (1984–1992)
TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy
An eccentric fun-loving judge presides over an urban night court and all the silliness going on there.
Stars: Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, Richard Moll, Charles Robinson
Votes: 17,934
3. Cape Fear (1991)
R | 128 min | Crime, Thriller
A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a fourteen-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis
Votes: 217,349 | Gross: $79.10M
4. Hill Street Blues (1981–1987)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The lives and work of the staff of an inner city police precinct.
Stars: Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Warren, Bruce Weitz, James Sikking
Votes: 10,605
5. Fracture (2007)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After shooting his wife, Ted confesses his crime and asks the court to move his case to trial. He represents himself against Willy, a successful lawyer. But there's more to the case than meets the eye.
Director: Gregory Hoblit | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike
Votes: 219,374 | Gross: $39.02M
6. Devil's Knot (2013)
Not Rated | 114 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The savage murders of three young children sparks a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a Satanic ritual.
Director: Atom Egoyan | Stars: Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Alessandro Nivola, James Hamrick
Votes: 23,902
7. Freedom Writers (2007)
PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves and pursue education beyond high school.
Director: Richard LaGravenese | Stars: Hilary Swank, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn
Votes: 85,528 | Gross: $36.61M
8. Conviction (II) (2010)
R | 107 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders.
Director: Tony Goldwyn | Stars: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Melissa Leo, Thomas D. Mahard
Votes: 46,098 | Gross: $6.78M
9. 55 Steps (2017)
PG-13 | 115 min | Biography, Drama
When patients' rights lawyer Colette Hughes goes to meet her new client, Eleanor Riese, a patient in the psychiatric unit of a San Francisco hospital, she has no idea that besides taking on... See full summary »
Director: Bille August | Stars: Hilary Swank, Helena Bonham Carter, Johan Heldenbergh, Cynthia Hoppenfeld
Votes: 3,673
10. Suspect (1987)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When a homeless man is accused of murdering a Justice Department file clerk, a public defender is tasked with mounting his legal defense.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Cher, Dennis Quaid, Liam Neeson, John Mahoney
Votes: 11,742 | Gross: $18.78M
11. The Collini Case (2019)
Not Rated | 123 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young lawyer stumbles upon a vast conspiracy while investigating a brutal murder case.
Director: Marco Kreuzpaintner | Stars: Elyas M'Barek, Alexandra Maria Lara, Heiner Lauterbach, Manfred Zapatka
Votes: 13,090
12. Hero (I) (1992)
PG-13 | 119 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A not-so-nice man rescues passengers from a crashed airliner, only to see someone else take credit.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Geena Davis, Andy Garcia, Joan Cusack
Votes: 23,851 | Gross: $19.51M
13. A Fall from Grace (2020)
TV-MA | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Disheartened since her ex-husband's affair, Grace Waters feels restored by a new romance. But when secrets erode her short-lived joy, Grace's vulnerable side turns violent.
Director: Tyler Perry | Stars: Crystal Fox, Phylicia Rashad, Bresha Webb, Mehcad Brooks
Votes: 17,123
14. Naked Singularity (2021)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
An idealistic young New York City public defender burned out by the system, on the brink of disbarment, and seeing signs of the universe collapsing all around him decides to rob a multi-million drug deal of one of his clients.
Director: Chase Palmer | Stars: John Boyega, Olivia Cooke, Bill Skarsgård, Ed Skrein
Votes: 2,966
15. Nuts (1987)
R | 116 min | Drama, Thriller
A high-class call girl accused of murder fights for the right to stand trial rather than be declared mentally incompetent.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Barbra Streisand, Richard Dreyfuss, Maureen Stapleton, Karl Malden
Votes: 7,610 | Gross: $30.95M
16. The Trial (2010)
PG-13 | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
After the horrific death of his wife and two sons, suicide seems to be the only escape for a small town attorney, until he's assigned a capital punishment case that begins to transform his life.
Director: Gary Wheeler | Stars: Larry Bagby, Matthew Modine, Clare Carey, Robert Forster
Votes: 1,693 | Gross: $0.02M
17. The Quarry (2020)
R | 98 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A drifter (Shea Whigham) kills a traveling preacher and takes his place at a small-town church, but the police chief (Michael Shannon) suspects foul play.
Director: Scott Teems | Stars: Shea Whigham, Michael Shannon, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Bobby Soto
Votes: 3,644 | Gross: $0.00M
18. .45 (2006)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A woman hatches a plan for revenge after seeking independence from her drug-dealing boyfriend.
Director: Gary Lennon | Stars: Milla Jovovich, Angus Macfadyen, Stephen Dorff, Aisha Tyler
Votes: 8,897
19. Sierra (1950)
Approved | 83 min | Western
A tomboy frontier lawyer finds an outlaw and his son hiding out from a false murder charge.
Director: Alfred E. Green | Stars: Audie Murphy, Wanda Hendrix, Burl Ives, Dean Jagger
Votes: 1,086
20. Cattle Call (2006)
R | 83 min | Comedy
A guy starts a fake casting agency in hopes that he will meet his soul mate.
Director: Martin Guigui | Stars: Thomas Ian Nicholas, Jenny Mollen, Nicole Eggert, Diedrich Bader
Votes: 1,313
21. A Kid Like Jake (2018)
R | 92 min | Drama
The loving parents of a four-year-old must come to terms with the fact that their child is gay.
Director: Silas Howard | Stars: Claire Danes, Jim Parsons, Octavia Spencer, Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Votes: 3,897 | Gross: $0.04M
22. Raising the Bar (2008–2009)
Drama
Former law-school classmates reunite in court when they take on rival clients.
Stars: Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben, Currie Graham, Melissa Sagemiller
Votes: 1,892
23. 13 Conversations About One Thing (2001)
R | 104 min | Drama
In New York City, the lives of a lawyer, an actuary, a house-cleaner, a professor and the people around them intersect as they ponder order and happiness in the face of life's cold unpredictability.
Director: Jill Sprecher | Stars: Alan Arkin, John Turturro, Matthew McConaughey, David Connolly
Votes: 11,508 | Gross: $3.29M
24. Physical Evidence (1989)
R | 99 min | Crime, Mystery, Romance
A police officer suspended and now accused of murder is forced to join forces with his court-appointed attorney to assemble the pieces of a deadly puzzle to find the missing link before time runs out.
Director: Michael Crichton | Stars: Burt Reynolds, Theresa Russell, Ned Beatty, Kay Lenz
Votes: 2,095 | Gross: $3.56M
25. You Only Live Once (1937)
Passed | 86 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
The public defender's secretary and an ex-convict get married and try to make a life together, but a series of disasters sends their lives spiraling out of control.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Sylvia Sidney, Henry Fonda, Barton MacLane, Jean Dixon
Votes: 7,667
26. The Hammer (2007)
R | 88 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
A 40-year-old who gave up a promising amateur boxing career 21 years ago is offered a path to the Olympics.
Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld | Stars: Adam Carolla, Oswaldo Castillo, Heather Juergensen, Harold House Moore
Votes: 6,284 | Gross: $0.44M
27. Ordinary World (I) (2016)
Not Rated | 86 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
An aging punk rocker copes with life after rock.
Director: Lee Kirk | Stars: Billie Joe Armstrong, Fred Armisen, Judy Greer, Selma Blair
Votes: 3,323
28. Family of Cops (1995 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 90 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A police detective's oversexed daughter is charged with murder when someone kills the wealthy married man she slept with.
Director: Ted Kotcheff | Stars: Charles Bronson, Angela Featherstone, Sebastian Spence, Kate Trotter
Votes: 1,122
29. Low Down (2014)
R | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A look at the life of pianist Joe Albany from the perspective of his young daughter, as she watches him contend with his drug addiction during the 1970s jazz scene.
Director: Jeff Preiss | Stars: John Hawkes, Elle Fanning, Glenn Close, Peter Dinklage
Votes: 2,219 | Gross: $0.04M
30. Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001)
Not Rated | 111 min | Documentary, Crime
Oscar-winning documentary that documents a murder trial in which a 15-year-old African-American is wrongfully accused of a 2000 murder in Jacksonville, Florida.
Director: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade | Stars: Ann Finnell, Patrick McGuinness, James Williams, Michael Glover
Votes: 4,522
31. The Monster and the Girl (1941)
Passed | 65 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
After a young woman is coerced into prostitution and her brother framed for murder by an organized crime syndicate, retribution in the form of an ape visits the mobsters.
Director: Stuart Heisler | Stars: Ellen Drew, Robert Paige, Paul Lukas, Joseph Calleia
Votes: 763
32. Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story (1995 TV Movie)
91 min | Biography, Drama
The true story of a decorated officer's legal challenge to her involuntary discharge when she admitted she was homosexual.
Director: Jeff Bleckner | Stars: Glenn Close, Judy Davis, Jan Rubes, Wendy Makkena
Votes: 1,195
33. The Locket (2002 TV Movie)
PG | 100 min | Drama
A young man taking care of his dying mother is distraught and grief-stricken when she finally passes away. On the advice of his doctor, he takes a job in an upscale nursing home, and is ... See full summary »
Director: Karen Arthur | Stars: Vanessa Redgrave, Chad Willett, Marguerite Moreau, Lori Heuring
Votes: 691
34. Custody (I) (2016)
TV-14 | 104 min | Drama
The lives of three women are unexpectedly changed when they cross paths at a New York Family Court.
Director: James Lapine | Stars: Viola Davis, Hayden Panettiere, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Tony Shalhoub
Votes: 1,252
35. Delvecchio (1976–1977)
60 min | Drama, Crime
The investigations of LAPD detective Dominick Delvecchio, who is also studying to become a lawyer.
Stars: Judd Hirsch, Charles Haid, Michael Conrad, Mario Gallo
Votes: 172
36. A Mother's Testimony (2001 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 92 min | Drama
An ex-convict's mother's worst suspicions about her son are confirmed when he is implicated in a murder
Director: Julian Chojnacki | Stars: Kate Jackson, Chad Allen, Susan Blakely, Keith Szarabajka
Votes: 243
37. The Crickets Dance (2020)
92 min | Crime, Drama, History
Southern attorney Angie Lawrence searches of the rightful owner of a journal recovered from an antebellum home she inherited. The journal is full of mystery and history that just may lead her to the future she has always dreamed of.
Director: Veronica Robledo | Stars: Kristen Renton, William Mark McCullough, Bill Oberst Jr., Sandra Ellis Lafferty
Votes: 346
38. Public Defender (1954–1955)
30 min | Crime, Drama
Bart Matthews defends the poor and others who cannot afford an attorney. All episodes are based on actual cases from across the country.
Stars: Reed Hadley, John Close, Herschel Graham, Brick Sullivan
Votes: 113
39. Salem Falls (2011 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 89 min | Crime, Drama
A man with a troubled past tries to settle down in a small town, finds love and then ends up being the target of a witch hunt.
Director: Bradley Walsh | Stars: James Van Der Beek, Sarah Carter, AJ Michalka, Rick Roberts
Votes: 747
40. Sweet Revenge (1976)
PG | 90 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A teenage car thief's obsessive quest to own an expensive sports car keeps her lawyer and the police working overtime.
Director: Jerry Schatzberg | Stars: Stockard Channing, Sam Waterston, Franklyn Ajaye, Richard Daughty
Votes: 367
41. Ultimate Desires (1991)
R | 93 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Samantha Stewart is a successful public defender whose life gets turned upside-down one night when a prostitute named Vicki gets thrown out of a limo at Samantha's feet. Vicki slips a ... See full summary »
Director: Lloyd A. Simandl | Stars: Tracy Scoggins, Marc Singer, Brion James, Marc Baur
Votes: 143
42. Dark Alibi (1946)
Approved | 61 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A public defender enlists Charlie to exonerate one of his clients, an ex-con falsely accused of bank robbery and murder, scheduled for execution in nine days.
Director: Phil Karlson | Stars: Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Ben Carter, Benson Fong
Votes: 1,454
43. The Rose Garden (1989)
PG-13 | 112 min | Drama
In Germany, an old man attacks another old man and is arrested. The attacker refuses to speak. A female lawyer is appointed to him. She discovers that the attacker has numbers tattooed on his arm and the attacked man was a German officer.
Director: Fons Rademakers | Stars: Liv Ullmann, Maximilian Schell, Peter Fonda, Jan Niklas
Votes: 465
44. The Pact (2018)
R | 106 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
When Monica finds out her daughter is about to die she takes extreme measures to save her.
Director: David Victori | Stars: Belén Rueda, Darío Grandinetti, Mireia Oriol, Antonio Durán 'Morris'
Votes: 1,280 | Gross: $0.00M
45. Hunt the Man Down (1950)
Passed | 69 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Mystery
The suspect in a 12-year-old murder case is finally caught and tried, but the witnesses are a bit hard to track down...
Director: George Archainbaud | Stars: Gig Young, Lynne Roberts, Mary Anderson, Willard Parker
Votes: 1,052
46. Gideon's Army (2013)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary
Follows three young, committed Public Defenders who are dedicated to working for the people society would rather forget. Long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads are so common that even the most committed often give up.
Director: Dawn Porter
Votes: 837
47. Mr. District Attorney (1941)
Passed | 69 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Rookie Deputy DA P. Cadwallader Jones and hotshot reporter Terry Parker team up to track down an elusive criminal named Hyde.
Director: William Morgan | Stars: Dennis O'Keefe, Florence Rice, Peter Lorre, Stanley Ridges
Votes: 219
48. I Just Didn't Do It (2006)
143 min | Drama
A young man is falsely accused of molesting a high-school girl on a train. He is arrested and charged, and goes through endless court sessions, all the while insisting that he is innocent.
Director: Masayuki Suô | Stars: Ryô Kase, Asaka Seto, Kôji Yamamoto, Masako Motai
Votes: 1,908
49. The Governor's Wife (2008 TV Movie)
R | 95 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Ann Danville steps up her manipulation as she tries to retain control over her son Nathan and the Danville estate.
Director: David Burton Morris | Stars: Marilu Henner, Emily Bergl, Matt Keeslar, Scout Taylor-Compton
Votes: 410
50. The Big Hangover (1950)
Approved | 82 min | Comedy
A law school graduate is hired by a top law firm, but hides from them a secret about a problem he has. He is so allergic to alcohol that one whiff of it and he passes out like a light.
Director: Norman Krasna | Stars: Van Johnson, Elizabeth Taylor, Percy Waram, Fay Holden
Votes: 579