| Legal thriller | |
|---|---|
| Cultural origins | United States of America[1] |
| Features | Courtroom,[2] equality,[3]justice,[3]lawyers[3]legal language,[4] social justice experience[5] |
| Popularity | Britain, Australia, United States of America, Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain[1] |
| Formats | Books, television and films |
| Authors | Brian Stevenson,Harper Lee,Ernest J. Gaines,John Berendt,Scott Turow,John Grisham,Michael Connelly,Paul LevineJilliane Hoffman,Mark Gimenez,Linda Fairstein,Marcia Clark,James Grippando,Vish Dhamija,Nathaniel Sizemore |
| Subgenres | |
| Crime,thriller,mystery | |
| Related genres | |
| Suspense,horror | |
| Related topics | |
| Legal drama,social justice,films,novels,television | |
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Thelegal thrillergenre is a type ofcrime fiction genre that focuses on the proceedings of theinvestigation, with particular reference to the impacts oncourtroom proceedings and the lives of characters.[2]
The genre came about in the 16th century with the publication of short stories and novels based on court cases taking place at the time.[6] Some of the novels were later adapted into early television series and film productions during the 1950s.[7]
Many legal professionals, including Scott Turow inPresumed Innocent and Harper Lee inTo Kill a Mockingbird, constitute the primary authorship of the genre, drawing on their own relevant experiences.[8]
The legal thriller genre's courtroom proceedings and legal authorship are ubiquitous characteristics.[9] The genre features lawyers as legal professionals as the supreme hero. Their actions in the courtroom affect the quality of character's lives, as they determineinnocence prevailing against injustice.[3]
Legal language is also another characteristic of the legal thriller in that it employs real life lawyer terminology, courtroom, and police procedures among characters. The television showsSuits andHow to Get Away with Murder embody the legal thriller, characterized by episodes based on scenarios of legal proceedings similar to actual court scenarios.[10]
Novels, films, and television series such asTo Kill a Mockingbird,How to Get Away with Murder, andMarshall have received nominated for awards such as thePulitzer Prize andNAACP Image Award for their awareness of controversial topics such as racial discrimination, gender inequality, the death penalty.[11] Thelegal thriller genre has expanded to accommodate contemporary social themes while also preserving the general plot and actions of original legal thrillers.
The earliest written version of legal thrillers came in the form of plays and stories printed in the newspaper date back to the mid-1550s. One of the first authors to bring into existence the legal thriller as a genre in the 1850s wasWilkie Collins. Collins learned from another writer who took an interest in the genre known asCharles Dickens. Among the first books Collins produced includedThe Woman in White andThe Moonstone which was among the first novels to display the storyline of a legal thriller by incorporating the testimonies of various characters to show the storyline of a detective investigating a crime, finding a suspect innocent, and generating a storyline of suspense. In the 20th Century, one of the most popular authors in legal fiction came to beMelville Davisson Post. His style of plots were notoriously fast-paced yet easy to follow as seen in his novelCorpus Delicti where he showcases a calm, collected, intelligent lawyer who advises his clients to go to extreme lengths to defend his case.[12]
Between the 1930s-1940s, author and active lawyer,Elre Stanley Gardner, wrote a series of novels that carried out the same proceedings of a legal thrillers as those in previous novels. In 1933, he wroteThe Case of the Velvet Claws starring fictional lawyer,Perry Mason, who embarks on a journey of proving the innocence of clients that has been found guilty only to find that the culprit was one of the witnesses all along.[13]
In 1958, author and former American judge,John D. Voelker wroteAnatomy of a Murder. The novel featured a lawyer named Paul Biegler who is in charge of defending a man accused of murdering someone to protect his wife. It became known for being one of the first most realistic legal thrillers for its thorough investigation and use of evidence to find the truth and defend an unlikable character.[13]
The plot of contemporary legal thrillers takes on similar tropes to that of early legal thriller novels whereby the protagonist (typically a lawyer) is depicted as the hero and the courtroom is established as the setting for the climax.[14]
The bookA Time To Kill was about a white lawyer named Jake Bridge who is defending a black client Carl Lee Hailey after he was charged with capital murder for killing two white men that raped his daughter. After facing several setbacks outside the court with the family of the deceased, on the day of the verdict, the jury decided to extend an equal standard of justice and mercy to Carl after considering what the outcome would have been had he been white.[15] InA Pitch for Justice, veteran prosecutor, Jaime Brooks is asked to investigate the matter of a pitcher accused of murder for his legal throw against a player. The debate between the lawyers in the courtroom established the courtroom as the place where they would study the unwritten rules of baseball.
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Two academically acclaimedlegal thrillers that were made into films includedBryan Stevenson's memoirJust Mercy and the novelTo Kill A Mockingbird byHarper Lee. The bookJust Mercy details the life of a Bryan Stevenson who is set on correcting racial and social injustice through the Equal Justice Initiative.[16] The bookTo Kill a Mockingbird details a murder mystery novel that provides close analysis of court proceedings amidst a dark period of racial discrimination in the legal system.[17]
Major authors and books of this genre include the following:
| Author | Name of Book (year) |
|---|---|
| Bryan Stevenson | Just Mercy (2004) |
| Harper Lee | To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) |
| Scott Turow | Presumed Innocent (1987) |
| John Grisham | The Firm (1991) |
| Michael Connelly | The Lincoln Lawyer (2005) |
| Linda Fairstein | Final Jeopardy (1996)[18] |
| Paul Levine | To Speak for the Dead (1990) |
| Patrick Hoffman | Every Man a Menace (2016)[19] |
| Vish Dhamija | Doosra (2018) |
| Jilliane Hoffman | Retribution (2004) |
| Mark Gimenez | The Color of Law (2005) |
| Marcia Clark | Guilt by Association (2011) |
| James Grippando | The Pardon (1994) |
The earliest legal drama began with the 1955 premiere of the popular American television show,"Perry Mason." This series follows the career of a criminal defense lawyer by the name ofPerry Mason who deals with clients that had been wrongfully accused of murder. While Mason works on his defense of the client who is accused, detectiveArthur Tragg and prosecutor,Hamilton Burger work together to build a case against Mason's client. During trial, Mason conducts his own investigation where he goes on to uncover illegal or morally incorrect behavior of those accusing the client. The show was central in introducing the theme of "moral ambiguity" referring to the moral conflicts that emerge in the plot of legal thrillers.[20]
FollowingPerry Mason's show wasThe Defenders (1961). It showcased a father and son lawyer duo named Lawrence Preston and Kenneth Preston who frequently found themselves taking on controversial cases such asabortion,capital punishment,insanity defense, and more.[21] In the episode, "The Benefactor," they were seen to be defending a doctor arrested by police for performing illegal abortion. The episode ended with doctor being found guilty for performing the abortion but the judge suspended his sentence.[22] When interviewed byThe View Magazine regarding the themes covered by the show, screenwriter,Reginald Rose stated that "We're committed to controversy."[21]
Social justice themes were prevalent within this show and police procedural elements in subsequent shows such asArrest and Trial.[1] The development of these television shows led to the creation of the most famous TV shows of the 1990s,Law & Order. Different categories of legal thriller shows also developed, such as courtroom drama, ensemble shows, and police detective dramas.[1] The characters in these shows displayed ardent personality traits when investigating and dealing with complex legal issues of the justice system.[1]
InHow To Get Away with Murder (2014) the series features a legal professional as the leading teacher and a group of law students who devise tactics to combat various criminal cases and murder mysteries.[23]
Australia, Denmark, and Poland import 62% of law and justice shows from the United States. Legal thriller television is mostly sourced from theAmerican jurisdiction[1]
Australian legal thriller shows developed in the 1980s and 1990s covered bothadjudication andpunishment.[1] The television shows concerning adjudication and punishment consist of the soap opera,Carson's Law andSeaChange. Both shows feature female lawyers who experienceprejudice from males in their legal careers.[1]
Thematic ideas of justice and equality are associated with the female lawyer protagonist's fight for change to break the glass ceiling.[24] The inequality of men and women prevalent in the set time of the 1920s contribute to these themes present. In 2014, Australian legal thrillers developed were limited, compared to previous years that are tabulated with "45%".[1]
In Britain, the most dominant form of legal thrillers are police and detective shows. Examples of these include theDixon of Dock Green andThe Sweeney. Women also played a role in these television shows as evident inJuliet Bravo andC.A.T.S. Eyes.[1] Courtroom drama in Britain featured the seriesJustice as a prominent show, where the courtroom drama played a big role in its characteristic of the legal thriller. As Britain has three legal systems, this distinction was made apparent in the television shows, also highlighting barristers and advocates in wigs as part of the show.[1]
As American shows dominate the legal thriller genre today, the characteristic of legal language has emerged. In the American legal dramaSuits (2011), the series follows the career of a university expellee named Mike Ross, who is hired as a lawyers at Harvey Spector despite not having a license to practice law. The show features Mike Ross and other lawyers engage in various court proceedings throughout which they make their case using Latin and French legal terminology including terms such as "affidavit", "plaintiff", "defendant", "malfeasance", and "in lieu".[4]
Legal thriller films provide introspection into the life of a lawyer and legal professionals.
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Within films, the central character is often engaged in professional work and experiences an obstacle that they have to overcome such as a client's case.[25] The character confronts problems with their personal life and work, as it is under threat by the complex case, creating and series of action and courtroom battles.[25]
The problems that characters face are evident within reviews of films such asThe Judge, where family dynamics strain after a lawyer returns home for his mother's funeral.[26] Reviews from the New York Times comment on the film's transformation into a crime story, characteristic of the legal thriller. The film itself unfolds the legal thriller's ideal courtroom drama style. The film takes place in what is deemed as a "nostalgia-tinged town".[26] Further films such asThe Lincoln Lawyer have also met similar reviews from Roger Ebert, commenting on the love of three elements in the film: courtroom scene, old cars, and tangled criminals.[27] The 2019 film,Dark Waters raises an ethical dilemma of lawyers often choosing sides within films, as the defense lawyer has to switch sides to defend a poisoned community. He risks his future, community, and life by dealing with the case, characteristic of the legal thriller.[28]
The filmMangrove shows the inequalities and injustices prevalent through Britain's Caribbean history.Steve McQueen was the first black director of an Academy winning best picture with12 Years a Slave.[29] The five-part anthology, featuringMangrove as the first visualizes courtroom drama and heroism, characterizing the legal thriller genre.[29] McQueen made his film resemble a landmark of the civil rights trial against black activists.[30] The film uses the characteristics of the legal thriller genre through a powerhouse courtroom drama and focusing on racial justice.[31] The power divide between two opposing sides is intended to shape transformative victory, as audiences can learn about diversity.[31]
A Fall from Grace also features the challenge often taken by lawyers in legal thriller films.[32] For example, a young public defender has to handle the challenging case of a woman charged with murdering her husband. The film features elements of a conventional courtroom drama, such as the heroic lawyer, shady characters, and a law firm setting. Within the film, there areplot twist characteristics of the legal thriller genre.[32] Furthermore, the filmLaw has ample court scenes and features a character taking on the fight for justice.[33] The film defies the stereotypical expectations of women through featuring the main character as a woman who wants to speak openly about gang rape victimization.[33]
The recognition of injustice is another emerging aspect of legal thriller films.[34]Marshall is another example of a legal thriller film, where the lawyer is feature as the main character, traveling the country on behalf of theNAACP to defend black men who are accused of crimes.[35] The film features a courtroom scene where violence occurs in retrieving the confession of a client and the difficulty to obtain the truth. As a film review reveals, flashbacks are used as a key film technique to craft outrage.[36] The courtroom scenes are considered suspenseful and the setting of the 1940s shows a stage where people threw a facade with fake costumes and bright lights. Racism is exposed as a critical social justice issue explored where the truth demands a voice.[36]
Summaries:
The legal thriller genre has had an expansive impact in the field of literature, film, and television. From its early exploration of social justice through novels such asPresumed Innocent andTo Kill a Mockingbird to its influence on contemporary media such asSuits andHow to Get Away with Murder, the genre has not only entertained but also educated audiences on legal intricacies and the moral dilemmas experienced in the courtroom.
Harper Lee'sTo Kill A Mockingbird sold worldwide and won numerous awards including thePulitzer Prize for fiction. The novel was also translated into a film for which it received nominations in various categories such as best actress, music and cinematography and won the 1963 Oscars. It has impacted schools by becoming a part of the syllabus reading list for learning, as it addresses timeless concepts ofracism andsocial injustice relevant to America.[40]
Scott Turow's novelPresumed Innocent was a bestseller in 1987. His story introduced the sub-genre of the legal thriller by incorporating aspects of thecriminal trial process. The core inspiration of Turow's work is examining a witness during a trial, the story stemming from the lawyer's own experiences.[41]
Legal thriller books instigate the need for equality. The National Public Radio provides coverage of the legal thriller memoir,Just Mercy. Brian Stevenson provides insight into shaping the need for equality within America, as there have been a hundred years ofsupremacism and violence against black people in America.[42]
The film,Just Mercy, raises the themes of equality and justice for the racial injustice against black African Americans in the United States of America.[5] It has introduced thesocial issue of the death penalty, as American people disapproved of it after watching the film. The legal thriller enlightens hope that complex social issues such as the death penalty have the potential to change.[5]
Early legal thriller television shows reflected the plots of novels. Over time, they came to encompass the contemporary social themes and language that makes up legal court proceedings.
In 2015, the television showHow to Get Away with Murder received theGLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama for its excellence in depicting LGBTQ characters and themes. In 2019 it was nominated for theNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Drama Series for its representation of lawyers of color.[43]
The showSuits, received numerous awards for its actors including the Outsanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series award and Favorite TV Actress Supporting Role in 2012.[44] The show namely consists of plot that much like the early series,The Defenders covered controversial themes of racial inequity and the corrupt nature of pursuing power and wealth in America.[45]
The film,Marshall was based on the history of a lawyer named Marshall who created the NAACP Legal Defence Fund.He was devoted to identifying cases that would change history.[46] The film has made a significant impact on audiences, as it has a turned a real-life hero to the all-time star of a courtroom drama.[47] This is revealed in a film review, where it states the legal thriller has a created a real-life superhero for audiences to gain inspiration. Furthermore, using the idealistic approach of a young lawyer makes a compelling courtroom drama.[47] The elements of historical racism embedded within the film dates back to the 1950s and has created a riveting, touching tale on audiences.[48]
Throughout the popular culture of legal thriller films, there have been variations in the character representations of lawyers. The character representation of lawyers affects audiences both negatively and positively.[49] The positive impact is the level of heroism performed by lawyers in saving their client's case. Negative representations are associated with the representation of lawyers as villains and distrustful. The representations reflect lawyers declining after the American Revolution.[50] As many films, novels, and shows are produced within the genre, audiences can choose the images of the lawyer that they like.[51] The process of revealing these images is through showing the beginning action, the action itself and the consequences of the lawyer's actions.[52]
