And the Verdicts Are In . . .

In their book “Reel Justice: The Courtroom Goes to the Movies,” due out in June, UCLA law professors Paul Bergman and Michael Asimow analyze 70 courtroom movies. Written for nonlawyers as well as lawyers, the book rates each movie on the effect and authenticity of its trial, on a scale of four gavels (a classic) to one gavel (turkey). Here are a few of their opinions:

Four Gavels:

“Anatomy of a Murder” (1959)--As with the O.J. Simpson case, this film concerns an allegedly jealous husband charged with murder. He’s defended by a small-town attorney (James Stewart) who outsmarts a big-city prosecutor (George C. Scott). Both cut a few ethical corners along the way. Probably the best pure trial movie ever made.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962)--In defending a black man accused of raping a white woman, a Southern lawyer (Gregory Peck) defines the ideal that all lawyers should aspire to but few ever achieve: to accept and vigorously defend even the most despised person in society, regardless of the consequences. As with the Simpson case, racial issues figure in the attorneys’ trial strategies.

“My Cousin Vinny” (1992)--A neophyte attorney (Joe Pesci), with the help of his fiancee (Marisa Tomei), defends his nephew. The legal highlight of the murder trial consists of her expert testimony. Overall, the film succeeds by playing the trial process for laughs without reducing it to farce.

Three Gavels:

“Presumed Innocent” (1990)--A district attorney (Harrison Ford) is accused of murdering his former mistress. Again as in the Simpson trial, the murder prosecution is based largely on circumstantial evidence and the case is undermined by sloppy work in the police lab. Well done, but the plot defies belief.

“The Thin Blue Line” (1988)--Filmmakers routinely disregard legal rules for the sake of entertainment, but, as this documentary shows, in a perverse example of life imitating art the state of Texas trampled the rules in its quest to convict an alleged cop killer.

“Knock on Any Door” (1949)--A lawyer (Humphrey Bogart) who feels partly responsible for his client’s life of crime defends him on murder charges. He’s doing fine until his client takes the stand and is ripped to shreds. Intense but error-filled courtroom drama.

Two Gavels:

“Philadelphia” (1993)--An attorney who has AIDS (Tom Hanks) sues his own firm for wrongful termination. As with the Simpson glove disaster, the emotional centerpiece is a courtroom demonstration that backfires. Effective trial strategies are masked by irrelevant evidence and a host of improper trial procedures.

“Jagged Edge” (1985)--A prosecutor (Peter Coyote) is matched against a former employee (Glenn Close) who falls in love with her socialite client (Jeff Bridges). The trial becomes a sideshow to two sets of personal relationships--the affair between counsel and client and the feud between counsel and prosecutor. It is no wonder improper lawyer behavior abounds.

One Gavel:

” . . . And Justice for All” (1979) --An attorney (Al Pacino) defends a judge against rape charges. The film provides a few good yuks at the expense of the criminal justice system and the ethics of the people who make their living from it, but it’s grossly exaggerated and as informative about the system as “Gilligan’s Island” is about ocean navigation.