5 Greatest Lawyers in Movie History
15. Dave Kleinfeld (Sean Penn) in “Carlito’s Way” (1993)
Sean Penn is great, but he crushed it as Kleinfeld
in “Carlito’s Way.” Kleinfeld deserves to make the list for pulling off that amazing Jew-fro/three piece suit combo.
On one hand, his character is an over the top cocaine snorting,
illicit sex having, drug lord defending 1970’s caricature and also a strong criminal attorney, vigorous advocate and good friend to Al Pacino’s
Carlito Brigante. At least he is at the beginning of the film.
Kleinfeld makes the quintessential attorney error. He blurs the line
between being the principal and being the counselor. He represents
crooks and thinks he can become one. The Shakespearean tragedy fueled by
Klienfeld’s greed is my favorite part of the film.
“Dave, you not a lawyer no more, you a gangster now. On the other side. A whole new ball game. You can’t learn about it in school, and you can’t have a late start.”BAD ASS!!!!
4. Frank Galvin (Paul Newman) in “The Verdict” (1982)
Lawyers know deep down that one day the accumulated toll of practicing
law will turn them into jaded, burnt-out alcoholics. But will they look one tenth as pretty as Paul Newman does as a jaded,
burnt-out, alcoholic lawyer.
Frank Galvin, once promising but down on his luck trial attorney turns to alcohol after a string of losses to drown his contempt for
the system. He gets a chance to seek justice for the family of a
young woman in a coma because of medical malpractice. He is David
against Goliath of church, state and corporate power. In fighting
for the interests of his comatose client he finds the strength to fight his demons.
“We become tired of hearing people lie. And after a time, we become dead… a little dead. We think of ourselves as victims… and we become victims. We become… we become weak. We doubt ourselves, we doubt our beliefs. We doubt our institutions. And we doubt the law. But today you are the law. You ARE the law.”
LOVE IT!!!
3. Professor Charles W. Kingsfield, Jr. (John Houseman) in “The Paper Chase” (1973)
John Houseman won Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his
portrayal of pompous, prickish and powerful Professor Charles W.
Kingsfield, Jr.
Kingsfield is the genius Harvard Contracts Professor who lives to
terrorize first year law students. In his nimble hands, the Socratic
Method is a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. No character in cinema
embodies the frightening aspects of law school more than Houseman’s Professor Kingsfield. Even though John Houseman went on to play Ricky Schroder’s grand father on “Silver Spoons,” he can still scare the hell out of viewers.
“Mister Hart, here is a dime. Take it, call your mother, and tell her there is serious doubt about you ever becoming a lawyer.”MEMORIES .....
2. Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) in “To Kill A Mockingbird” (1962)
Atticus Finch. Needn't say anything else. Gregory
Peck won the Best Actor Oscar and Golden Globe for his quiet, powerful
portrayal in the screen adaptation of Harper Lee’s classic novel.
Atticus is a lawyer, father and citizen. He represents the best that any
of us could hope to be. He is selfless, fearless and unflinching. In the
face of overwhelming prejudice and ignorance, he bravely defends a young
black man falsely accused of raping a white woman inAlabamaduring the
early 1930’s. In 2003, The AFI named Atticus Finch the greatest movie
hero of the 20th century. Damn straight!
Atticus: I remember when my daddy gave me that gun. He told me that I should never point it at anything in the house; and that he’d rather I’d shoot at tin cans in the backyard. But he said that sooner or later he supposed the temptation to go after birds would be too much, and that I could shoot all the blue jays I wanted – if I could hit ‘em; but to remember it was a sin to kill a mockingbird.PRECIOUS LOVE
Jem: Why?
Atticus: Well, I reckon because mockingbirds don’t do anything but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat people’s gardens, don’t nest in the corncrib, they don’t do one thing but just sing their hearts out for us.
1. Tom Hagen (Robert Duvall) in “The God Father” (1972) and “The God Father: Part II” (1974)
This may be a controversial pick. In humble
opinion, Duvall’s Tom Hagen most accurately and honestly captures the
key element of being a lawyer - simultaneously being the ultimate insider while being a complete outsider. He is consiglieri to Don Vito Corleone and
then to Don Michael Corleone. He is privy to their deepest secrets,
speaks fluent Italian and flawlessly executes the will of his Don, his
client, his family.
He is brother to Sonny and Fredo and Michael, but only in part. He is
Irish and was taken in by the Corleone family after he ran away from an
abusive alcoholic father. Part of the family, but not. Powerful, but in
constant danger of his power being unilaterally revoked which happens
when Michael Corleone temporarily demotes Tom as unfit to be a “wartime
consiglieri.”
The brilliance of Duvall’s performance is in the tension of serving
as counsel to his family while quietly longing to be part of his family. There is a subtle and heartbreaking undercurrent through both films. It is in the eyes.
“Thank you for the dinner and a very pleasant evening. Have your car take me to the airport. Mr Corleone is a man who insists on hearing bad news at once.”
Needless to say, it doesn’t turn out too well for Woltz.
GOD FATHER ALWAYS
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