Movies Like Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

Anatomy of a Murder is a 1959 crime, drama, mystery film from Otto Preminger with a MovieMagicScore of 7.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with 12 Angry Men and A Time to Kill.

Crime Drama Mystery

12 Angry Men

1957

The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.

8.6

MagicScore

A Time to Kill

1996

A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.

7.4

MagicScore

The Juror

1996

With his gangster boss on trial for murder, a mob thug known as "the Teacher" tells Annie Laird she must talk her fellow jurors into a not-guilty verdict, implying that he'll kill her son Oliver if she fails. She manages to do this, but, when it becomes clear that the mobsters might want to silence her for good, she sends Oliver abroad and tries to gather evidence of the plot against her, setting up a final showdown.

5.7

MagicScore

The Judge

2014

A successful lawyer returns to his hometown for his mother's funeral only to discover that his estranged father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder.

7.3

MagicScore

Primal Fear

1996

Defense attorney Martin Vail takes on jobs for money and prestige rather than any sense of the greater good. His latest case involves an altar boy, accused of brutally murdering the archbishop of Chicago. Vail finds himself up against his ex-pupil and ex-lover, but as the case progresses and the Church's dark secrets are revealed, Vail finds that what appeared a simple case takes on a darker, more dangerous aspect.

7.7

MagicScore

The Lincoln Lawyer

2011

Mick Haller is a charismatic defense attorney who does business out of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Mick spends most of his time defending petty crooks and other bottom-feeders, so it comes as quite a surprise when he lands the case of a lifetime: defending a Beverly Hills playboy who is accused of attempted murder. However, what Mick initially thinks is an open-and-shut case with a big monetary reward develops into something more sinister.

7.2

MagicScore

The Rainmaker

1997

Fresh out of law school and desperate for work, idealistic rookie Rudy Baylor takes on a powerful insurance company accused of denying a dying boy’s claim. Teaming up with a scrappy, unlicensed paralegal, he finds himself in a David-versus-Goliath courtroom battle that tests his ethics, courage, and belief in justice.

7.0

MagicScore

The Third Murder

2017

A lawyer tasked with defending a robbery-and-murder suspect begins developing doubts about what truly happened.

6.6

MagicScore

To Kill a Mockingbird

1962

Scout Finch, 6, and her older brother Jem live in sleepy Maycomb, Alabama, spending much of their time with their friend Dill and spying on their reclusive and mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. When Atticus, their widowed father and a respected lawyer, defends a black man named Tom Robinson against fabricated rape charges, the trial and tangent events expose the children to evils of racism and stereotyping.

8.0

MagicScore

#10

12 Angry Men

1997

During the trial of a man accused of his father's murder, a lone juror takes a stand against the guilty verdict handed down by the others as a result of their preconceptions and prejudices.

7.7

MagicScore

#11

Judgment at Nuremberg

1961

In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.

8.0

MagicScore

#12

Evil Angels

1988

Based on the true story of Lindy Chamberlain who, during a family camping trip to Ayers Rock in central Australia, claimed she witnessed a dingo take her baby daughter, Azaria, from their tent. Azaria's body was never found and, after investigations and two public inquests, she is charged with murder.

6.7

MagicScore

#13

My Cousin Vinny

1992

Two carefree pals from Brooklyn traveling through rural Alabama on their way back to college are mistakenly arrested, and charged with murder. Fortunately, one of them has a cousin who's a lawyer - Vincent Gambini, a former auto mechanic from Brooklyn who just passed his bar exam after his sixth try. When he arrives with his leather-clad girlfriend, to try his first case, it's a real shock - for him and the Deep South!

7.5

MagicScore

#14

Molly's Game

2017

Molly Bloom, a young skier and former Olympic hopeful becomes a successful entrepreneur (and a target of an FBI investigation) when she establishes a high-stakes, international poker game.

7.2

MagicScore

#15

Inherit the Wind

1960

Schoolteacher Bertram Cates is arrested for teaching his students Darwin's theory of evolution. The case receives national attention and one of the newspaper reporters, E.K. Hornbeck, arranges to bring in renowned defense attorney and atheist Henry Drummond to defend Cates. The prosecutor, Matthew Brady is a former presidential candidate, famous evangelist, and old adversary of Drummond.

7.7

MagicScore

#16

Pink

2016

A sexual assault victim, unjustly tried for the attempted murder of her attacker, is defended by a retired lawyer who challenges India's rape culture.

7.4

MagicScore

#17

12

2007

A loose remake of “12 Angry Men”, “12” is set in contemporary Moscow where 12 very different men must unanimously decide the fate of a young Chechen accused of murdering his step-father, a Russian army officer. Consigned to a makeshift jury room in a school gymnasium, one by one each man takes center stage to confront, connect, and confess while the accused awaits a verdict and revisits his heartbreaking journey through war in flashbacks.

6.6

MagicScore

#18

Justice Is Done

1950

Elsa Lundenstein is accused of having murdered her lover. The jury discusses the case vividly. All members are somehow prejudiced because of personal life experience and subsequently each member reads something different into the presented facts.

6.3

MagicScore

#19

Presumed Innocent

1990

Rusty Sabich is a deputy prosecutor engaged in an obsessive affair with a coworker who is murdered. Soon after, he's accused of the crime. And his fight to clear his name becomes a whirlpool of lies and hidden passions.

6.8

MagicScore

#20

Witness for the Prosecution

1957

An ailing barrister is thrust back into the courtroom in what becomes one of the most unusual and eventful murder cases of the lawyer's career when he finds himself defending a man being tried for the murder of a socialite.

8.2

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Anatomy of a Murder?

The top films similar to Anatomy of a Murder by MovieMagicScore are 12 Angry Men (8.6), A Time to Kill (7.4), The Juror (5.7). Each shares crime/drama/mystery themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Anatomy of a Murder worth watching?

Anatomy of a Murder holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.8/10 from 1,091 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Anatomy of a Murder?

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) is a crime, drama, mystery film directed by Otto Preminger, starring James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara.

Where can I find more recommendations like Anatomy of a Murder?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like 12 Angry Men Movies like A Time to Kill Movies like The Juror Movies like The Judge Movies like Primal Fear Movies like The Lincoln Lawyer

About movies like Anatomy of a Murder

This ranked list pairs Anatomy of a Murder (1959), a crime and drama and mystery film from Otto Preminger, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of James Stewart take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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