Washed-up, down-on-his-luck, alcoholic lawyer Frank Galvin, played brilliantly by Paul Newman, tries to resurrect his career by taking a medical malpractice case to trial, even though it could have easily been settled. He wants to right what he sees as the wrong done to his client, a young woman left paralyzed and comatose after being given an anesthetic during childbirth. His opponent, Ed Concannon, is played by James Mason. Playwright David Mamet wrote the screenplay, which was directed by Sidney Lumet.

Trivia: A young Bruce Willis can be seen among the people in the courtroom during the dramatic closing argument.

See our August 2018 cover story: “The 25 Greatest Legal Movies.”