Reel Lawyers and Reel-istic Justice There appears to be, in life and film, a quest to transform the banality of existence into a world in which justice prevails . Since the Greek tragedies, justice – betrayed and denied, or sought and vindicated – has been a cornerstone of drama, with “images of criminal law infusing everyday lives ”. The success of these compelling juridico-entertainment narratives is predicated on the audience’s desire for swift resolution and the invocation of their sense of justice . Former Justice Bokhary echoes this sentiment: “What is the law’s purpose? Justice. And the lawyer? To serve this purpose” ; and is evident in the plethora of legal narratives exhibited on popular media. Hence, this essay advances that these narratives capture certain images of lawyers, communicate significant ideas about lawyers and the justice system, and convey important messages on how lawyers can improve trust with …show more content…
For example, shows such as Perry Mason and Law and Order shows justice cannot exist apart from the work of a zealous lawyer . The courtroom setting thus acts as the centerpiece of drama to showcase the lawyer’s skill and determination . In Bright Day , lawyer Yin Zhaoshi files a criminal suit against a powerful gang; despite threats or assaults on his way to court, he remains undaunted in court, and is ultimately vindicated by the outcome . The courtroom settings also allow lawyers to shine during crafty cross-examinations. In My Cousin Vinny, Vinny Gambini is defending his two friends who have been mistakenly charged for murder. He points out to a key witness that it takes more than twenty minutes to cook grits, demonstrates the failing eyesight of another, and deploys his girlfriend as an expert witness on auto mechanics to prove his cousin did not drive the
David Feige’s Indefensible: One Lawyer’s Journey nto the Inferno of American Justice invites people from all walks of life to a second hand experience of the criminal justice system hard at work. What is most interesting about Feige’s work is its distinct presentation of the life of a public defender in the South Bronx. Instead of simply detailing out his experiences as a public defender, Feige takes it a step further and includes the experiences of his clients. Without the personal relationships that he carefully constructs with each of his defendants, Feige would not be able to argue that the criminal justice system is flimsy at best, decisions always riding on either the judge’s personal attitudes or the clients propensity towards plea bargaining.
The U.S. justice system is a concept that has come under scrutiny many times over the 200-plus years of its existence, but which still exists in much the same form today as when it was first devised. “12 Angry Men” by Reginald Rose is a theatrical drama that portrays many of the merits and faults of the jury-based judicial system. Some of the pros that are shown include how the input of many different people and backgrounds can result in a greater truth being uncovered, and how the voice of even a single man can be heard and considered by all jury members. Some cons that the play illustrates include how there can instances in which jury members merely go with the immediate popular opinion on the verdict, whether because they are susceptible to peer pressure or merely because they’d rather the case be over with as quickly as possible. Rose himself seems to be generally in favor of the current U.S. justice system, as the characters who represent the negative aspects of the system are shown to be hateful and irrational men, while the opposite is true for the people who represent the system’s more positive qualities.
A District Attorney plea bargain, files a lawsuit against people.
Bad Day at Black Rock Kathryn Abbott October 29 2015 DRAMA 3030 The unexpected arrival of a stranger to a small, Midwestern town creates a feeling of scepticism and suspicion, and through this the explicit meaning is revealed: Fear of the unknown and the moral and physical deterioration of a town left to its own devices. The film exemplifies these concepts through the use of mise-en-scène, and vivid cinematographic elements. The blood red coloured train stands out against a muted background.
The script introduces the viewers to the typical behavior and the state of mind of these jurors, who surprisingly turn out to be the last to change their opinions from “guilty” to “not guilty”. Juror#3 the frustrated father whose personal conflicts and experiences influence his view of the accused’s crime is very desperate to make it clear that his mind is already made up before the deliberations even start. Similar
In the play Rose wrote, “I’ve lived in a slum all my life. I nurse that trash in Harlem Hospital six nights a week.” (Rose 18) This example shows the reader the personality of juror 5 and how important he is to the verdict such as when he votes not guilty. He also adds insight to the trial because of the information he can tell people.
Imagine getting that one dreaded letter in the mail, calling you to do the one thing you didn’t plan the week before your wedding, JURY DUTY. Reginald Rose wrote the play Twelve Angry Men for a television drama after he sat on a jury. The characters in this play are identified not by names but by numbers. Twelve men are confined to a deliberation room after the trial of a 19-year-old boy accused of stabbing and killing his father. Twelve Angry Men illustrates the many dangers of the jury system like, a biased jury, being left with questions, and feeling inconvenienced by jury duty.
Twelve Angry Men is in many ways a love letter to the American legal justice system. We find here eleven men, swayed to conclusions by prejudices, past experience, and short-sightedness, challenged by one man who holds himself and his peers to a higher standard of justice, demanding that this marginalized member of society be given his due process. We see the jurors struggle between the two, seemingly conflicting, purposes of a jury, to punish the guilty and to protect the innocent. It proves, however, that the logic of the American trial-by-jury system does work.
Juror number 5’s empathetic emotions allowed him to forget the stereotypical judgment that he had towards the teenage boy upon his low class status. However, this WOK can be
A group of juror comprising of 12 men from diverse backgrounds began their early deliberations with 11 of ‘guilty’ and 1 of ‘not guilty’ verdicts. Juror 8 portrayed himself as a charismatic and high self-confident architect. Initially, Juror 1 who played the foreman positioned himself as self-appointed leader of the team in which has led his authority to be challenged as his leadership style lacked in drive and weak. In the contrary, Juror 8 is seen as the emergent leader considering his openness to probing conversations while remaining calm. Implying this openness to the present, it has become crucial that a good decision relies on knowledge, experience, thorough analysis and most importantly critical thinking.
Twelve Angry Men, written by the American playwright Reginald Rose, is a play depicting the workings of the American judicial system in 1957 that aid in forming the speculations of the murder case. In addition, it exemplifies the communal values in the society, the different etiquettes and affairs in America during the 1950’s. In the play, Rose displays a biased jury consisting of twelve men from distinct backgrounds that have contrasting views, opinions and reasons are entrusted with announcing a boy’s innocence or guilt over a patricide. Twelve Angry Men, is a celebration of justice and likewise a warning about the fragility of justice and the strengths of complacency, prejudice, and absence of civic responsibility that would undermine it. Several members of the jury demonstrate that they are practically unequipped for considering the murder case reasonably and
The justice system that relies on twelve individuals reaching a life-or-death decision has many complications and dangers. The play Twelve Angry Men, by Reiginald Rose, illustrates the dangers of a justice system that relies on twelve people reaching a life-or-death decision because people are biased, they think of a jury system as an inconvenience, and many people aren’t as intelligent as others. The first reason why Reiginald illustrates dangers is because people can be biased or they can stereotype the defendant. The Jurors in Twelve Angry Men relate to this because a few of them were biased and several of them stereotyped the defendant for being from the slums. The defendant in this play was a 19 year old kid from the slums.
12 Angry Men, by Reginald Rose, is a play that takes place only in one room of a courthouse. Where this drama may lack in any attention to the setting, it makes up for it with its elaborately corroborated characters who are jurors making a decision on whether or not to charge a boy with murder hereafter sentencing him to the chair. As shown through the play, most of the jurors appear dissatisfied with the situation, a common nuisance with the public, having to work jury duty. However, one juror, referred to as juror eight, is appalled by such actions being carried out by his fellow men and decides to stand up for this kid and prove his innocence. This entails much backlash by the others.
But I do continue to live, because I know that the law will ensure the individuals who present such cowardly acts will be brought to justice. Witnessing the repercussions first hand has only fuelled my determination to broaden my understanding of the law because it simply isn’t acceptable. One should not be deterred from sitting next to a Muslim on public transport, nor should the norm of Muslims being associated with terrorists continue. Hence, studying law is pivotal in changing certain social attitudes towards individuals, law manages to permeate every part of today's world; it colours many areas of life and is very much integrated with, and affected by current affairs.
The movie Spotlight, recounts the true events that occurred in Boston and were brought to light back in 2002. The movie talks about the massive cover-up scheme by the catholic church to conceals the fact that several priests were abusing and had abused hundreds of kids without any action from the Archdiocese. In this paper I will summarize the movie, discuss the type of victims shown in the movie, asses the risk level of the victims, and lastly relate the different theories of victimization and how each relates to the movie. The movie follows a group of journalists working at the Boston Globe, who are known as the spotlight team.