ANATOMY OF A MURDER (1959)

In this superior courtroom drama directed by Otto Preminger, a small town Michigan lawyer (Jimmy Stewart) defends an Army lieutenant (ever-scowling Ben Gazzara), who killed a bartender who raped his flirty, trampy wife (Lee Remick). He works uphill to establish a "temporary insanity" defense for his client, against a special prosecutor (bent-nose George C. Scott), brought in from the state capital to nail the lieutenant. The acting (especially Stewart) and the legal jousting carry this film. The ending is something of a letdown and the plot is encumbered by several generally extraneous characters. But, the film is almost stolen by a real lawyer, Joseph N. Welch, who plays the judge. Welch was the Army's lawyer in the famous, televised Army/McCarthy hearings (1954), and he cut down McCarthy in what was arguably the most dramatic moment in live television history. He's brilliant here. A good watch.