Before The Lincoln Lawyer became a streaming sensation on Netflix, it was already well-known among fans of legal thrillers as an acclaimed 2011 movie starring Matthew McConaughey and Marisa Tomei. But this film isn't the only one that fans of the hugely popular TV adaptation of Michael Connelly's Mickey Haller novels will enjoy. There are several other scintillating courtroom drama films from recent decades, including one released in the past year, which are the perfect complement to The Lincoln Lawyer Netflix series.

Brad Furman's 2011 film based on Connelly's first Mickey Haller novel is definitely one to watch if you love the show. Nevertheless, the movie is very closely connected to The Lincoln Lawyer show, while others feature similarities to the show that are more coincidental. Celebrated directors such as Clint Eastwood and Francis Ford Coppola have made brilliant legal thrillers that Lincoln Lawyer viewers should add to their must-watch lists. Among these movies, you'll find some of the biggest Hollywood stars playing roles comparable to Manuel Garcia-Rulfo's Mickey Haller.

7 Blood Work (2002)

Directed By Clint Eastwood

The first of two Clint Eastwood movies that fans of The Lincoln Lawyer will especially enjoy doesn't actually have a lawyer as its protagonist. Instead, Blood Work's central hero is another of Michael Connelly's best literary characters, expert criminal profiler Terry McCaleb. Eastwood plays McCaleb as well as directing this solid piece of work, which follows the FBI and LAPD's t attempts to catch a serial killer. The movie's "Code Killer" is somewhat reminiscent of the real-life "Son of Sam" in David Fincher’s Zodiac, because he leaves coded messages aimed at McCaleb.

Blood Work isn't one of the best movies Clint Eastwood has directed, but it's still a thriller that followers of Mickey Haller's criminal cases won't want to miss. Thanks to Brian Helgeland's proficient screenplay adaptation of Connelly's cleverly constructed novel, the film has all the requisite twists, subplots, and entertaining ing characters that crime fiction fans are looking for. What's more, Terry McCaleb is a fascinating central character, whose gruff persona, health struggles, and apparent weakness for romance add color and life to a story that might otherwise veer into formulaic territory.

6 Fracture (2007)

Directed By Gregory Hoblit

Fracture is among the best works directed by one of American cinema's modern masters of the legal thriller genre. It stars Ryan Gosling as a talented young lawyer tasked with prosecuting Ted Crawford, an engineer possessed of a formidable intellect who's accused of murdering his wife, and decides to defend himself in court. The movie has some of the most engrossing courtroom scenes of any genre offering, as Gosling's Willy Beachum attempts to overcome Crawford's expert manipulation of the law for his own benefit.

Anthony Hopkins invokes shades of Hannibal Lecter, playing the malevolent Machiavel Crawford, as Fracture makes legal procedure the basis for a gripping thriller like few other movies could. Those who revel in The Lincoln Lawyer using the law itself as a means to work wonderfully unexpected twists into its plotlines will love the showstopping moments in which this movie does the very same thing. Meanwhile, Gosling gives one of his best movie performances in a role that's often been unfairly overlooked in assessments of his acting career.

5 Juror #2 (2024)

Directed By Clint Eastwood

Juror #2 is, quite simply, one of the best movies of the 2020s so far. Clint Eastwood's only genuine masterpiece of recent years, the movie concerns the mystery surrounding a woman's apparent murder and its connection to a juror in the suspected killer’s trial. An ingenious script written by Jonathan Abrams is superbly executed by Eastwood behind the camera, while in front of it, Nicholas Hoult gives what ought to be a career-defining performance.

Much of Juror #2 takes place in and around a courtroom, but the movie is about more than the procedural aspects of the central case. It's a masterclass in suspense filmmaking, on the one hand, with the audience aware of its dramatic conceit for most of the story, and rooting for a seemingly guilty party. On the other hand, it's a profound meditation on the meaning of justice itself, as the film weighs up the morally ambiguous aspects of legal culpability in cases such as the one it portrays.

4 Presumed Innocent (1990)

Directed By Alan J. Pakula

The The Lincoln Lawyer in light of the show's season 4, which will see defense lawyer Mickey Haller standing trial for the same crime that Sabich is accused of. Presumed Innocent is another suspenseful watch with a shocking twist, that captivates audiences from beginning to end.

Ford gives arguably the best dramatic performance of his career, as he proves he has the acting chops to mix with the likes of Brian Dennehy and Bonnie Bedelia, and still command every scene he's in. This film version of Presumed Innocent is the original and the best screen adaptation of Scott Turow's 1987 novel, which deserves repeat viewings from any fans of the Jake Gyllenhaal show, as well as those who love The Lincoln Lawyer.

3 The Rainmaker (1997)

Directed By Francis Ford Coppola

Coppola's 1997 legal drama pairs Matt Damon with Danny DeVito in a story about two struggling lawyers who find work for a hard-nosed ambulance-chasing litigation attorney, played by Mickey Rourke. This is a movie about the nitty-gritty of the courtroom, which draws viewers in with its compelling depictions of evidence presentation and the ruthless cross-examination of witnesses. It's among the best movies ever made for purists who enjoy the procedural aspects of legal thrillers above all else.

The Rainmaker is the go-to film for anyone who waits for the trial scenes in every episode of The Lincoln Lawyer. Additionally, the movie reaches its climactic moment via the same kind of underhand dealings within the inner workings of the justice system for which Mickey Haller holds so much contempt. Just like Haller, though, Damon and DeVito's characters end up using some illicit means of their own to help build their case.

Moreover, The Rainmaker is probably the movie most tonally similar to The Lincoln Lawyer. Its careful balance between shady intrigues and charming interpersonal subplots will make it a winner with virtually any fan of the show.

2 The Verdict (1982)

Directed By Sidney Lumet

Apart from his role as a prosecutor as opposed to a defense attorney, Paul Newman's Frank Galvin in The Verdict is possibly the big-screen lawyer most similar to Mickey Haller as a character. Galvin is an addict who's disillusioned with the legal system, but at the same time upholds a strong set of moral principles. He's a brilliant technician in the courtroom, always finishes any case he starts, and is a specialist at giving powerfully emotive closing arguments. He also manages to entangle himself in romantic relationships that don't mix well with his career.

The Verdict is based on the 1980 novel of the same name by Barry Reed, who worked as a prosecutor of medical malpractice in Boston in real life.

If Haller is your favorite TV lawyer for any of the above reasons, then you need to watch Sidney Lumet's classic legal thriller at the first opportunity. If he were around today, Newman's Galvin could do even better than Elliott Gould's Legal Siegel as Mickey Haller's mentor in The Lincoln Lawyer. It wouldn't be a surprise to find that Michael Connelly used Galvin as inspiration when creating Haller as a literary character.

1 Primal Fear (1996)

Directed By

If Frank Galvin is the closest thing to Mickey Haller the person, then Primal Fear's Martin Vail is the closest match to Mickey Haller as a lawyer. Defense attorney Vail, played by Richard Gere, is famously full of himself in the courtroom, and a sucker for high-profile cases. Unlike Manuel Garcia-Rulfo's lead role in The Lincoln Lawyer, however, Gere's central performance in Primal Fear is somewhat overshadowed by a young Edward Norton's spellbinding portrayal of Vail's defendant, Aaron Stampler.

The movie isn’t just about Stampler's trial, but the supposed crime itself and the murky circumstances surrounding his murder charge, as well as Vail's use of the insanity defense. There's never been a case quite like this one in The Lincoln Lawyer, as dark as the show sometimes gets. Gregory Hoblit's Primal Fear is a legal thriller in the truest sense of the term, which rightly enjoys the status of being one of the crime subgenre's best-ever big-screen accomplishments.