Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) is a tense, character-driven courtroom drama and moral mystery that follows small‑town lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart) as he defends Army Lt. Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara), who admits killing a bar owner and claims temporary insanity after the man allegedly raped Manion’s wife, Laura (Lee Remick). As Biegler and his aging, hard‑drinking colleague dig into the case, they uncover a web of possessiveness, jealousy and a wife whose flirtatious reputation complicates the facts — and the jury’s sympathies. The prosecution brings relentless, high‑stakes pressure, while the trial forces intimate, often blunt testimony about sex and violence that was unusually frank for its time. Watching the film you’ll get a blend of procedural sleuthing and courtroom theater: slow‑burn suspense, wry, human moments (including Biegler’s laconic charm and offbeat small‑town scenes), and repeated moral questions about truth, memory and legal strategy. Performances are strong and the trial sequences are meticulously staged, so viewers experience both the nuts‑and‑bolts of legal maneuvering and the emotional uncertainty surrounding who is telling the truth. If you like thoughtful legal dramas that probe character and ethics as much as plot, Anatomy of a Murder delivers a gripping, sometimes darkly humorous, and morally ambiguous ride.

Actors: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara

Director: Otto Preminger

Runtime: 161 min

Genres: Drama, Mystery

8.0 /10 95 /100 8.0 /10 8.5 /10