The Trials of Cate McCall

While it doesn't attempt to reinvent the formula, The Trials of Cate McCall is a pretty good entry into the courtroom drama genre. Its distinction is that it is lead by a woman -- a rarity with these kinds of films -- and that its focus is not exclusively on the legal stuff; there's a real personal story here. The "trials" of the title refer to far more than the tribulations in the courtroom. It's suspenseful, it's dramatic, and it has a very strong lead performance from Kate Beckinsale.

A former prominent lawyer suffers from an alcohol addiction and has become completely alienated from her family. After being suspended for this alcohol problem, she wants to rehabilitate at work and regain custody of her daughter. For this she has to deal with the appeal of a woman who was wrongly convicted of murder.

Poor Kate Beckinsale is more than an adequate actress (though her good looks play against her respectability) and shouldn't be wasting her talents in this kind of mediocre nonsense.