Primal Fear (1996)

Richard Gere's flashy trial attorney Martin Vail finds himself trapped by Illinois criminal procedure when defending Aaron Stampler. Having already entered a plea of not guilty, he cannot simply switch mid-trial to an insanity defence without severe procedural sanctions. His ingenious solution involves deliberately provoking an in-court outburst during cross-examination to force a judicial ruling of diminished capacity, bypassing standard plea restrictions.