What is the iRankMovies score for Witness for the Prosecution?

Name: Witness for the Prosecution
Director: Billy Wilder
Genre: crime, drama, mystery
Released: 1957
Duration: 1 h 56 min
Rating: 8.4

Witness for the Prosecution has an iRankMovies score of 86.4/100, based on a weighted combination of IMDb (×3.0), Rotten Tomatoes (×2.0), Metacritic (×1.5), and TMDb (×1.0).

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

The most electrifying entertainment of our time!

Release:1957

Runtime:1h 56m

Country:United States

Director:Billy Wilder

Language:English

Genre

CrimeDramaMystery

See the best crime movies →

Keywords

Based On Novel Or BookNurseWidowCigaretteLetterTrialmurder Lawyer

iRank86

Witness for the Prosecution rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb8.4/10· 160K votes

Rotten Tomatoes100%

Metacritic76%

TMDb8.2/10· 2K votes

With 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 8.4/10 on IMDb and 76/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About Witness for the Prosecution

An ailing barrister is thrust back into the courtroom in what becomes one of the most unusual and eventful murder cases of the lawyer's career when he finds himself defending a man being tried for the murder of a socialite.

Cast of Witness for the Prosecution

Tyrone Power
as Leonard Vole
Marlene Dietrich
as Christine
Charles Laughton
as Sir Wilfrid
Elsa Lanchester
as Miss Plimsoll
John Williams
as Brogan-Moore
Henry Daniell
as Mayhew
Ian Wolfe
as Carter
Torin Thatcher
as Mr. Myers
Norma Varden
as Mrs. French
Una O'Connor
as Janet
Francis Compton
as Judge
Philip Tonge
as Inspector Hearne

Witness for the Prosecution facts

Budget: $3M
Box office: $9M

Our take on Witness for the Prosecution

Billy Wilder's 1957 courtroom thriller pulls an ailing barrister into a murder trial full of twists, sharp wit and a final revelation that floored a generation. Crisp, funny and ingeniously plotted, it's the gold standard of the legal mystery. If its clever suspense and killer ending gripped you, seek out classic courtroom dramas and twisty whodunits that play fair while keeping you guessing.

Ranked by the iRankMovies editorial teamUpdated August 2026Methodology Data sources

Audience opinions

What the audience liked

•Billy Wilder executes courtroom intrigue with surgical precision and perfect comedic timing
•Twist ending genuinely surprises without feeling contrived or breaking established logic
•Lawyer character navigates legal and moral complexity with believable cleverness

What the audience disliked

•Black and white cinematography distances modern viewers from emotional immediacy
•Pacing shifts between court scenes and setup create occasional narrative drag