A Time to Kill

1996 "Experience a time you'll never forget."
7.5| 2h29m| R| en| More Info
Released: 24 July 1996 Released
Producted By: Warner Bros. Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.

Genre

Drama, Thriller, Crime

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Director

Joel Schumacher

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures

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A Time to Kill Audience Reviews

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!
Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.
Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
zianimustafa I saw the movie and i liked it ...samuel jackson a father He avenged those who raped his daughter by killing them . The film revolves around the phenomenon of racism between whites and blacks and its great impact on society.... The story was good and the presence of Kevin Spacey was very important he has performed very well and this despite his secondary role The film is characterized by the blackness of the idea He was among the best court films In the latter he was oppressed and did not get what he deserved from popularity despite the Oscarsian cast 7/10
Alyssa Black (Aly200) From bestselling author John Grisham comes this taut and suspenseful thriller about an African-American man on trial for killing his ten year old daughter's rapists and the crisis of faith his inexperienced Caucasian lawyer must deal with as he fights for his client's life.With an all star cast, the charge is lead by Matthew McConaughey as the inexperienced Jake Brigance, a protégé of a famed but since disbarred legal figure in his community. McConaughey's Jake is naïve, arrogant and eager for his chance to participate in a murder trial to prove his metal. However each encounter with his client, Carl Lee Haley (a perfectly cast Samuel L. Jackson), chips away at Jake's foolish ideals as he must grow from a wannabe bigwig to a man humbled by what he uncovers as the trial when Jake realizes that a similar experience could befall his own young daughter. Jake even contends with the temptation of unfaithfulness by the allure of Sandra Bullock's intelligent Ellen Roark, but as Jake begins to find where his truths lie he finds himself unable to forfeit his marriage as he sees how much he really cares for the people around him. The momentous breakthrough has to be the final summation that Brigance gives to the jury as he describes the torment that Tonya Haley endured (watching McConaughey try to resist an emotional breakdown as he delivers the address is one of the most intense) and asks the all-white jury to imagine if Tonya were the same race.The performances from Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock and Ashley Judd also rise to occasion especially for Jackson's Carl Lee as he embodies any father who would want to avenge a horrid wrong done to his child. It's Carl who humbles his naïve attorney and forces him to see the differences between the two of them; Jake being a privileged white attorney who can easily get sympathy while Carl is a black machine worker that killed two white men which Carl knows (and Jake soon realizes) is what could end up costing him his freedom or life. Bullock as Ellen Roark is used sparingly, but she becomes a vital member of Jake's legal arsenal as Ellen's vast knowledge helps educate Jake in how he proceeds with his defense of Carl Lee. Ellen also provides a solace for Jake when his marriage becomes rocky due to his decision to defend Carl leads to numerous attempts to harm them, but in the end Ellen knows that Jake won't risk his family to be with as her near-death experience reminds him of the human frailty in the world. And to briefly touch on Ashley Judd as the put-upon Mrs. Brigance, she brings a real depth to her performance as the actress balances between a woman who respects her husband's profession, but is afraid of the public repercussions though she ultimately sticks by her husband in a touching scene.Grisham himself praised the film's faithfulness to his novel and the strong casting. Critics also praised the film's handling of such controversial subjects though many were still unsettled by the material. Do keep some tissues handy cause you may need them.
Bimal Sinha "I don't believe in forgiveness. I don't believe in rehabilitation. I only believe in security and justice." This dialogue gives the glimpse of the whole plot. The movie is a perfect amalgamation of emotions with revenge and justice in mind. With Kevin Spacey and Matthew McConaughey opposite to each other with Spacey on wrong side, the movie gives a perfect taste of rivalry. The only shortcoming that the movie possesses is a sudden end to this rivalry. That's the reason for cutting out one star. The movie plot matched my theory of true justice. If you are too liberal, you may not like it. But the story told by Brigance at the end might change your stance. A must watch.
Wuchak Released in 1996 and based on John Grisham's book, "A Time to Kill" chronicles events in Canton, Mississippi when an honest black man (Samuel L. Jackson) takes the law into his own hands after a couple of beer-guzzling white rednecks brutally rape his 10 year-old daughter. Matthew McConaughey plays his lawyer, Sandra Bullock his uber-liberal assistant, Ashley Judd his wife and Oliver Platt his friend. Donald Sutherland in on hand as an alcoholic defrocked lawyer while Kevin Spacey plays the staunch prosecuting attorney. Patrick McGoohan appears as the dubious judge while Kiefer Sutherland is on hand as a friend of the rednecks who gets the Klan involved. "A Time to Kill" is essentially a mishmash of 1988's "Mississippi Burning" and 1992's "A few Good Men." Although it's not excellent like the former film it's about on par with the latter and you can't beat the all-star cast. The weakness is the first act where events come across a bit too contrived, smelling of political correctness rather than reality (more on this below). But the story pulls you in during the second act. And the viewer's sympathies are definitely with Jackson's character. A timeline for the events is never provided so it's assumed that they take place during the mid-90s when the movie was released (if not, they'd have to take place around 1989 when the book was published). This presents a believability problem for the rednecks' rampage in a rural black community during the opening. Would several strong black men really tolerate the disrespectful antics of these white scumbags in their own communities in the mid-90s or late 80s? Then there's the problem of the entire scenario being one-sided: The ultra-evil characters are white men, but all blacks are virtuous. I'm white and was held up in the deep south in 1990 (the general timeline of events in the movie) by three young black guys with guns, who stole all my money & camera equipment and then took off with my car (thankfully, they let me live and my car was found abandoned shortly later). You'll see none of this in "A Time to Kill." Young white dudes are the problem. Poppycock. I'm not saying there isn't white trash out there, but how about some evenhandedness more akin to reality? At least 2004's "Crash" had the integrity to show the awful truth right out of the gate.Despite my criticisms, this is a worthy crime thriller if you appreciate the aforementioned movies. The movie runs 149 minutes and was shot in Canton & Jackson, Mississippi; Tampa, Florida; and London, Ontario.GRADE: B