Yet the movie itself has trouble imagining its black characters. He describes the sadistic acts against Hailey's daughter in almost pornographic detail, then asks the jury, “Now imagine she's white.” That's an odd statement, implying that the white jury wouldn't be offended by the crimes if the victim was black. Brigance's summation is well-delivered by McConaughey, but his tactics left me feeling uneasy. The movie climaxes with the obligatory courtroom scenes. He discourages her, but she turns up with useful leads, and he needs someone to help him counter the expert local district attorney ( Kevin Spacey). That's well-timed to clear space for another character, the young lawyer Ellen Roark ( Sandra Bullock), a rich Northerner who studied law at Ole Miss and wants to be Brigance's unpaid aide. What would it take, if you were on the jury, to set me free?” As Brigance prepares his case, crosses are burned on lawns, anonymous phone calls are made, and his wife ( Ashley Judd) moves their family to safety. “You see me the way the jury will see me. “You're my secret weapon,” the black man tells his white lawyer. (Even the crippled deputy blurts out, under oath, that he would have done the same thing.) But can a black man get a fair trial after murdering two white men, even in the “new” South? The movie milks this question for all it's worth, which isn't much, unless the average audience thinks Hollywood will allow Klan thugs to prevail over the hero. (I will have to discuss certain plot points, so be warned.) Everyone in the county knows Carl Lee Hailey killed the two men who raped his daughter, and many of them share his feelings. Grisham should simply be honest enough to recognize that he does the same things he says Stone shouldn't do.Īs a story, “A Time to Kill” works effectively. Artists cannot hold themselves hostage to the possibility that defectives might misuse their work. However, if you leave out everything that might inspire a nut, you don't have a movie left-or a free society, either. But to a twisted mind, their secret meetings and corn-pone rituals might be appealing. One might also ask if Grisham forfeits his right to moral superiority by including a subplot in “A Time to Kill” that gives the Ku Klux Klan prominence and a certain degenerate glamor. But one might reasonably ask whether the creeps would have committed the murder without taking the drugs. Well, Grisham is a lawyer, and lawyers exist to file suits. Stone should be sued by the victim's family, Grisham said, offering the theory that “NBK” was to blame under product-liability laws. Grisham recently attacked director Oliver Stone, alleging that Stone's “ Natural Born Killers” inspired drugged-out creeps to murder a friend of Grisham's. This is the best of the film versions of Grisham novels, I think, and it has been directed with skill by Joel Schumacher.īut as I watched the film, other thoughts intruded. Jackson as Carl Lee Hailey, the avenging father, and Matthew McConaughey as Jake Brigance, the lawyer. I was absorbed by “A Time to Kill,” and found the performances strong and convincing, especially the work by Samuel L. Interested in knowing what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "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." 'A Time to Kill' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on Apple iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand, and Tubi TV. Jackson, Kevin Spacey The R movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 29 min, and received a user score of 74 (out of 100) on TMDb, which assembled reviews from 1,980 knowledgeable users. Released July 24th, 1996, 'A Time to Kill' stars Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Pictures, Regency Enterprises crime flick. Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty of how you can watch 'A Time to Kill' right now, here are some finer points about the Warner Bros. We've listed a number of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription choices - along with the availability of 'A Time to Kill' on each platform when they are available. Fancy watching ' A Time to Kill' in the comfort of your own home? Searching for a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the Joel Schumacher-directed movie via subscription can be confusing, so we here at Moviefone want to take the pressure off.
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