90s Movie Review - A Time to Kill

Director: Joel Schumacher
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 1996
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bulloc, Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Ashley Judd, Kevin Spacey, Charles S. Dutton, Chris Cooper, Beth Grant

Description: In Clanton, Mississippi, a fearless young lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) defends a black man (Samuel L. Jackson) accused of murdering two white men who raped his ten-year-old daughter, inciting violent retribution and revenge from the Lu Klux Klan.

Review: When Carl Lee hailey’s 10-year-old daughter is brutally abused by two racist white men, something snaps inside him. The men will be tried in the usual way, but Carl Lee fears they will be released very soon. According to him, there is only one thing to do: take the law into his won hands. So he kills the two men and is arrested by the police. A trial will have to decide whether and how Carl Lee should be punished. As a lawyer, Carl Lee hires the inexperienced Jake Brigance. He must go up against top lawyer Rufus Buckley. Fortunately, Jake gets help from ambitious Ellen Roark. The trial is the subject of many demonstrations: the Ku Klux Klan calls for prosecution, while the black community pleads for release.

When it comes to courtroom thrillers, author John Grisham is one of the best-known writers. Over the years, numerous of Grisham’s books have been adapted for film.

The story is very clear in who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. The charismatic underdog against the cynical veteran: anyone who has every read anything by Grisham has a clue as to who will win. On thing is certain: because of the complicated issue is portrayed as black and white, it does make it all nice and easy to get along with. And it’s very easy to sympathize with the main character.

A good script is essential here, but a good cast is just as important to deliver it with credibility. Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey are all fantastic in their respective roles, as are Sandra Bullock, Kiefer Sutherland and Donald Sutherland in smaller roles. I believe that the final plead and that ending are a bit too dramatic for my taste, but work well as tear-jerking moments.

A film that doesn’t have a dull moment in it.

Rating: 4/ 5