Movies •Books •Music •Food •Tv Shows •Technology •Politics •Video Games •Parenting •Fashion •Green Living •more >

Lunch » Tags » Movies » Reviews » A Time to Kill (1996)

A Time to Kill (1996)

1 rating: 3.0

A movie directed by Joel Schumacher

You wouldn't know it by watching theBatmanmovies they collaborated on, but this smart adaptation of John Grisham's novel proves that director Joel Schumacher and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman have some talent when the right project comes along. … see full wiki

Tags: Movies, Drama Movies, Thriller Movies, Legal Thrillers

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Spacey, Samuel L. Jackson, Oliver Platt

Director: Joel Schumacher

1 review about A Time to Kill (1996)

Showing 1-1 of 1

Sort by:

Time and 'Social Progress' Make this Film Maintain it Poignancy

Jan 28, 2006

by gradyharp
posted in Movie Hype

Rating:

John Grisham's powerful novel about persistent racial conflict in the South was transformed ten years ago into a gripping film by Joel Schumacher with the screenplay adaptation by Akiva Goldsman. The reporting of an act of violence by an African American father whose daughter had been kidnapped, brutally beaten, raped, and further debased brings together a rookie lawyer whose involvement with the father during the prolonged trial results in a suggestion that there may be hope for harmony, even on a small scale, if the racial lines can be erased or even blurred a bit.

Matthew McConaughey is the rookie white lawyer, Ashley Judd his wife, Samuel Jackson the father, Sandra Bullock the bright wannabe lawyer who assists McConaughey, Kevin Spacey the brilliant but slimy lawyer opposing McConaughey, Oliver Platt as McConaughey's sidekick, Donald Sutherland as the disbarred drunk of a lawyer who cleans up his act to help McConaughey find the truth justice knows, Patrick McGoohan as the implacable judge, and Kiefer Sutherland as the KKK redneck representing all the evil of the little southern town. It is a fine cast and Schumacher moves them naturally between their lives in the town and the interior of the courtroom with great facility.

Perhaps this will never be considered as one of the 'Great Movies', but is certainly pleads the case for understanding and for putting an end to the evils of racial bias. Recommended. Grady Harp, January 06

What did you think of this review?

Helpful

Thought-Provoking

Fun to Read

Well-Organized