magsm1115 If I'm ever scrolling and come across this movie I will watch it. I've probably seen it at least a 100 times. The whole story from start to finish is engaging and powerful. It has an all star cast which only adds to its greatness. And the closing argument scene will make me cry every single time. The issues and tragedies addressed in this film are what opened my eyes to the real world at just 12 years old when I first watched it. I truly suggest that everyone should see this movie at least once. If your eyes aren't opened to the judicial biases, racial biases and all around disgusting behavior of people in this world then you may be hopeless.

sinisterene This movie is the film adaptation of John Grisham's A Time to Kill. Some would (inevitably) argue that the book is better but I won't because both are pretty bad. I will make the case for the film being better merely because the acting had more emotion than the novel.According to Wikipedia "The inspiration came from the case of the rape and assault of 12 year old Marcie Scott and her 16 year old sister Julie Scott. Unlike Grisham's depiction, however, the Scotts were white and their assailant, Willie Harris, was black." which is hilarious when you consider the defense's closing argument "now imagine she's white."Only in the realm of fiction could the plot of this movie happen.There's an iconic scene by Samuel Jackson so I'll give it 2 stars.

NateWatchesCoolMovies Ahh, the courtroom drama. Or, in Joel Schumacher's A Time To Kill's case, the fired up courtroom scorcher. A massive team of actors gather together here to tell the hot blooded tale of one African American man on trial for a brutal murder that is seen by many as justified, but to the prosecutor working the case is just another statistic that will help him vault over the pole to his next suit & tie victory. It's based on a book by John Grisham, and Schumacher also adapted his story The Client, with admirable but less energetic results. This is one my favourite courtroom films, mainly due to the feverish energy of the American South that thrums beneath events like a heart ready to beat out of its chest. Every character has a mad glint in their eye and an epic film of sweat drenching them, and it's easy to see why when you examine the high stakes, hot tempered powder keg of a trial they are involved in. Samuel L. Jackson is brilliant as Carl Lee, a simple African man accused of mercilessly gunning down two cracker asses (one of which is a grimy Kiefer Sutherland). These two punks are responsible for the rape and prolonged brutalization of Carl's twelve year old daughter. A righteous knee jerk reaction for anyone, right? Try convincing a jury in the South of that. Conflict flares up faster than the fire adorning the crosses left on lawns by the arriving KKK, and soon the pressure is on to find the perfect prosecutor and defender for his case. Young upstart Jake Brigans (Matthew McConaughey) is picked to defend, facing off against a seasoned and annoyingly smug prick played by Kevin Spacey. Jake is blessed with the ingenuity and intuition of a law clerk (Sandra Bullock, excellent) and the sagely patronage of a veteran lawman played by a salty Donald Sutherland. It's a tricky case though, with tempers and racial tension running high and a near constant air of danger for people on both sides of the table. Lee stands by his choice and boils in righteous fury that doesn't quell the hurt once it's simmered down, something which Jackson achingly imparts. Jake is swept up in the spectacle of it all, until his relationship with his wife (Ashley Judd) and finally his very life are at stake. Bullock brings the sanity of the big city to this backwater set melodrama and gives some of the best work of the film. Morality is tentatively explored, even though it's clear as day that Lee was completely justified in his actions, and the outcome of the trial should reflect this. That sentiment is right there with the film's title. But does it? You'll have to watch and see. The epic cast lineup also includes work from Oliver Platt, Brenda Fricker, Kurtwood Smith, Charles S. Dutton, Patrick McGoohan, Nicky Katt, Beth Grant, Anthony Heald, Octavia Spencer, M. Emmett Walsh and a moving Chris Cooper in a small role. It's a long film, but it sustains its energy and pace for the duration, with McConaughey's refusal to buck the horse and throw the trial a key asset in letting us feel the hurt of a community torn inside out in one act of flagrant evil. It's up to him and his crew not to right that wrong (realism dictates that it's too late), but to give a modicum of solace to those further endangered by the very same evil. A winner.

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