A Time to Kill is a 1996 film adaptation of John Grisham's 1989 legal thriller novel of the same name. Directed by Joel Schumacher, the film features an ensemble cast that includes Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson, Kiefer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, and Kevin Spacey.
Set in Canton, Mississippi, the film revolves around the rape of a young girl and the subsequent arrest and murder of the rapists by the girl's father, Carl Lee Hailey. The remainder of the film then focuses on the trial of Carl Lee Hailey for murder. Upon its theatrical release, A Time to Kill was regarded as a commercial success, taking nearly $110 million at the box office.[1]
Plot summary
Two white men (Nicky Katt and Doug Hutchison) come across a 10-year-old black girl named Tonya (Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly) in rural Mississippi. They violently rape and beat Tonya and dump her in a nearby river after an attempt to hang her. She survives and the men are arrested. Word spreads of the brutal rape. Tonya's father, Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson), seeks out Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey), an easygoing white lawyer. Carl Lee is worried that the men may be acquitted, due to deep-seated racism in the Mississippi Delta area. Brigance admits the possibility. Hailey acquires an M16 rifle, goes to the county courthouse and opens fire, killing both rapists and unintentionally injuring Deputy Looney (Chris Cooper), with a ricochet. Carl Lee is soon arrested without resistance.
Brigance agrees to provide defense for Hailey for a much smaller amount of money than such a trial would usually require. He intends to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of temporary insanity. The rape and subsequent revenge killing gain national media attention, and the Ku Klux Klan begins to organize in the area. A brother of one of the dead rapists, Freddie Lee Cobb (Kiefer Sutherland), calls Brigance and his family with death threats and organizes the formation of a Klan chapter in the county. The district attorney, Rufus Buckley (Kevin Spacey), decides to seek the death penalty. Presiding Judge Omar Noose (Patrick McGoohan) denies Jake a change of venue. Jake seeks help for his defense team from sleazy divorce lawyer and close friend Harry Rex Vonner (Oliver Platt). He seeks guidance from long-time liberal activist Lucien Wilbanks (Donald Sutherland), a once great civil rights lawyer who was disbarred for violence on a picket line. Jake's secretary, Ethel (Brenda Fricker), is wary of the racially explosive case.
Jake is approached by Ellen Roark (Sandra Bullock), a fiery liberal law student from Massachusetts who belongs to the ACLU. At first Jake is reluctant to accept Ellen's cooperation, but later agrees to let Ellen help with the case. The trial begins amongst much attention from the media and public. The Klan, who has a member inside the sheriff's department, burns a cross on Jake's lawn, forcing Jake to send his wife and young daughter away while the trial continues. As the trial begins, the KKK march down Canton's streets, meeting a large group of mostly black protesters at the courthouse. Chaos ensues outside the courthouse as the police lose control of the crowd. A black teenager hits the KKK Imperial Wizard (Kurtwood Smith), with a Molotov cocktail, burning him to death.
Jake's attraction to Roark grows, and they nearly begin an affair before Jake gains his wits and goes home - to find that arsonists have burned down his house. The next morning, Jake sits on the still-smoking steps of his house and meets with Harry Rex, who says it is time to quit the case. Jake refuses, saying that to quit now would make his sacrifices meaningless. When the jury secretly discusses the case in a restaurant, against the judge's instructions, all but one are leaning toward a guilty verdict, and Carl Lee's fate looks sealed. Soon after, Freddie Lee Cobb shoots at Jake as he exits the courthouse, but misses and hits a national guardsman policing the demonstrations. That evening after leaving Jake's office, Roark is abducted by Klansmen; she is beaten, tied to a stake in the wilderness, and left to die. She is saved by an informant "Mickey Mouse," whose identity is revealed as one of the Klansmen, Tim Nunley (John Diehl), working with Cobb.
Out of options, Jake goes to see Carl Lee in his jail cell and advises accepting a lesser guilty plea. Carl Lee refuses, telling Brigance that his views on justice and race are wrong. The courthouse is packed to see the attorneys' closing arguments. Jake tells the jury to close their eyes and listen to a story. He describes, in slow and painful detail, the rape of a young 10-year-old girl, mirroring the story of Tonya's rape. His final comment to the jury is to tell them to imagine the victim was white. Hours later, after deliberation, an African-American child runs out of the courthouse and screams "He's innocent!" Jubilation ensues amongst the supporters outside. Sheriff Ozzie Walls (Charles S. Dutton) arrests Freddie Lee as well as his racist deputy. Jake brings his wife and daughter to a family cookout at Carl Lee's house. Carl Lee is surprised and standoffish. Jake explains, "Just thought our kids could play together," and Carl Lee smiles. This is a reference to an earlier scene when Carl Lee remarks that Brigance's and his children would never play together because of their skin color.
Cast and crew
Production notes
John Grisham has worked with director Joel Schumacher before on the film adaptation of The Client with Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones. While only his book was the basis for his involvement with that film, Grisham took an active role in this film's production as a producer. The reason, as Grisham explained it, was that A Time to Kill was his first book and the favorite one out of all of his works, and he wanted to see its adaptation done to his standards.
Before the part of Jake Brigance went to Matthew McConaughey, other actors, such as Val Kilmer, John Cusack, Robert Downey Jr., Aidan Quinn and Brad Pitt, were considered. Woody Harrelson had lobbied for the part and Kevin Costner was close to being cast, but Grisham axed Costner because the actor wanted complete control of the project. McConaughey was originally going to play Freddie Lee Cobb, but put his hat in the ring by speaking to Joel Schumacher and convincing him to let him audition. Schumacher videotaped the audition and decided that McConaughey was right for the part. He then approached Grisham and showed him the audition, which sold Grisham on casting him.
Bruce Dern was the original choice for the role of Judge Omar Noose. However, Patrick McGoohan was cast when Dern proved unavailable.
This movie was the second to feature both Donald Sutherland and his son Kiefer. The first was Max Dugan Returns which was the film debut of Kiefer.
Reception
Box office performance
According to Boxofficemojo.com, the movie performed well earning over $108 million domestically. Among other Grisham films, only the The Firm had a bigger box office gross.
Critical reaction
The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, earning a 76% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 37 reviews,[2] and a score of 54 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 21 reviews.[3] James Berardinelli gave the film three stars out of four, calling it "involving, energetic, and occasionally thought-provoking".[4] Roger Ebert also gave the film three stars out of four, saying: "I was absorbed by A Time to Kill, and found the performances strong and convincing," and added that "this is the best of the film versions of Grisham novels, I think, and it has been directed with skill by Joel Schumacher."[5]
The film was not without its detractors, however. Jonathan Rosenbaum gave the film one star, calling it "worthless" and remarking: "A Time to Kill argues for vigilantism but disguises its message by making the vigilante black, allowing viewers to think their blood lust and thirst for revenge is actually empathy for the oppressed."[6] Peter Travers felt that "they [Schumacher and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman] cram[med] in too much," adding, "This distracts from the heart of the picture, which is in the bond between Carl Lee (the brilliant [Samuel L.] Jackson is quietly devastating) and Jake, a husband and father who knows he, too, would have shot anyone who raped his little girl."[7]
Grisham enjoyed the film, remarking: "When all was said and done I was happy with it, happy we were able to find a kid like Matthew McConaughey. It wasn't a great movie, but it was a good one."[8]
Awards
Samuel L. Jackson received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
- 1997 Blockbuster Entertainment Award - Favorite Actress - Suspense - Sandra Bullock - Won
- 1997 MTV Movie Awards - Best Female Performance - Sandra Bullock - Nominated
- 1997 MTV Movie Awards - Best Breakthrough Performance - Matthew McConaughey - Won
In popular culture
The line "Yes they deserved to die, and I hope they burn in hell!" was the last sentence uttered by Samuel L. Jackson (played by Dave Chappelle) in a Samuel L. Jackson beer commercial, a Samuel Adams beer commercial parody on Chappelle's Show.
See also
References
External links
