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The Chamber
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The Chamber (1996) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
5.7/10   5,362 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 9% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
James Foley
Writers (WGA):
John Grisham (novel)
William Goldman (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Chamber on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 October 1996 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
Time is running out.
Plot:
A young man fresh out of law school tries to win a reprieve for his racist grandfather who is on death row. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
In Memoriam: Harve Presnell (1933-2009)
 (From Cinematical. 3 July 2009, 7:02 AM, PDT)

William Monahan Adapting John Grisham for Shia Labeouf
 (From Rope Of Silicon. 17 February 2009, 2:27 AM, PST)

User Comments:
Entertaining, Thanks To Hackman & O'Donnell more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Chris O'Donnell ... Adam Hall

Gene Hackman ... Sam Cayhall

Faye Dunaway ... Lee Cayhall Bowen
Robert Prosky ... E. Garner Goodman

Raymond J. Barry ... Rollie Wedge / Donnie Cayhall (as Raymond Barry)
Bo Jackson ... Sgt. Clyde Packer

Lela Rochon ... Nora Stark
David Marshall Grant ... Gov. David McAllister
Nicholas Pryor ... Judge Flynn F. Slattery
Harve Presnell ... Atty. Gen. Roxburgh
Richard Bradford ... Wyn Lettner
Greg Goossen ... J.B. Gullitt (as Gregory Goossen)
Seth Isler ... Marvin B. Kramer
Millie Perkins ... Ruth Kramer
Sid Johnson ... Josh Kramer
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for violent images and some language.
Runtime:
113 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS
Filming Locations:
Chicago, Illinois, USA more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In a 2006 BBC TV Culture Show interview, John Grisham stated that this was the adaptation of his work he liked least more
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Adam is giving his argument, he states "Men rea - to do the deed". "Men rea" is the intent portion of a crime. "Actus reaus" is the act. more
Quotes:
Sam Cayhall: If you spend half as much time trying to be a lawyer instead of trying to be Dick Tracy, I might not be dead in five days. more
Soundtrack:
Sister more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
23 out of 27 people found the following comment useful:-
Entertaining, Thanks To Hackman & O'Donnell, 9 December 2006
8/10
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

This is not one of the more famous (author) John Grisham based-movies and it's a bit talky for my normal tastes, but it was interesting. You can thank Chris O'Donnell and Gene Hackman for two excellent acting performances which helped make this so entertaining in spots.

O'Donnell plays young attorney "Adam Hall" (shades of Matt Damon's character in another Grisham movie, "The Rainmaker"). Meanwhile, it's no surprise that Hackman gives us another fascinating performance, this time as the attorney's brutally racist grandfather, "Sam Cayhall." He's been imprisoned for a murder and O'Donnell is trying to release him from a death sentence. Hackman's performance elevates from a "fair" to a "good" movie. While O'Donnell is trying to do his job, a few revelations occur considering his Klansman grandpa. Faye Dunaway also is in here and has a memorable scene with "Sam."

Yes, the critics were right in that this could have been better but they were off base blasting this film. It's still an entertaining film, and they forget the value of that.

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THE ENDING! kayeanna77
Death Cell Question. Toadle
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Why 'The Chamber' ? frenchy0988
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