A Time to Kill (1996)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writers (WGA):

John Grisham (novel)
Akiva Goldsman (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 July 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

A lawyer and his assistant fighting to save a father on trial for murder. A time to question what they believe. A time to doubt what they trust. And no time for mistakes.

Plot:

A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.

Plot Keywords:

Mississippi | Trial | African American | Law | Revenge

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Matthew McConaughey	...	Jake Tyler Brigance
Sandra Bullock	...	Ellen Roark
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Carl Lee Hailey
Kevin Spacey	...	D.A. Rufus Buckley
Oliver Platt	...	Harry Rex Vonner
Charles S. Dutton	...	Sheriff Ozzie Walls (as Charles Dutton)
Brenda Fricker	...	Ethel Twitty
Donald Sutherland	...	Lucien Wilbanks
Kiefer Sutherland	...	Freddie Lee Cobb
Patrick McGoohan	...	Judge Omar Noose
Ashley Judd	...	Carla Brigance
Tonea Stewart	...	Gwen Hailey
Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly	...	Tonya Hailey (as RaéVen Larrymore Kelly)
Darrin Mitchell	...	Skip Hailey
LaConte McGrew	...	Slim Hailey

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and some graphic language.

Runtime:

149 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 (bw) | Italy:T | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Canton, Mississippi, USA

Company:

Regency Enterprises

Trivia:

Matthew McConaughey was originally cast in Kiefer Sutherland's role of Freddie Lee Cobb, but after reading the script, he decided that he would prefer the role of Jake Brigance. He went to director Joel Schumacher, who granted him a private screen test.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jake is giving his final summation and Lucien enters the courtroom, he stands at the back. Lucien is missing in subsequent shots of the room, only to return at the end of the summation.

Quotes:

Jake Tyler Brigance: I need a drink.
Lucien Wilbanks: At three o'clock in the afternoon? What would your wife think?
Jake Tyler Brigance: I'm my own man, Lucien. I drink when I want to.
Lucien Wilbanks: When did she leave town?
Jake Tyler Brigance: This morning.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)

Soundtrack:

Ritz

Pretty Strong.

A truly tense film that takes place in present-day Mississippi. A young African-American girl has been raped by two backwoods white men. Her father (Samuel L. Jackson) takes the law into his own hands and kills the two. Now the small town becomes a hot-bed of controversy as a murder trial starts that gets national attention. There is the defense attorney (Matthew McConaughey) and his bright-eyed assistant (Sandra Bullock) against prosecutor supreme Kevin Spacey. A really solid film that works because of a screenplay that pulls no punches and revolutionary direction by Joel Schumacher. A great ensemble cast all excel here and the film captures a place that has turned into a media circus very well. A film that you will watch with clenched fists. An intense experience. 4 stars out of 5.