A Time to Kill (1996)

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.

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writers:

John Grisham (novel), Akiva Goldsman (screenplay)

Stars:

Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

In Canton, Mississippi, 10-year-old Tonya Hailey is viciously brutalized by two white racist rednecks -- James Louis "Pete" Willard and Billy Ray Cobb. Almost immediately after Tonya is found and rushed to a hospital, Pete and Billy Ray are found at a roadside bar, where they had been bragging about what they did to Tonya. Tonya's understandably distraught and enraged father, Carl Lee Hailey, remembers a case from a year ago, when four white men raped an African-American girl in a nearby town, and got acquitted. Carl is determined to not let that happen in this case. While deputy Dwayne Powell Looney is escorting Pete and Billy Ray up a flight of stairs to a court room, Carl emerges from the building's basement with an assault rifle, and he kills Pete and Billy Ray for what they did to Tonya. Carl is later arrested at his house by African-American sheriff Ozzie Walls, and Carl is scheduled to be placed on trial. Despite the efforts of the NAACP and local African-American leaders to ...

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Plot Keywords:

mississippi | african american | trial | law | revenge | 

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Taglines:

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.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and some graphic language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 July 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tiempo de matar

Filming Locations:

Canton, Mississippi, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

JPY 130,188,000 (Japan) (27 December 1996)

Gross:

JPY 419,223,800 (Japan) (24 January 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Regency Enterprises, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

149 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kevin Costner was considered for the role of Jake Brigance, but wanted complete control of the project. Author John Grisham objected and Costner passed on the project.

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Goofs

When Rufus Buckley examines Deputy Looney in court, he addresses him as "Detective" instead of "Deputy".

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Quotes

D.A. Rufus Buckley: Mr. Haley, before you *stepped outside of yourself* and watched yourself shoot Mr. Willard and Mr. Cobb, were you aware that' if convicted, they could be free in ten years?
Carl Lee Hailey: Yes sir. I've heard some people say that. Yes sir.
D.A. Rufus Buckley: Do you think men who kidnap a child should be free in 10 years?
Carl Lee Hailey: No sir.
D.A. Rufus Buckley: Do you think two men who rape a child should be free in 10 years?
Carl Lee Hailey: No sir.
D.A. Rufus Buckley: Do you think two men who hang a child should be free in 10 years?
Carl Lee Hailey: No sir.
D.A. Rufus Buckley: Well what do you think should happen? What would be a ...
[...]

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Connections

Spoofed in Chappelle's Show: Episode #1.7 (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Slippin' Through The Oaks"
Written by Richard Paddison
Performed by Jesse Johnson
Courtesy of Dinosaur Entertainment

User Reviews

A Movie That Can't Make Up Its Mind

John Grisham and Joel Schumacher are two men who've never much cared whether the stories they tell make sense, and it shows.

We're supposed to believe that a small Mississippi town is BOTH progressive and liberal enough to elect a black sheriff AND so racist that a black crime victim can never get justice. ANybody else see a contradiction here?

Samuel L. Jackson's character claims the right to kill the men who attacked his daughter, because he insists black people can't get justice from a white jury. But later, a white jury acquits him... which proves he was WRONG, which means his action was NOT justified!

Then there's the Kevin Spacey character, who makes no sense at all. Even in the Deep South, there is NO WAY that prosecuting a man for avenging the rape of his daughter could be a good career move. An ambitious politician would steer clear of such a case. He'd NEVER embrace it as a stepping stone to higher office.

Grisham and Schumacher don't seem to grasp that this isn't 1890 any more.