When I first watched this film twenty years ago, I had to read a book as well. When I finished the book, I had to watch the movie again. "A Time to Kill" is one of the few examples where I can't decide whether it's a better novel or an adaptation, although I return to the film more often, simply because it requires less time and leaves an equally strong impression.
Somewhere in Mississippi, a ten-year-old black girl was raped and otherwise brutally abused to the brink of death. The perpetrators were immediately arrested, but the girl's father, fearing that they could be released, took matters into his own hands and killed them while they were entering the court. Both of these events are explicitly shown in the introductory part of the film, but the story concentrates on the trial of the father for double murder and the consequences that this case left on everyone involved. The public is divided into those who demand that the father be released and those who demand the death penalty. The KKK enters the scene and terrorizes the family and associates of the defense attorney, who, risking the lives of himself and his loved ones, still drives the case to the end.
This is basically a court drama, but as much as it deals with the events in the courtroom, so much does it dedicate itself to the psychological drama of everyone involved as well as the events that follow the whole situation, which give the film the features of a thriller. The excellent characterization is supported by a fantastic cast. Matthew McConaughey plays a young but capable lawyer who tries to save the avenging father (Samuel L. Jackson), and in the process resolve his inner turmoil, calm his conscience and find confirmation for his beliefs. He is assisted by a former top lawyer from whom he learned (Donald Sutherland) and a young, ambitious law student (Sandra Bullock). The relentless public prosecutor is played by the perfect Kevin Spacey, and the KKK's revenge is led by Kiefer Sutherland. There are also Oliver Platt, Charles S. Dutton, Ashley Judd, and other famous faces, and the cast itself is reason enough to give this film a chance.
When John Grisham tried to publish his first novel, he had a lot of trouble finding a publisher because of the controversial content of this story. The film didn't go much better either, so the reviews of the audience and the critics were extremely divided. People either praise it and highly rate it as a top drama, or spit on it as a propaganda film that supports revenge murder and one-sidedly portrays racism, presenting blacks as victims and whites from the American South as primitive racist villains. There's both, and I fully understand the angle from which people hate this movie. However, I think that the haters also look at it one-sidedly and do not fully understand it, and I join those who support the film. Will you perceive this film as a strong and incredibly emotional life drama or as propaganda garbage ... I think it comes down to whether you would send the avenging father to the gas chamber or you would do the same in his place.
The controversial last sentence of the defense closing speech, the sentence that is the biggest cause of resistance to this film, made me genuinely cry. If you find it disgusting at first glance, try to suppress that first reaction and look deeper and more sincerely into your heart, because we all have prejudices, even if we are not aware of them and no matter how painful it is for us to admit them.
8,5/10
Somewhere in Mississippi, a ten-year-old black girl was raped and otherwise brutally abused to the brink of death. The perpetrators were immediately arrested, but the girl's father, fearing that they could be released, took matters into his own hands and killed them while they were entering the court. Both of these events are explicitly shown in the introductory part of the film, but the story concentrates on the trial of the father for double murder and the consequences that this case left on everyone involved. The public is divided into those who demand that the father be released and those who demand the death penalty. The KKK enters the scene and terrorizes the family and associates of the defense attorney, who, risking the lives of himself and his loved ones, still drives the case to the end.
This is basically a court drama, but as much as it deals with the events in the courtroom, so much does it dedicate itself to the psychological drama of everyone involved as well as the events that follow the whole situation, which give the film the features of a thriller. The excellent characterization is supported by a fantastic cast. Matthew McConaughey plays a young but capable lawyer who tries to save the avenging father (Samuel L. Jackson), and in the process resolve his inner turmoil, calm his conscience and find confirmation for his beliefs. He is assisted by a former top lawyer from whom he learned (Donald Sutherland) and a young, ambitious law student (Sandra Bullock). The relentless public prosecutor is played by the perfect Kevin Spacey, and the KKK's revenge is led by Kiefer Sutherland. There are also Oliver Platt, Charles S. Dutton, Ashley Judd, and other famous faces, and the cast itself is reason enough to give this film a chance.
When John Grisham tried to publish his first novel, he had a lot of trouble finding a publisher because of the controversial content of this story. The film didn't go much better either, so the reviews of the audience and the critics were extremely divided. People either praise it and highly rate it as a top drama, or spit on it as a propaganda film that supports revenge murder and one-sidedly portrays racism, presenting blacks as victims and whites from the American South as primitive racist villains. There's both, and I fully understand the angle from which people hate this movie. However, I think that the haters also look at it one-sidedly and do not fully understand it, and I join those who support the film. Will you perceive this film as a strong and incredibly emotional life drama or as propaganda garbage ... I think it comes down to whether you would send the avenging father to the gas chamber or you would do the same in his place.
The controversial last sentence of the defense closing speech, the sentence that is the biggest cause of resistance to this film, made me genuinely cry. If you find it disgusting at first glance, try to suppress that first reaction and look deeper and more sincerely into your heart, because we all have prejudices, even if we are not aware of them and no matter how painful it is for us to admit them.
8,5/10