A Time To Kill (DVD)

...on the 1996 feature film a time to Kill, adapted from John Grisham's 1989 novel of the same name. Ill be honest like most people I actually didn't no the film was based on a book, however after watching the film I kind of felt obliged to read the book to see if it was any better than the film. I must applaud the book and the film because they both do justice to one another, they took such a relevant and strong topic and made their viewers and readers ...
.../> Now ive said a dozen times I have many films that I really consider to be in my list of all time greats and this one really should be included. It's a film that makes you think and act, its not action and its certainly not comedy, but if you really want a perspective of what Mississippi was like during the racial times, then this film does do some justice. We have several scenes which are brutal to say the least, the opening segment just gives ... more

This review is on the 1996 feature film a time to Kill, adapted from John Grisham's 1989 novel of the same name. Ill be honest like most people I actually didn't no the film was based on a book, however after watching the film I kind of felt obliged to read the book to see if it was any better than the film. I must applaud the book and the film because they both do justice to one another, they took such a relevant and strong topic and made their viewers and readers feel the emotion the characters in the film felt.
Now ive said a dozen times I have many films that I really consider to be in my list of all time greats and this one really should be included. It's a film that makes you think and act, its not action and its certainly not comedy, but if you really want a perspective of what Mississippi was like during the racial times, then this film does do some justice. We have several scenes which are brutal to say the least, the opening segment just gives you a sense that this film is the real deal; I praise Joel Schumacher who created such a brilliant film. He didn't care if it was going to be controversial; he just wanted the story to be told.

Plot Summary:

The film takes place in Mississippi, America during a time were racial tension between the White and African Americans was at its highest. We don't need a history lesson to no the racial abuse that was present during that period, and this film explores it in great detail. Anyway, two local men are driving along a side of the road, drinking bear and generally just acting aggressively. They stumble across a young 10 year old black girl named Tonya whom is walking home. Being the men they are rather than driving along, they stop and starting abusing the girl. They violently rape and beat Tonya, they try hanging the body, but because they are so intoxicated they fail and instead dump her in the local River, were she is still alive, which leads to her reporting the incident.
Due to the nature of this crime and the current racial tension between blacks and whites, Tonya's father Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson) gets the help of a white lawyer Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) as he feels these men have every chance of being acquitted. Carl cannot bear to see these men go free for such a brutal act of violence on his daughter. He manages to find his hands on a M16 riffle, which he takes to the court house and uses it to shoot and kill both the men responsible for the rap of his daughter, whilst also accidentally shooting and injuring an officer. Carl is charged with double murder and Jake decides to defend him in court, with the help of an American Civil Liberties worker Ellen Roark (Sandra Bullock), however these two now they have a tough case as the man prosecuting Carl is a top notch lawyer Rufus Buckley (Kevin Spacey). The film explores the trial and the ramifications it has on both the white community and the black community.

Characters:

Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson :)
I have always been a fan of Samuel he rally is an underrated actor, but this film truly bought out the best qualities of his acting. Jackson Plays Carl, a loving father and husband who one day find out his beloved daughter has been savagely raped and beaten by two white men. He takes the law into his own hands and kills the two men, and now faces the death penalty and or life in prison. I can totally relate to this character, and most people could to. Even though he broke the law, and whether you believe in the notion of an eye for an eye, Carl felt he had no option but to take the law into his own hands. He couldn't trust the justice system; its racially impartial views would mean these savage men would escape for such a cruel crime. During my sixth form years we actually had a debate about whether the character was justified in killing the town men. We have the against side that suggested that the law should have been able to do its job and an eye for an eye was not justifiable, however I was totally for this character doing what he did. It both an ethical and parental think for a father to seek justice if one of his children has been attacked.
What was really good about Carl was his lack of remorse; he really didn't fell apologetic for the two men he had killed. His character stood firm and believed what he did was justified and given the political situation he would never have got justice any other way.

Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey):

I likes the character of Jake because regardless of his beliefs, he was sure on one thing, justice must be served to these men. Jake decides to defend Carl and this takes a big toll on both his professional and personal life, his father in law who is a big man in the state is disappointed in what he is doing and many of his peers are against his support of Carl. His wife is torn between supporting his career and making her parents happy, she understands why Carl did what he did, but just wishes its was someone else representing Carl. They actually form a relationship during the film and this is evident with Jake trying his best to clear Carl's name. Jake also gets backlash from the KKK community, which is shown in the film when he and Ellen are attacked by the group, whom are trying to either kill them or send them a strong message of hate.

Ellen Roark (Sandra Bullock):

Ellen comes to help Jake with Carl's case, I suppose they have some sort of mutual respect for one another, and you can also get the impression that Jake is starting to fall in love with her, even though he is married. Like Jake, Ellen is also attacked by the KKK members, whom include Freddie Lee Cobb (Keifer Sutherland). I think her character is also mocked because of her gender; it wasn't common to see a female character in the law professional industry.

Rufus Buckley (Kevin Spacey)

Being the gifted actor he is, Spacey as a knack of playing some of the best roles in films. His role in this film is the prosecuting attorney trying to get a guilty verdict from the jurors. He's a tough, cold and very confident man, he believes the racial situation will help convict Carl and he exploits this. He knows in principle Carl was doing what every man would do, but because he was a black man he must be taught a lesson. The court could not look weak.

I really thought this film was powerful it did to Racial tension what Philadelphia did to gay and aids issues. It was defiantly a learning experience for the millions of people who watched it. It posed such a strong and realistic question, could you really convict this man of a crime which you would consider to be justifiable. Can the law really be taken into your own hands, or is it really that impossible that you would risk going to jail for life. I also like how it showed how even white people can be targeted by white people for supporting black people. It showed that not all the white people were racists in Mississippi and that some just wanted peace. Jake tries his best to help out Carl; the one moment that really stood out for me in the film was the closing arguments for Carl, when Jake asked the jurors how you would feel if this was your daughter, imagine this girl was "White". It was such a powerful and strong line, he closed any doubts these jurors may have had. He showed an emotional side and really made them think of their beloved loved ones.

I really would recommend watching this film, we still experience racial tension worldwide and this film just shows what it may have been like during that era. Their was actually abit of controversy in our school when a teacher showed this film to children under 15. She fully justified showing it, because she felt to really understand what the racial tension was like, they had to see it first hand in a fictional format.

Cast & Crew:

• Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) - Defence attorney for Carl Lee Hailey
• Ellen Roark (Sandra Bullock) - Law student working free for the defence
• Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson) - Defendant
• Rufus Buckley (Kevin Spacey) - Prosecuting attorney
• Carla Brigance (Ashley Judd) - Jake's wife
• Ozzie Walls (Charles S. Dutton) - Canton town Sheriff
• Lucien Wilbanks (Donald Sutherland) - Retired lawyer; Jake's mentor
• Freddie Lee Cobb (Kiefer Sutherland) - KKK member; brother to one of the shooting victims
• Judge Omar Noose (Patrick McGoohan) - Presiding judge
• Harry Rex Vonner (Oliver Platt) - Attorney assisting Defence
• Ethel Twitty (Brenda Fricker) - Secretary to Brigance
• Tonya Hailey (Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly) - Carl's daughter
• Screenwriter: Akiva Goldsman; Director: Joel Schumacher; Composer: Elliot Goldenthal for soundtrack page see soundtrack page.

Run Time: 149 minutes

Release Date: 24th July 1996 

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