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A Time to Kill

R 1996 2h 30m Drama Mystery & Thriller List
67% Tomatometer 58 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson) is a heartbroken black father who avenges his daughter's brutal rape by shooting the bigoted men responsible for the crime as they are on their way to trial. He turns to Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey), an untested lawyer, to defend him. Brigance struggles to believe that he can get Hailey acquitted in this small, segregated Southern town, given Hailey's race and the deliberate nature of his crimes, but Carl has unshakable faith in him.
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A Time to Kill

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Critics Consensus

Overlong and superficial, A Time to Kill nonetheless succeeds on the strength of its skillful craftsmanship and top-notch performances.

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Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader In order to enjoy this mediocre John Grisham courtroom drama, labeled as top-notch entertainment by many of my colleagues, you have to accept an ersatz, cartoonish version of the deep south... Jun 14, 2022 Full Review Chris Peachment Daily Telegraph (UK) (Grisham) films are... grossly over-inflated examples of that old genre which hardly ever need change, the courtroom drama. A Time To Kill is no different, except that its verdict would be laughed out of any court anywhere in the civilised world. Nov 29, 2017 Full Review Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Rated: C Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault The performances are strong, the issues provocative. Rated: B- Sep 1, 2022 Full Review Grant Watson Fiction Machine There is a lot in here that is effective, and plenty that works. There is simply also a lot that doesn’t. Rated: 6/10 Jul 3, 2022 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...a slow-moving yet mostly engrossing drama... Rated: 3/4 Jun 13, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Don T One of the classics. How anyone can give this less than that is a mystery to me. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/06/24 Full Review Thomas R While it does struggle to reach the same quality as the novel, A Time to Kill still manages to keep viewers on the edge of their seat from beginning to end with likable characters and an interesting story Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/17/24 Full Review mark g I have every book John Grisham has ever written. I love the guy. That being said, this was his first novel and by far his weakest. So, the movie had some hurdles. Well, the movie takes a decent at best book and makes a ridiculous cartoon of a movie. Just silly caricatures and characters that are either all good or all bad. The unrealistic nature of this film makes it almost an unintended comedy. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 08/04/24 Full Review Brian G This is one of the worst movies I’ve seen in a while from a major studio with a lot of great talent in it. The story manages to be both totally predictable and still not make any sense whatsoever. There’s a lot of great acting ability there, but they can only do so much with a tepid script like this. I really don’t know why all these wonderful actors signed up for this piece of hooey. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/24/24 Full Review D F can connect with the people, emotional Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/19/24 Full Review Barb C 1996 and still pertinent today. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/09/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson) is a heartbroken black father who avenges his daughter's brutal rape by shooting the bigoted men responsible for the crime as they are on their way to trial. He turns to Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey), an untested lawyer, to defend him. Brigance struggles to believe that he can get Hailey acquitted in this small, segregated Southern town, given Hailey's race and the deliberate nature of his crimes, but Carl has unshakable faith in him.
Director
Joel Schumacher
Producer
Arnon Milchan, Michael G. Nathanson, Hunt Lowry, John Grisham
Screenwriter
Akiva Goldsman
Production Co
Regency Enterprises
Rating
R
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 12, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$108.7M
Runtime
2h 30m
Sound Mix
Surround
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