A Time to Kill

Play trailer

A Time to Kill

R

1996

2h 30m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

67%

Tomatometer

57 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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

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

Greg S

Top-notch courtroom drama that, to me, sets the bar for its genre. An All-Star cast delivers in spades, and its incredibly well-told, powerful story makes this an annual watch in my house.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/07/24

Full Review

Scott R

The movie was ok but the screenwriter should have been fired for the adaptation. The book was much more nuanced, better storyline and much more logical in its presentation. It felt like each character was cheated out of any development to advance the story. The re-writing of the closing argument compared to the book made for a quick and illogical ending. Lots of fine actors wasted in what could have been a great movie.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/24/24

Full Review

Fabrícia F

Conflitos sobre moralidade e justiça sempre são bem vindos e esse roteiro retrata com excelência a questão.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/15/24

Full Review

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

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Joel Schumacher

Director

Sandra Bullock

Ellen Roark

Samuel L. Jackson

Carl Lee Hailey

Matthew McConaughey

Jake Tyler Brigance

Kevin Spacey

D.A. Rufus Buckley

Brenda Fricker

Ethel Twitty

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Unfaithful

50%

68%

Unfaithful

Watchlist

City Hall

60%

37%

City Hall

Watchlist

Murder in the First

54%

79%

Murder in the First

Watchlist

The Lesser Evil

60%

73%

The Lesser Evil

Watchlist

The Siege

44%

53%

The Siege

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Siege

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Definitive Sandra Bullock Movies

"Batman & Robin" Writer Gets $4 Million for "Da Vinci" Prequel

Goldsman Signs On for "Angels & Demons"

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now