Review of A Time to Kill (1996) by Gregory G — 24 Feb 2011
Overblown, self-righteous adaptation of John Grisham's first novel about the trial of a Mississippi black man (Samuel L. Jackson) accused of murdering two white racists who raped his ten-year-old daughter.
The material is conventionally handled with stock characters and situations we've seen many times before. It has an attitude towards the South similar to "Mississippi Burning." Director Joel Schumacher takes an offensive approach by using racial imagery and epithets for melodramatic purposes.
He exploits the use of burning crosses and the appearance of the ku klux klan to manipulate the audience for the justification of vigilante justice. The movie is supposed to take place in contemporary times but it has the look and feel of the 60s.
Everyone is sweating all the time as if there were no air conditioners. For such a talented cast the performances are mostly wasted. Jackson brings dignity to the role but Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, and Kevin Spacey are mostly dull.
Written by Akiva Goldsman. With Oliver Platt, Nicky Katt, Ashley Judd, Charles S Dutton, Keifer Sutherland, Donald Sutherland, Chris Cooper, Patrick McGoohan, Brenda Fricker, Kurtwood Smith, and an unbilled M.
Emmet Walsh.
This review of A Time to Kill (1996) was written by Gregory G on 24 Feb 2011.
A Time to Kill has generally received positive reviews.
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