Review of A Time to Kill (1996) by Dave H — 06 Aug 2011
A fascinating, fascinating movie. What's curious is that it's so effective in justifying murder. On the defence side of saying - "murder's ok!" - we've got brilliant courtroom histrionics, three of the most attractive, charismatic stars of the era, and a typical underdog fighting to win tale.
On the prosecution side of saying "murder is wrong" - we've got perfect models of pure villainy: Ku Klux Klan, child rapists and bullying redneck sadists, and ironically: an insistence on enforcing the death penalty.
Really fascinating because beneath the surface there is a whirlpool of moral ambiguity and confusion...yet ON the surface, it's a slick, good-looking, involving legal thriller. Either way it's probably worth it, but diving deeper than its makers (and perhaps Grisham) intended, you may find the whirlpool more satisfying.
This review of A Time to Kill (1996) was written by Dave H on 06 Aug 2011.
A Time to Kill has generally received positive reviews.
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