While it sometimes gets a bit too heavy handed for its own good, it is still a very good courtroom drama and maybe the best Grisham adaptation yet.

It manages to capture the sultry South of America fantastically. It has an oppressive, sticky feel to it that reflects and accompanies the proceedings really well.

Schumacher directs his wonderful cast really well and paces his film perfectly. Given the subject matter, he has done really well to not turn this into a cliched, cheesy affair.

I have my brother to thank for pointing out this fantastic courtroom drama. It also made it into the 2nd Robinson Film Festival. (Check my lists for more info on Robinson Film Festivals)

This is the film that made me look at Matthew McConaughey as a serious actor who can pull a great performance out of the bag. This has been reinforced lately with his stellar turn in Killer Joe. In fact this film is littered with stand out performances. Jackson and Spacey both very worthy of a mention.

Gritty, intense and by far the best Grisham adaption to film. A Time To Kill is an extremely moving film that stands tall as one of the very best courtroom dramas ever made.

A little heavy-handed at times but ultimately well-intentioned and impactful, Joel Schumacher's A Time to Kill, based upon the novel by John Grisham, sees Matthew McConaughey's Mississippi lawyer defending Samuel L. Jackson, who shot dead the two racist hicks who raped his 10 year old daughter. It's a great cast, also including Kevin Spacey, Sandra Bullock, Oliver Platt, Ashley Judd, The Sutherlands, Sr and Jr., and Chris Cooper. It's well-written by Akiva Goldman, provocative, thought-provoking and powerful, slathered in sticky Deep South sweat and oppression. I do love a courtroom drama.

"Now imagine she's white."

I don't think I've ever gasped so hard in my life. So many brilliant moments in this film and such an intense story. Glad I finally saw it.

Such an underrated, deeply engaging, and riveting drama. Every performance is fantastic especially Jackson and the film is extremely powerful overall. Such a great movie that I don't think gets enough credit.

“but when do i finally get to say the n word?”
- every white actor reading their lines for this movie

I knew I should have watched Law & Order: Trial by Jury instead

In spite of his time on the Batman franchise, I do believe Joel Schumacher can work wonders with the right script. Here, we have a courtroom drama centred on hostile racial relations, which prove as engaging and timely today as upon the films release over 20 years ago. Leading things are a tremendous ensembles, including a fresh faced Matthew McConnaughey, pre-McConnaughssaince, a phenomenal Sandra Bullock, and a terrific Samuel L. Jackson. It's just a shame things get bogged down by moments involving the Ku Klux Klan, which feel like an unnecessary attempt to spice things up, and feel taken from an entirely different film. It's a blemish on a magnificent little film.

“now imagine she’s white” .....chills

A Time to Kill

See I’m only giving this a 4 beacause the movie is decent, but I really really wanted to give this a 1 1/2 because of how much it deviates from the source material. Now I know that isn’t really fair and I frankly don’t give a fuck because a time to kill is one of my favorite books of all time, and for it to deviate this far from the book is upsetting. That is all

Also one of the movies I have seen a countless times on TV. McConaughey and Samuel L Jackson great in it and it always makes me feel good.

Drawn-out and much too convinced of its value as a social message movie, despite its hopelessly muddled politics. Bloviating in the way of too many Grisham adaptations without the benefit of strong performances to knock the edge off, though it is at least interesting for its role in the development of the McConaughey persona.