A gritty, intense and engaging courtroom drama.
Comment
06/14/09
A Time to Kill (1996)
69
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:48
Fresh:33
Rotten:15
Average Rating:6.1/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 30 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: This adaptation of John Grisham's bestseller takes place in the small town of Canton, Mississippi, where two White rednecks kidnap, rape and savagely beat a young Black girl. The men are caught,... [More]
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Sandra Bullock
Director: Joel Schumacher
Reviews for A Time to Kill
Top CriticJustice may be blind, but rarely have courtroom dramas presumed quite so heavily on cultural myopia as this heinous version of John Grisham's first novel.
02/09/06
Top CriticNo review available.
03/04/03
It's McConaughey's commanding performance (or the way scenes between him and the equally camera-friendly Bullock practically eat through the screen) that will make this movie one for the history books.
01/01/00
There are no surprises here except for the indecipherable motivations and exacting length of two hours and twenty minutes.
06/05/02
Like many artists today, Grisham and Schumacher exploit racial tension without understanding it.
01/01/00
A skillfully constructed morality play that pushes all the right buttons and arrives at all the right conclusions.
01/01/00
Top CriticAn outstanding courtroom drama, and easily the best adaptation of one of John Grisham's legal thrillers.
01/01/00
McConaughey nails with such laconic grace that some critics are comparing him to the young Paul Newman and to Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird.
06/23/04
There is so much plot crammed into this 21/2-hour thriller that instead of an epic, ensemble tale of racism in modern America, it becomes an episodic, skim-the-surface series of melodramatic skits.
01/01/00
No review available.
01/01/00
The performances are strong, the issues provocative. I was glad I saw it, but I was also glad when it was over; my chest was sore from Schumacher aiming wallops at my heart. Sometimes he connected, but I wished he'd aimed more often at my brain.
01/01/00
With Joel Schumacher's tasteful but second-rate-Sidney-Lumet direction and Akiva Goldsman's nuts-and-bolts script, these boys have created a surprisingly stirring indictment of racism.
08/13/06
Looks aren't enough. In the lead, McConaughey isn't there.
07/04/04
Only a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman could make things worse--and lo and behold, speak of the devil and Old Scratch appears.
04/01/09
Never has a 145-minute film been less thrilling and more predictable.
01/01/00
Gripping suspense in this southern set drama. Sandra Bullock is oddly matched to McConaughey who lights the fire. Unfortunately, Samuel L. Jackson waits in the wings.
04/23/03
No review available.
06/26/03
A Time to Kill demonstrates perfectly why John Grisham is always at the top of the bestseller lists. Never mind his awkward, stilted prose -- the man tells compelling stories. And here we get his great story unhampered by bad writing.
01/01/00
No review available.
04/12/02
Top CriticLatest News for A Time to Kill
November 24, 2006:
"Batman & Robin" Writer Gets $4 Million for "Da Vinci" Prequel
Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman is allegedly earning a $4 million dollar paycheck for his adaptation of Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons," which features the... More...
May 23, 2006:
Goldsman Signs On for "Angels & Demons"
Yesterday we shared the news that the "Da Vinci Code" prequel was being discussed, and today comes word that screenwriter Akiva Goldsman will definitely be returning.... More...
April 15, 2005:
Zooey Prepares for "Launch"
The Hollywood Reporter gets with the reporting by informing us of "Failure to Launch," an upcoming romantic comedy from Paramount. The blue-eyed Zooey Deschanel... More...
March 24, 2005:
Critical Consensus: "Miss Congeniality" Armed, But Unfabulous
It’s been a while since Sandra Bullock’s last appearance on the big screen – 2002’s romantic comedy hit, “Two Weeks Notice,” co-starring Hugh Grant. She returns with “Miss... More...
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