Let me begin this review by saying the following: If you are looking for a comparison between the new movie "A Time to Kill" and the John Grisham novel on which it was based, you will not find it here.
Not having read the book, I will be only commenting on the movie -- which was entertaining and well-acted, though a bit too long.
"A Time to Kill" is essentially about the trial of Mississippi factory worker Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson), a black man who guns down the two white men responsible for brutally assaulting and raping his 10-year-old daughter.
Hailey is defended by Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey), an eager, yet unknown young lawyer who hopes getting an acquittal of his client will launch his fledgling legal career.
One the one hand, we feel sorry for Hailey -- who faces the gas chamber if convicted -- and can almost understand how he was motivated to seek vengeance, but yet, we know that our legal system does not condone cold-blooded murder, under any circumstances.
There are two large themes that the viewer is constantly reminded of throughout the film -- can a black man get a fair trial in a predominantly white area with a predominantly white jury; and when, if ever, is it permissible for people to take the law into their own hands?
The case seems to take on a life of its own, especially because the district attorney trying the case is the relentless Rufus Buckley (Kevin Spacey), who makes no secret of the fact that he intends to use a big victory in this high profile trial to catapult him into the Mississippi governor's chair.
A major problem with the film is that there are a quite a few plot threads going on, and the movie just gets too bogged down with details not essential to the plot.
For example, a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan is established in the area, and they want to take revenge on Hailey for the killings. The guys in white hoods attack Brigance's staff, they try to burn and blow up his house, there's an assassination attempt on the courthouse steps -- the whole thing just becomes absurd after a while.
Another extraneous plot thread is the relationship between Brigance, and his eager law student assistant, Ellen Roark (Sandra Bullock). Roark provides valuable research and legal assistance to Brigance, and soon the mutual attraction between the two becomes apparent.
As usual, Bullock lights up the screen, and the chemistry between her and McConaughey is sizzling, but after their third almost-kiss, moviewatchers are apt to get tired of all the teasing and ask that the focus of the movie return back to the courtroom, where it belongs.
In fact, perhaps the greatest strength of the movie are the rich and intricate details about the courts and the legal process.
Even though a murder trial would seem to be conducted in a rigid, standard fashion, we are privy to the behind-the-scenes chess match and all the jockeying for legal position undertaken by the attorneys.
Buckley and Brigance each meticulously try to narrow the jury pool to candidates they deem favorable for different reasons -- Brigance hopes to load the jury with blacks who will be more sympathetic to Hailey, and Buckley wants a predominantly white jury.
As was the case with the first three Grisham books-turned-movies -- "The Firm," "The Pelican Brief" and "The Client"-- "A Time to Kill" is loaded with stars.
Jackson, Bullock, McConaughey and Spacey comprise the main cast, and the strong supporting cast includes Oliver Platt as Brigance's friend and legal partner, Ashley Judd as Brigance's wife, Donald Sutherland as Brigance's legal mentor and Kiefer Sutherland as the leader of the local Klan chapter.
Spacey and McConaughey give particularly notable performances. Spacey, who plays some pretty reprehensible characters in "The Usual Suspects" and "Seven," will absolutely make your blood chill in his role as the ruthless DA.
McConaughey, a virtual unknown who was handpicked by Grisham for the male lead, delivers the goods with a sensitive and passionate performance as the attorney who is willing to risk his marriage, his family, his legal career and even his life for the sake of seeing justice served.
If this film is any indication, McConaughey could be a real star in the years to come.
Although the acting in "A Time to Kill" is good, some of the writing is a bit inconsistent -- the movie starts strong, but then the life really seems to get sucked out of it.
Luckily, though, the film comes on strong at the end. Pay particular attention to Brigance's closing summation, which is absolutely brilliant.
"A Time to Kill" was Grisham's first widely-released novel, and to this day remains his favorite, so he held onto the movie rights until he was absolutely certain he could get a director he knew would do it justice.
Director Joel Schumacher, who won the prized assignment following his sensitive treatment of the Grisham's "The Client," shows that Grisham's faith in him was justified.
Despite some of the plot shortcomings and the excessive length of "A Time to Kill," Schumacher and his stable of talented actors have created a pretty good movie.
It may not be a gripping courtroom thriller on par with "A Few Good Men" and "Paths of Glory," but "A Time to Kill" is still an enjoyable film nonetheless.
