| | | A lawyer and his assistant fighting to save a father on trial for murder. A time to question what they believe. A time to doubt what they trust. And no time for mistakes.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, Trailers
John Grisham's bestseller A Time To Kill hits the screen with incendiary force, directed by Joel Schumacher (Batman Forever, The Client). Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey and Kevin Spacey portray the principals in a murder trial that brings a small Mississippi town's racial tensions to the flashpoint. Amid a frenzy of activist marches, Klan terror, media clamor and brutal riots, an unseasoned but idealistic young attorney mounts a stirring courtroom battle for justice. The superb ensemble cast also includes Brenda Fricker, Oliver Platt, Charles S. Dutton, Ashley Judd, Partrick McGoohan, Chris Cooper and both Donald and Kiefer Sutherland. These and other talents make A Time To Kill "one of the year's most powerful films" (Jeffrey Lyons, Sneak Previews/ABC World News Now).
"Breathlessly paced, bristling drama." Richard Schickel, Time Magazine
"An outstanding cast. Highly charged drama." Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"An emotional firestorm!" Pat Collins, WWOR-TV, New York
"Stirring, compelling, entertaining." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Editor's Note
In a small southern town in the 1960s, a black man awaits trial for murdering the two rednecks who viciously raped his 10-year-old daughter. A young, idealistic white lawyer takes up the father's defense, and the incendiary case becomes a firestorm of racism and controversy, ripping the town apart. Based on John Grisham's bestselling first novel.
Plot Summary
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, but the child's deeply enraged father, Carl Lee Hailey, takes justice into his own hands by killing the thugs himself at the courthouse.| Now Carl Lee Hailey is the one on trial, a highly controversial and fiery proceeding that begets numerous racial issues and incidents, some involving the Ku Klux Klan and the NAACP. At the center of this storm is White lawyer Jake Brigance, who not only faces an all-White jury, but personal attacks on his life should he win the case. Brigance, Hailey and Ellen Roark, a rich law student aiding Jake, face a tough road ahead of them, one that will change their lives forever.
| Features | Scene Access | | Widescreen Version Enhanced For 16X9 TV | | English & French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround | | Subtitles: English, Spanish, French | | Interactive Menus | | Production Notes | | Theatrical Trailer |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | A Time to Kill - DVD Review By: Christopher Null - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 1/16/2009 7:45 PM | |
Remember the hoopla over the novel A Time To Kill? It was celebrated author John Grisham's second book -- actually his first book -- the book he published after The Firm became a hit. The book that no one wanted before he was famous. The book, apparently, that, if it hadn't had his name on it, would never have been published. Now it's the fourth Grisham movie to be made, continuing in grand fashion that franchise of increasingly average film versions of his increasingly average writing....read the full review |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 11/10/2009 |
| Running Time: 150 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1996 | | Catalog ID: 14317 | | UPC: 00085391431725 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Golden Globe (1997) | | | Samuel L. Jackson, Nominee, Best Supporting Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture | |
Image Award (1997 ) |  | Samuel L. Jackson, Winner, Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Motion Picture | |
Image Award (1997) | | | Charles S. Dutton, Nominee, Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Motion Picture | | | Tonea Stewart, Nominee, Outstanding Supporting Acress In A Motion Picture | | | Rae'ven Kelly, Nominee, Outstanding Young Actor/Actress | |
MTV Award (1997) | | Matthew McConaughey, Winner, Best Breakthrough Performance | | | Sandra Bullock, Nominee, Best Female Performance | | | Kiefer Sutherland, Nominee, Best Villain |
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"...[McConaughey] is dynamite in a performance of smarts, sexiness, scrappy humor and unmistakable star sizzle..." 08/08/1996 p.68-70Sight and Sound
"...Plenty of enjoyable turns....Casting McConaughey in the lead certainly pays off..." 10/01/1996 p.54-5 USA Today
"...Handsome..." 07/24/1996 p.10B Variety
"...The most satisfying of the John Grisham screen adaptations to date....Well served by a stellar cast....In the film's most riveting performance, Jackson capitalizes on his role's potent dramatic opportunities..." 07/15/1996 Los Angeles Times
"...McConaughey does an impeccable movie-star turn..." 07/24/1996 p.F1 ReelViews 8 of 10
...this Hollywood production is actually saying something, rather than just churning out eye-popping special effects while relying on a regurgitated plot... it's impossible to deny that A Time to Kill is well-directed, expertly paced, and largely entertaining. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
I was absorbed by A Time to Kill, and found the performances strong and convincing, especially the work by Samuel L. Jackson as Carl Lee Hailey, the avenging father, and Matthew McConaughey as Jake Brigance, the lawyer. This is the best of the film versions of Grisham novels, I think, and it has been directed with skill by Joel Schumacher. - Roger Ebert
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