A Time to Kill

A great movie about racism and courage. I love the atmosphere of the movie and the cast is exceptional. A must-see

What can I say this film brings lots of tears about our society

Great movie with very intestering plot and great acting from all watch this!

I *really* misunderstood the underlying point of this movie the last time I saw it like 19 years ago, back when I was 19 and still very much deeply embedded in the conservative "states' rights!" bubble I was raised in. At that time, I was pissed that [spoiler]Carl Lee was acquitted[/spoiler] for the same "politically correct bullshit" I was being groomed to recognize; I was pissed because [spoiler]"it's obvious he's a murderer! He not only admitted to it on the stand, he ***proudly*** admitted to it on the stand!"[/spoiler] My young, uninformed confirmation-bias-addicted mind just couldn't look past the obvious moral conundrum and thought both Grisham and this movie were celebrating vigilante justice...at a time that same young mind was *thrilled* by superhero movies dedicated to glorifying and celebrating vigilante justice. Batman Begins was released just a couple months before then...

It took decades for me to finally give this another chance after spending all that time being annoyed by the ending.But here I am, nearing 40 now, after nearly 20 years of having my originally-imprinted worldview shattered by the people I considered peers in the early days of November 2008 and 20 years of reviewing everything that once disquieted me that I put on the shelf until my early 20s break that shelf...hearing Jake's summation monologue and realizing I **missed** the point so much at 19 and a couple years earlier when I caught a TNT showing of this; it was never about the morality of Carl Lee's actions, or celebrating them, it was about *justice,* no matter how the reader/viewer defined the word: does a Black man who openly and gladly murdered the rapists and attempted murderers of his daughter *deserve* a fair trial? If he doesn't, is *that* actually justice as defined by our oft-misquoted Founding Fathers? No, it isn't. Justice is supposed to be blind, not the "colorblind" cowards unwilling to commit to racial justice hid behind when I was a teenager, **totally** blind. "Now imagine she's white." are some of the four most devastating words ever spoken in a movie to me these days, because I'm so ashamed now that I know I'd have needed that forced-empathy to make it hit home for me when I was still a kid.

This is Joel Shumacher s best movie, I think and it is a good movie, although it has some flaws. For instance it shows its age being made in 1996. The fantastic cast and their performances makes up for a lot of these flaws.
What really is striking, is that you could make this movie now, in 2023 and it would still be accurate of the situation in some parts of the USA.
Think about that...

What really stuck out about this movie for me was [spoiler]the fact that _Jake didn’t cheat on his wife_.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]The two were disconnected from each other. She was angry with him. She had left and taken their child with her. She wasn’t being supportive and didn't understand his choices at the time.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]He didn’t use any of that as an excuse. He consistently did the right thing. He denied his interest and desire. He resisted the connection that he made with another woman, even while needing connection and while feeling abandoned by his wife.[/spoiler]

**This totally rocked my world.**

[spoiler]Because most often what happens in most films (and sadly in real life it seems) is that the character gives in. They give in and they cheat on their significant other, and more often than not, we're still expected to root for this person.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]It’s like this unspoken assumption that we’re meant to carry on caring about their journey, because movie. It’s become such a formulaic standard to accept a “good” character who cheats. I think it’s horseshit. One can’t be a cheater _and_ a good person. A good person can make mistakes, certainly. I’m hard-pressed to call cheating a mistake though. It’s a conscious decision and an ultimate betrayal. Now, can a cheater change and become a good person? Probably. But that’s not what I’m on about.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]It's so refreshing for a movie to bypass this norm and to instead showcase a realistic example of what it may look like to push down your own desires and respect the person you’ve committed to, even while not seeing eye to eye at the time.[/spoiler]

Mad props to those involved in making this movie for going this route.

[spoiler]If you love someone _so much_ then you can actively choose to love them enough to respect the level of monogamy they desire in a relationship with you. If you can’t, get the fuck out. Either find a compromise together or find someone else. I don’t care how much you love a person, you don’t deserve them if you refuse to respect them.[/spoiler]

As we can see, such difficult problems were raised in times when we didn't have woke agenda shoved in our faces. Pretty good movie, with a lot of great actors.

_A Time To Kill_ is a compelling legal drama that offers an engaging viewing experience. The film successfully weaves together elements of suspense, justice, and the human struggle for what's right. The supporting cast, including Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey, and Donald Sutherland, all contribute to the film's overall strength, while the film's message about the price of justice and the blurred lines between right and wrong will linger in your mind. _A Time to Kill_ is a well-crafted legal drama that combines excellent performances with exploration of justice and morality. It's a worthwhile watch for fans of courtroom thrillers.

Really enjoyed it. It's a bit slow in the middle but the stellar cast make it work. Don't know if I buy the ending but it doesn't ruin the film for me.

A solid - but not startling - adaptation of the engaging Michael Crichton book. Some very recognisable actors doing a reasonable job. But the reality is that it is oversimplified and has lost a lot detail which gave the book it's depth.

I'd strongly recommend skipping this and just go straight to the source material