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A Time to Kill (1996)

Director:
Joel Schumacher
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Drama
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Tid for hevn
RUNNING TIME
149 minutes
Producer:
Arnon Milchan
John Grisham
Michael Nathanson
Hunt Lowry
Screenwriter:
Akiva Goldsman


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Jake Brigance Matthew McConaughey ½
Ellen Roark Sandra Bullock ½
Carl Lee Hailey Samuel L. Jackson ½
Rufus Buckley Kevin Spacey ½
Ethel Twitty Brenda Fricker ½
Henry Rex Vonner Oliver Platt ½
Ozzie Walls Charles S. Dutton ½
Carla Brigance Ashley Judd
Judge Omar Noose Patrick McGoohan ½
Freddie Lee Cobb Kiefer Sutherland
Lucien Wilbanks Donald Sutherland ½
Tim Nunley John Diehl
James Louis "Pete" Willard Doug Hutchison
Billy Ray Cobb Nicky Katt ½
Dwayne Looney Chris Cooper
Dr. Wilbert Rodeheaver Anthony Heald
Stump Sisson Kurtwood Smith
Tonya Hailey Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly
Dr. Willard Tyrell Bass M. Emmet Walsh
Cora Mae Cobb Beth Grant
Reverend Isaiah Street Joe Seneca
Reverend Ollie Agee Thomas Merdis

 

Review

Despite its all-star cast and fine craftsmanship, A Time to Kill comes off as a somewhat ill-focused and disconcerting film about vigilante justice and overcooked racial issues in modern day Mississippi. And the vapid taste is probably more prominent today than it was back at the time of release, with the film's anachronisms being more apparent seen from a few years' distance. This was Matthew McConaughey's breakout role, and although he demonstrates his leading-man potential, he's also an unfinished product here, not quite able to project the films' many subtleties satisfactory (and falling semi-flat in his summation scene). But then neither is director Joel Schumacher, who most probably wanted to make a multi-layered film, but who got a little too worked up in the process; his sense of justice here is little more than bloodthirst disguised as race struggle. Somebody should have told somebody that two wrongs don't make a right. The fine acting by a number of supporting players is the film's best asset, most notably Chris Cooper, M. Emmet Walsh and the criminally underrated Doug Hutchison.

Copyright © 13.01.2015 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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