A Time to Kill ( 1996 film ) - wikipedia A Time to Kill ( 1996 film ) A Time to Kill Theatrical release poster Directed by Joel Schumacher Produced by Arnon Milchan John Grisham Michael Nathanson Hunt Lowry Screenplay by Akiva Goldsman Based on A Time to Kill by John Grisham Starring Sandra Bullock Samuel L. Jackson Matthew McConaughey Kevin Spacey Brenda Fricker Oliver Platt Charles S. Dutton Ashley Judd Patrick McGoohan Donald Sutherland Music by Elliot Goldenthal Cinematography Peter Menzies Jr. Edited by William Steinkamp Production company Regency Enterprises Distributed by Warner Bros. Release date July 24, 1996 ( 1996 - 07 - 24 ) Running time 149 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $40 million Box office $152 million A Time to Kill is a 1996 American crime drama film based on John Grisham 's 1989 novel of the same name, directed by Joel Schumacher. Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, and Kevin Spacey star, with Oliver Platt, Ashley Judd, Kiefer and Donald Sutherland, and Patrick McGoohan appearing in supporting roles. Set in Canton, Mississippi, the film involves the rape of a young girl, the arrest of the rapists, their subsequent murder by the girl 's father, and the father 's trial for murder. The film was a critical and commercial success, making $152 million at the worldwide box office. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Reception 3.1 Box office performance 3.2 Critical reception 3.2. 1 Reaction in France 3.3 Accolades 4 Soundtrack 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Plot In Canton, Mississippi, ten - year old African American Tonya Hailey is abducted, raped, and beaten by two white supremacists, Billy Ray Cobb and Pete Willard. The duo dump her in a nearby river after a failed attempt to hang her. Tonya survives, and the two men are arrested by Sheriff Ozzie Walls. Tonya 's father, Carl Lee Hailey, contacts Jake Brigance, a white lawyer. Brigance admits the possibility that the rapists will walk free. Carl Lee goes to the county courthouse and opens fire with an automatic rifle, killing both rapists and unintentionally injuring Deputy Dwayne Looney with a ricochet. Carl Lee is arrested and Brigance agrees to defend him. The rape and subsequent revenge killing gain national media attention. The district attorney, Rufus Buckley, decides to seek the death penalty, and presiding Judge Omar Noose denies Brigance a change of venue to a more ethnically diverse county, meaning that Carl Lee will have an all - white jury. Brigance seeks help from his defense team : law student Ellen Roark, close friend Harry Rex Vonner, and former mentor and longtime activist Lucien Wilbanks, a once - great civil rights lawyer. Meanwhile, Freddie Lee Cobb plans to avenge his brother Billy Ray 's death by enlisting the help of the Mississippi branch of the Ku Klux Klan and its Grand Dragon, Stump Sisson. On the first day of the trial, the Klan rallies only to be outnumbered by counter-protesters consisting of the area 's black and multiracial residents as well as whites who support Carl Lee. The protest erupts into a riot that results in dozens of injuries and the death of Stump Sisson. The Klan also begins to target Brigance, assaulting his elderly secretary and her husband ( who ends up dying of a fatal heart attack brought on by the assault ), burning a cross on his lawn and threatening his wife and daughter. When Brigance refuses to back down, Cobb kidnaps and assaults Roark. The Klan increases their attacks, including burning Brigance 's house. Dispirited, Brigance tells Carl Lee that there is little hope for an acquittal. Carl Lee replies that he had chosen him as an attorney because even a racist jury would listen to a white man ; as `` one of the bad guys '', he has an influence that a black man will never have. During closing arguments, a deeply shaken Brigance tells the jury to close their eyes and listen to a story. He describes, in slow and painful detail, the rape of a 10 - year - old girl, recalling the story of Tonya 's rape. He then asks the jury, in his final comment, to `` now imagine she 's white. '' After deliberation, a black child runs out of the courthouse and screams, `` He 's innocent ! '' Jubilation ensues amongst the supporters outside. The Klan, enraged, begins yelling in anger. Meanwhile, Sheriff Walls arrests Freddie Lee for his crimes, as well as a corrupted deputy that was by Freddie 's side. Brigance brings his wife and daughter to a family cookout at Carl Lee 's house to celebrate his freedom. Cast Samuel L. Jackson as Carl Lee Hailey Matthew McConaughey as Jake Brigance Kevin Spacey as Rufus Buckley Sandra Bullock as Ellen Roark Brenda Fricker as Ethel Twitty Oliver Platt as Harry Rex Vonner Charles S. Dutton as Ozzie Walls Ashley Judd as Carla Brigance Patrick McGoohan as Judge Omar Noose Kiefer Sutherland as Freddie Lee Cobb Donald Sutherland as Lucien Wilbanks John Diehl as Tim Nunley Doug Hutchison as James Louis `` Pete '' Willard Nicky Katt as Billy Ray Cobb Chris Cooper as Dwayne Looney Anthony Heald as Dr. Wilbert Rodeheaver Kurtwood Smith as Stump Sisson Tonea Stewart as Gwen Hailey Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly as Tonya Hailey M. Emmet Walsh as Dr. Willard Tyrell Bass Reception Box office performance According to Boxofficemojo.com, the movie performed well, earning over $108 million domestically. Critical reception The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, earning a 67 % `` Fresh '' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 51 reviews, a critical consensus reading : `` Overlong and superficial, A Time to Kill nonetheless succeeds on the strength of its skillful craftsmanship and top - notch performances ''. It has a score of 54 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 21 reviews. Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four, saying : `` I was absorbed by A Time to Kill, and found the performances strong and convincing, '' and added that `` this is the best of the film versions of Grisham novels, I think, and it has been directed with skill by Joel Schumacher. '' The film was not without its detractors, however. Anthony Puccinelli gave the film one star, calling it `` worthless '' and remarking : `` A Time to Kill argues for vigilantism but disguises its message by making the vigilante black, allowing viewers to think their blood lust and thirst for revenge is actually empathy for the oppressed. '' Peter Travers felt that `` they ( Schumacher and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman ) cram ( med ) in too much, '' adding, `` This distracts from the heart of the picture, which is in the bond between Carl Lee ( the brilliant ( Samuel L. ) Jackson is quietly devastating ) and Jake, a husband and father who knows he, too, would have shot anyone who raped his little girl. '' Gene Siskel remarked it was `` An overwrought, contrived courtroom thriller '', `` cornball '' and concluded `` This story has been recycled out of countless better movies. '' Grisham enjoyed the film, remarking : `` When all was said and done I was happy with it, happy we were able to find a kid like Matthew McConaughey. It was n't a great movie, but it was a good one. '' Reaction in France In France, the film has been the subject of much controversy. Critics have accused the movie of making an apology for the death penalty and right of self - defense. A question mark was added at the end of the title ( `` Le Droit de tuer ? '' / `` The Right to Kill ? '' ) so as not to shock the audience. Amnesty International France uses the word `` disturbing '' when referring to the film in one of its documents. Les Inrockuptibles described the film as `` nauseating '', `` stinking '', almost `` fascist '', with a script `` ultra-populist '' that makes you want to `` vomit ''. Libération criticized the script, calling it `` extremely dirty '' : the movie, says the newspaper, `` militates in favour of the black cause only to legitimize, after many plot buckles ( resurrection of the Ku Klux Klan, the deceits of court, threats of ( m ) any kinds ) the mentally ill gesture of the avenging father ''. According to Libération, the movie `` justifies the indefensible '' with a `` dripping sentimentalism ''. Accolades Golden Globe -- Best Supporting Actor -- Samuel L. Jackson -- Nominated NAACP Image Award -- Outstanding Motion Picture -- Won NAACP Image Award -- Best Supporting Actor in a film -- Samuel L. Jackson -- Nominated Blockbuster Entertainment Award -- Favorite Actress -- Suspense -- Sandra Bullock -- Won MTV Movie Awards -- Best Female Performance -- Sandra Bullock -- Nominated MTV Movie Awards -- Best Breakthrough Performance -- Matthew McConaughey -- Won Razzie Award -- Worst Written Film Grossing Over $100 Million -- Akiva Goldsman -- Nominated Stinkers Bad Movie Awards -- Worst Supporting Actress -- Brenda Fricker -- Nominated The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists : 2008 : AFI 's 10 Top 10 : Nominated Courtroom Drama Film Soundtrack This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2013 ) A Time to Kill Soundtrack album by Elliot Goldenthal Released August 20, 1996 Genre Classical, avant - garde, modernist Length 35 : 02 Label Atlantic 82959 - 2 Producer Matthias Gohl Elliot Goldenthal chronology Michael Collins ( 1996 ) Michael Collins 1996 A Time to Kill ( 1996 ) The Butcher Boy ( 1998 ) The Butcher Boy 1998 Elliot Goldenthal scored the film. AllMusic gave the soundtrack two and a half stars out of five, commenting that it `` does n't work particularly well when it 's separated from the film itself. '' `` Defile and Lament '' -- 2 : 33 `` Consolation '' -- 2 : 23 `` Justice Wheel '' -- 0 : 46 `` Pavane for Solace '' -- 2 : 29 `` Abduction '' -- 2 : 58 `` An Asurrendering '' -- 1 : 35 `` Pavane for Loss '' -- 1 : 07 `` Take My Hand, Precious Lord '' / `` Retribution '' by The Jones Sisters -- 6 : 50 `` Torch and Hood '' -- 2 : 02 `` Pressing Judgement '' -- 1 : 29 `` White Sheet '' -- 2 : 38 `` Pavane for Solace '' ( piano solo ) -- 2 : 06 `` Verdict Fanfare '' ( For Aaron ) -- 4 : 03 `` Take My Hand, Precious Lord '' by Cissy Houston -- 4 : 03 Credits Music composed by Elliot Goldenthal ( except 8 and 14 ) Music produced by Matthias Gohl Orchestrated by Robert Elhai and Elliot Goldenthal Conducted by Jonathan Sheffer Recorded and mixed by Joel Iwataki Electronic music produced by Richard Martinez Additional orchestrations by Deniz Hughes See also Jury nullification Vigilante film Trial movies References ^ Jump up to : `` A Time to Kill -- Box Office Data ''. The Numbers. Retrieved 8 August 2011. Jump up ^ A Time to Kill at Box Office Mojo Jump up ^ A Time to Kill Movie Reviews, Pictures -- Rotten Tomatoes Jump up ^ A Time to Kill Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic Jump up ^ `` A Time To Kill ''. Chicago Sun - Times. Jump up ^ Chicago Reader Jump up ^ `` Movie Reviews and Ratings from Peter Travers Rolling Stone Movies ''. Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2013 - 12 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Grisham v. Grisham : John Grisham issues judgment on ALL his novels '' Tina Jordan, Entertainment Weekly, Feb 13, 2004 Jump up ^ Le Droit de tuer ? ( 1996 ) -- AlloCiné Jump up ^ A time to kill -- Cinémathèque française Archived July 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2004 - 06 - 16. Retrieved 2010 - 04 - 06. Jump up ^ Les Inrocks : Le Droit de tuer ? Jump up ^ CINEMA. Sur fond de conflit racial et d'autodéfense, un `` Droit de -- Libération Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 10 Top 10 Nominees '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original on 2011 - 07 - 16. Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 19. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ A Time to Kill at AllMusic External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : A Time to Kill ( 1996 film ) A Time to Kill on IMDb A Time to Kill at AllMovie A Time to Kill at the TCM Movie Database A Time to Kill at Box Office Mojo A Time to Kill at Rotten Tomatoes A Time to Kill at Metacritic Works by John Grisham Novels A Time to Kill ( 1988 ) The Firm ( 1991 ) The Pelican Brief ( 1992 ) The Client ( 1993 ) The Chamber ( 1994 ) The Rainmaker ( 1995 ) The Runaway Jury ( 1996 ) The Partner ( 1997 ) The Street Lawyer ( 1998 ) The Testament ( 1999 ) The Brethren ( 2000 ) A Painted House ( 2001 ) Skipping Christmas ( 2001 ) The Summons ( 2002 ) The King of Torts ( 2003 ) Bleachers ( 2003 ) The Last Juror ( 2004 ) The Broker ( 2005 ) Playing for Pizza ( 2007 ) The Appeal ( 2008 ) The Associate ( 2009 ) The Confession ( 2010 ) The Litigators ( 2011 ) Calico Joe ( 2012 ) The Racketeer ( 2012 ) Sycamore Row ( 2013 ) Gray Mountain ( 2014 ) Rogue Lawyer ( 2015 ) The Whistler ( 2016 ) Camino Island ( 2017 ) The Rooster Bar ( 2017 ) Short story collections Ford County ( 2009 ) Short stories The Tumor ( 2015 ) Non-fiction The Innocent Man : Murder and Injustice in a Small Town ( 2006 ) Theodore Boone series Theodore Boone : Kid Lawyer ( 2010 ) Theodore Boone : The Abduction ( 2011 ) Theodore Boone : The Accused ( 2012 ) Theodore Boone : The Activist ( 2013 ) Theodore Boone : The Fugitive ( 2015 ) Theodore Boone : The Scandal ( 2016 ) Screenplays The Gingerbread Man ( 1998 ) Mickey ( 2004 ) Film adaptations The Firm ( 1993 ) The Pelican Brief ( 1993 ) The Client ( 1994 ) A Time to Kill ( 1996 ) The Chamber ( 1996 ) The Rainmaker ( 1997 ) The Gingerbread Man ( 1998 ) A Painted House ( 2003 ) Runaway Jury ( 2003 ) Christmas with the Kranks ( 2004 ) Television adaptations The Client ( 1995 ) The Firm ( 2012 ) Works by Akiva Goldsman Films directed Winter 's Tale ( 2014 ) Stephanie ( 2017 ) Films written The Client ( 1994 ) Silent Fall ( 1994 ) Batman Forever ( 1995 ) A Time to Kill ( 1996 ) Batman & Robin ( 1997 ) Lost in Space ( 1998 ) Practical Magic ( 1998 ) A Beautiful Mind ( 2001 ) I, Robot ( 2004 ) Cinderella Man ( 2005 ) The Da Vinci Code ( 2006 ) I Am Legend ( 2007 ) Angels & Demons ( 2008 ) Winter 's Tale ( 2014 ) The Divergent Series : Insurgent ( 2015 ) Rings ( 2017 ) Transformers : The Last Knight ( 2017 ) The Dark Tower ( 2017 ) Films produced Lost in Space ( 1998 ) Deep Blue Sea ( 1999 ) Starsky & Hutch ( 2004 ) Mindhunters ( 2004 ) Constantine ( 2005 ) Mr. & Mrs. Smith ( 2005 ) Poseidon ( 2006 ) I Am Legend ( 2007 ) Hancock ( 2008 ) The Losers ( 2010 ) Fair Game ( 2010 ) Jonah Hex ( 2010 ) Lone Survivor ( 2013 ) Winter 's Tale ( 2014 ) King Arthur : Legend of the Sword ( 2017 ) The Dark Tower ( 2017 ) Films directed by Joel Schumacher The Incredible Shrinking Woman ( 1981 ) D.C. Cab ( 1983 ) St. Elmo 's Fire ( 1985 ) The Lost Boys ( 1987 ) Cousins ( 1989 ) Flatliners ( 1990 ) Dying Young ( 1991 ) Falling Down ( 1993 ) The Client ( 1994 ) Batman Forever ( 1995 ) A Time to Kill ( 1996 ) Batman & Robin ( 1997 ) 8mm ( 1999 ) Flawless ( 1999 ) Tigerland ( 2000 ) Bad Company ( 2002 ) Phone Booth ( 2002 ) Veronica Guerin ( 2003 ) The Phantom of the Opera ( 2004 ) The Number 23 ( 2007 ) Blood Creek ( 2009 ) Twelve ( 2010 ) Trespass ( 2011 ) NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Motion Picture 1972 -- 2000 Lady Sings the Blues ( 1972 ) Let 's Do It Again ( 1976 ) The Greatest ( 1978 ) Fame ( 1980 ) Bustin ' Loose ( 1981 ) An Officer and a Gentleman ( 1982 ) A Soldier 's Story ( 1985 ) The Color Purple ( 1986 ) Lethal Weapon ( 1987 ) Coming to America ( 1988 ) Lean on Me ( 1989 ) Glory ( 1990 ) Boyz n the Hood ( 1992 ) Sister Act ( 1993 ) Malcolm X ( 1994 ) Waiting to Exhale ( 1996 ) A Time to Kill ( 1997 ) Soul Food ( 1998 ) How Stella Got Her Groove Back ( 1999 ) The Best Man ( 2000 ) 2001 -- present Remember the Titans ( 2001 ) Ali ( 2002 ) Antwone Fisher ( 2003 ) The Fighting Temptations ( 2004 ) Ray ( 2005 ) Crash ( 2006 ) The Pursuit of Happyness ( 2007 ) The Great Debaters ( 2008 ) The Secret Life of Bees ( 2009 ) Precious ( 2010 ) For Colored Girls ( 2011 ) The Help ( 2012 ) Red Tails ( 2013 ) 12 Years a Slave ( 2014 ) Selma ( 2015 ) Straight Outta Compton ( 2016 ) Hidden Figures ( 2017 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Time_to_Kill_(1996_film)&oldid=815794393 '' Categories : 1996 films English - language films 1990s crime drama films 1990s legal films American films American legal drama films American crime drama films Courtroom films Films scored by Elliot Goldenthal Films about capital punishment Films about child sexual abuse Films about human rights Films about race and ethnicity Films about racism Films about the Ku Klux Klan Films based on works by John Grisham Films directed by Joel Schumacher Films set in Mississippi Films shot in Mississippi Rape in film Regency Enterprises films Screenplays by Akiva Goldsman Vigilante films Warner Bros. films Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links All articles with failed verification Articles with failed verification from December 2013 CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Articles needing additional references from April 2013 All articles needing additional references Articles with hAudio microformats Album infoboxes lacking a cover Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Български Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Plattdüütsch Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Türkçe Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 17 December 2017, at 05 : 17. 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Question: what was the verdict in a time to kill
Answer: He's innocent