A must-watch classic!

Rating: 9/10 (13 June 2014)

"To Kill a Mockingbird" centers mainly around three characters: Scout, Jem and their father Atticus, who raises his children to the best of his ability while defending a black man accused of raping a white women.
I first saw "To Kill a Mockingbird" shortly after reading the book in my high school English class. Being born less than 20 years ago I'd lie if I said I was not slightly put off by it being in black and white; how stupid was I. The book itself was great and to my surprise the movie portrayed Harper Lee's story excellently. To those still wondering whether to watch this 1962 classic, do it! The cinematography is excellent, but what really makes this movie is the performance put on by Gregory Peck; our hero in this movie and perhaps the greatest film hero ever!
There are some powerful scenes which showcases Atticus's moral outlook on life and the story of how he defends a black man whose fate has already been sealed is sad yet inspiring. One line that stuck to me from the novel is Miss Maudie telling Scout after the trial had been lost: "I thought, Atticus Finch won't win, he can't win, but he's the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long on a case like that." This pretty much sums up Atticus's determination to give Tom Robinson a fair trial despite what the rest of the community may think.
The child acting was impressive and the characters of Scout and Jem were portrayed as children should. They were naive and silly, doing stupid things and disobeying their father time and time again. But during the three year time spine in which this movie plays off you see them growing, taking more of Atticus's advice in along the way. Scout is of course our main protagonist and she and her brother were highly relatable and contributed to the success of this movie.
Conclusion:
I recommend this to almost everyone. Young lawyers, movie-lovers and most importantly to all the fans of the novel who haven't seen this film: You won't be disappointed!
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