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A Time to Kill Movie Review Summary

Actors: Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Donald Sutherland, Ashley Judd, Kiefer Sutherland, Chris Cooper, Oliver Platt

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of A Time to Kill


Lawyer Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) takes on the case of Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson). His daughter was raped and severely beaten and he has killed the two men responsible, because he could not get justice, since he and his girl are black, the perpetrators white and the location is the Deep South in the 60s. Brigance gets threatened, local KKK (led by Kiefer Sutherland) put a burning cross in his front yard, his wife (Ashley Judd) and kid have to leave town, and one of his assistants, Ellen Roark (Sandra Bullock) gets kidnapped, tied up and left in the woods, only to be set free at the last minute by one of the KKK members, who feels things are going too far. Things are looking bad for Brigance and Hailey, because a key witness turns out to lack credibility, as he was once convicted for statutory rape, which is disclosed by the DA (Kevin Spacey). Brigance has no legal means left to win the case, so he decides to argue that the world would look differently upon this case if the races were reversed, which wins him the case, and Hailey his freedom. In the last scene Brigance and his wife go over to Hailey's house, so their daughters can play together.
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Best part of story, including ending: The story is set in the sixties, but hasn't lost it's relevance yet.

Best scene in story: Where local police officer (Chris Cooper) says Hailey should be released, despite the fact he shot him in the leg.

Opinion about the main character: He is a courageous guy, who is willing to go the distance and ultimately puts things in the only perspective that counts: the human perspective.

The review of this Movie prepared by Benten a Level 8 Sooty Shearwater scholar

Script Analysis of A Time to Kill

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Plot & Themes

Time/era of movie:    -   1960's-1970's Polit/Social/Race/Gender activism    -   Yes Plotlet:    -   racism!

Main Character

Identity:    -   Male Profession/status:    -   lawyer creature Age:    -   20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality    -   White American

Setting

United States    -   Yes The US:    -   Deep South

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   moderately detailed references to deaths Any profanity?    -   Some foul language Is this movie based on a    -   book

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