Great literature usually gets adapted into bad films. On the other hand, some really bad literature became inspiration for some really good films. But, what about literature of average quality? The answer could be found in novels by John Grisham, lawyer-turned novelist whose books about heroic legal expert single-handedly beating the Establishment made him one of the most successful American writers and the darling of Hollywood. His books' adaptations had mixed results - some of the films were good, some were passable and some were bad. A Time to Kill, 1996 courtroom thriller directed by Joel Schumacher, belongs to the latter category.
The plot takes place in Canton, small town in the state of Mississippi where the tensions between white and black community escalate after horrific crime. Two white rednecks rape, torture and mutilate 10-year old black girl. They are quickly apprehended, but the girl's father Carl Lee Hailey (played by Samuel L. Jackson) is more than convinced that they are going to be set free because of the racist juries. Instead he takes the law into his own hands, gunning both of them down and wounding one of the sheriff's deputies in the process. He is arrested afterwards and the only thing that can save him from death penalty is his lawyer - young, poor and idealistic Jake Brigance (played by Matthew McConaughey). Brigance takes the case and soon finds out that the odds are against him - prosecution is led by ambitious and very competent D.A. Rufus Buckley (played by Kevin Spacey) and the presiding Judge Omar Noose (played by Patrick McGoohan) is more interested in his political standing among closet white racists than in impartiality of the proceedings. Apart from having to fight uphill battle in the courtroom, Brigance must think of KKK that starts making threats against his family and associates. The only positive development is an arrival of Ellen Roark (played by Sandra Bullock), brilliant law student from the North, who volunteers to be his aide and gradually develops more than professional relationship towards Brigance.
Anyone who watches A Time to Kill might have impression that this film could have dealt with many important issues like the current state of racial relations in USA, quality of judicial system, crime, punishment and justifiability of vigilantism. It could have, but it didn't, which is not surprising, since it was written by Akiva Goldsman and directed by Joel Schumacher. This duo somehow managed to make somewhat watchable film out of their adaptation of The Client, but here they ran out of luck. Many colourful characters from the novel were unnecessarily kept in the film, making their characterisation one-dimensional. Furthermore, the whole plot is full of simplifications, generalisations and most of its developments - including the obligatory romantic thing between Brigance and his assistant - could have been guessed by the audience. So, there is very little tension in this film, and Schumacher's direction (use of slow motion in the killing scene) hardly helps the film.
But the worst thing about A Time to Kill is the attempt to reconcile two completely opposing concepts - rule of law and vigilantism. On one hand, we must sympathise with the protagonist who wants to save his client through legal means, in the courtroom, while, in the same time, A Time to Kill condones the act that couldn't be described as anything else but cold blooded murder. Never in the film there is a single suggestion that Hailey's action wasn't justified - in current America this form of vigilante justice was the only justice available to black men in his situation. Protagonist, for all of his enlightened anti-racism, again employs racist argument to get him free. A Time to Kill could have used somewhat more complex scenarios - the races of the characters could have been reversed, the murdered rednecks could have been later exonerated etc. But this approach was too risky for "politically correct" Hollywood and A Time to Kill is today remembered as nothing more than a entry in Matthew McConaughey's filmography.
RATING: 2/10 (-)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on February 14th 2003)
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