Who dies in 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.

Click here to see the rest of this review

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.

Contact me | Privacy policy | Join the mailing list | Links

All images © their respective owners.

Cast & crew
User reviews
Trivia

In Clanton, Mississippi, a fearless young lawyer and his assistant defend a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his ten-year-old daughter, inciting violent retribution and... Read allIn Clanton, Mississippi, a fearless young lawyer and his assistant defend a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his ten-year-old daughter, inciting violent retribution and revenge from the Ku Klux Klan.In Clanton, Mississippi, a fearless young lawyer and his assistant defend a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his ten-year-old daughter, inciting violent retribution and revenge from the Ku Klux Klan.

319User reviews
82Critic reviews
Metascore

A truly tense film that takes place in present-day Mississippi. A young African-American girl has been raped by two backwoods white men. Her father (Samuel L. Jackson) takes the law into his own hands and kills the two. Now the small town becomes a hot-bed of controversy as a murder trial starts that gets national attention. There is the defense attorney (Matthew McConaughey) and his bright-eyed assistant (Sandra Bullock) against prosecutor supreme Kevin Spacey. A really solid film that works because of a screenplay that pulls no punches and revolutionary direction by Joel Schumacher. A great ensemble cast all excel here and the film captures a place that has turned into a media circus very well. A film that you will watch with clenched fists. An intense experience. 4 stars out of 5.

See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

Suggest an edit or add missing content

What is the streaming release date of A Time to Kill (1996) in Canada?

Answer