A Time to Kill

McConaughey was a good actor even when he was young, but he just didn’t want to. Schumacher in good form, a myriad of stars (Jack Bauer as the head of the local branch of the Ku Klux Klan!), who maintain the tension inside the viewer for two and a half hours until the unexpectedly classic end. Grisham came up with a great idea revolving around racial hatred, Goldsman interpreted it wonderfully for the silver screen. A classic about a lawyer that matures with age. (12/24/2014)

This time it's best to start from the end. The final and supposedly gripping and authentic speech by Matthew McConaughey left me completely indifferent. It's brutally implausible and it won’t make you transform into a gullible jury member, so unless you want to feel it at all cost, you won't feel anything. The chemistry between the young lawyer and the ambitious student is great and they complement each other well, Kevin Spacey delivers excellent wisecracks and the permanently “sozzled” Donald Sutherland plays a role that is not often seen. And we must not forget the main antagonist, whose revenge was much more believable than those legal entanglements. However, the biggest driving force remains the initial brutal act and the subsequent chaos in the bar. (10/27/2007)

It's a good movie with a strong case and great acting performances, although I still don't understand how it's possible to kill two people and walk out of the courtroom as innocent, or rather without punishment. It rather made me reflect on the concept of justice, at least in the American system, where it's not about justice per se, but simply about the case, about popularity, about reputation... I don't know... just anything but justice. How are we supposed to understand it? (06/09/2016)

Average, average, and more average. On the one hand, the great Samuel L. Jackson, the admirable "shark" Kevin Spacey, excellent (all of them) chilling scenes with the Ku Klux Klan and Goldenthal's chilling music along with them, but on the other hand we get Matthew McConaughey, who is not very believable, the completely unnecessary Sandra Bullock character (even more unnecessary than in the book), several downright ridiculous moments (the bomb, the shooting of the soldier...) and that sickeningly saccharine ending... Two and a half stars. (12/18/2011)

A traditional southern Grisham film based on the 1988 novel of the same name. The film is a riveting courtroom drama with many pressing themes that are conveyed with equal verve in both mediums. Of the performances, Matthew McConaughey towers above all, especially in the final speech. Samuel L. Jackson is also great, but Sandra Bullock is just a poster attraction - her role is relatively small and just completes the all-star team. (05/04/2022)