A Time to Kill
1996 · Movie · R · 149 min · ★ 7.4 · 60% critics
A young lawyer takes on the defense of a Black man accused of murdering two white men after they assault his 10-year-old daughter. The case triggers intense backlash from local racist groups, thrusting the courtroom into a larger fight over justice and prejudice.
Based on A Time to Kill
Also known as Tiempo de matar · Non coupable · Un temps pour tuer
Where to watch
Streaming on Philo — or rent from $3.99.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1996
- Release date
- 1996-07-24
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 149 min
- Critic score
- 60/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.4/10 (2,967 votes)
- Box office
- $152,266,007
- Budget
- $40,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this intense courtroom drama if you want hard-hitting arguments about justice and prejudice in a high-stakes legal battle; Not for you if you’re avoiding revenge-focused, emotionally brutal stories like Mississippi Burning or Sleepers.
Pros: strong courtroom tension; powerful performances; gripping stakes | Cons: heavy subject matter; pacing drags; story feels flawed
Themes
- sniper
- rape
- court
- jurors
- ku klux klan
- mississippi river
- forgiveness
- blackmail
- attempted murder
- trial
- murder
- lawyer
- +15 more
Cast & crew
Matthew McConaughey
as Jake Brigance
Sandra Bullock
as Ellen Roark
Samuel L. Jackson
as Carl Lee Hailey
Kevin Spacey
as Rufus Buckley
Ashley Judd
as Carla Brigance
Donald Sutherland
as Lucien Wilbanks
Oliver Platt
as Harry Rex Vonner
Charles S. Dutton
as Ozzie Walls
Brenda Fricker
as Ethel Twitty
Kiefer Sutherland
as Freddie Lee Cobb
Directed by Joel Schumacher