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A Time to Kill

  • 1996
  • R
  • 2h 29m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
212K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
864
79
Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, and Matthew McConaughey in A Time to Kill (1996)
Home Video Trailer from Unknown
Play trailer2:29
1 Video
99+ Photos
Legal DramaLegal ThrillerPsychological ThrillerCrimeDramaThriller

A young Mississippi lawyer defends a black man who killed the two white men that raped his preteen daughter.A young Mississippi lawyer defends a black man who killed the two white men that raped his preteen daughter.A young Mississippi lawyer defends a black man who killed the two white men that raped his preteen daughter.

  • Director
    • Joel Schumacher
  • Writers
    • John Grisham
    • Akiva Goldsman
  • Stars
    • Matthew McConaughey
    • Sandra Bullock
    • Samuel L. Jackson
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    212K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    864
    79
    • Director
      • Joel Schumacher
    • Writers
      • John Grisham
      • Akiva Goldsman
    • Stars
      • Matthew McConaughey
      • Sandra Bullock
      • Samuel L. Jackson
    • 428User reviews
    • 45Critic reviews
    • 53Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 7 wins & 12 nominations total

    Videos1

    A Time To Kill (2006)
    Trailer 2:29
    A Time To Kill (2006)

    Photos155

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    + 148
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    Top Cast88

    Matthew McConaughey
    Matthew McConaughey
    • Jake Tyler Brigance
    Sandra Bullock
    Sandra Bullock
    • Ellen Roark
    Samuel L. Jackson
    Samuel L. Jackson
    • Carl Lee Hailey
    Kevin Spacey
    Kevin Spacey
    • D.A. Rufus Buckley
    Oliver Platt
    Oliver Platt
    • Harry Rex Vonner
    Charles S. Dutton
    Charles S. Dutton
    • Sheriff Ozzie Walls
    Brenda Fricker
    Brenda Fricker
    • Ethel Twitty
    Donald Sutherland
    Donald Sutherland
    • Lucien Wilbanks
    Kiefer Sutherland
    Kiefer Sutherland
    • Freddie Lee Cobb
    Patrick McGoohan
    Patrick McGoohan
    • Judge Omar Noose
    Ashley Judd
    Ashley Judd
    • Carla Brigance
    Tonea Stewart
    Tonea Stewart
    • Gwen Hailey
    RaéVen Kelly
    • Tonya Hailey
    • (as RaéVen Larrymore Kelly)
    Darrin Mitchell
    • Skip Hailey
    LaConte McGrew
    • Slim Hailey
    Devin Lloyd
    • Willie Hailey
    John Diehl
    John Diehl
    • Tim Nunley
    Chris Cooper
    Chris Cooper
    • Deputy Dwayne Powell Looney
    • Director
      • Joel Schumacher
    • Writers
      • John Grisham
      • Akiva Goldsman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews428

    7.5211.6K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'A Time to Kill' Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Curabitur pretium tincidunt lacus.

    Nulla facilisi etiam dignissim diam quis enim lobortis scelerisque
    Lorem ipsum dolorSit amet consecteturAdipiscing elitSed do eiusmodTempor incididuntUt labore et doloreMagna aliquaUt enim ad minimVeniam quisNostrud exercitation
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    Related interests

    Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Kevin Pollak in A Few Good Men (1992)
    Legal Drama
    George Clooney in Michael Clayton (2007)
    Legal Thriller
    Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl (2014)
    Psychological Thriller
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
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    Thriller

    Storyline

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      Matthew McConaughey auditioned for the role of Freddie Lee Cobb. After reading the script, he preferred the role of Jake Brigance but didn't think they would cast him due to his experience level. He went to director Joel Schumacher, who granted him a private screentest.
    • Goofs
      When Jake calls Max after the fire, Max tries to run past him, apparently towards the off-screen dog wrangler.
    • Quotes
      • Jake Tyler Brigance: [in his summation, talking about Tonya Hailey] I want to tell you a story. I'm going to ask you all to close your eyes while I tell you the story. I want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to yourselves. Go ahead. Close your eyes, please. This is a story about a little girl walking home from the grocery store one sunny afternoon. I want you to picture this little girl. Suddenly a truck races up. Two men jump out and grab her. They drag her into a nearby field and they tie her up and they rip her clothes from her body. Now they climb on. First one, then the other, raping her, shattering everything innocent and pure with a vicious thrust in a fog of drunken breath and sweat. And when they're done, after they've killed her tiny womb, murdered any chance for her to have children, to have life beyond her own, they decide to use her for target practice. They start throwing full beer cans at her. They throw them so hard that it tears the flesh all the way to her bones. Then they urinate on her. Now comes the hanging. They have a rope. They tie a noose. Imagine the noose going tight around her neck and with a sudden blinding jerk she's pulled into the air and her feet and legs go kicking. They don't find the ground. The hanging branch isn't strong enough. It snaps and she falls back to the earth. So they pick her up, throw her in the back of the truck and drive out to Foggy Creek Bridge. Pitch her over the edge. And she drops some thirty feet down to the creek bottom below. Can you see her? Her raped, beaten, broken body soaked in their urine, soaked in their semen, soaked in her blood, left to die. Can you see her? I want you to picture that little girl. Now imagine she's white.
    • Alternate versions
      The first name of the Jake Brigance character becomes ''Jack'' Brigance in the Italian version.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper: Multiplicity/The Frighteners/Kazaam/Fled/Celestial Clockwork (1996)
    • Soundtracks
      Take My Hand Precious Lord
      Written by Thomas A. Dorsey
      Produced by Matthew Johnson and Bruce Watson
      Performed by The Jones Sisters
      Courtesy of Fat Possum Records

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    FAQ4

    • This story is very similar to To Kill a Mokingbird. Why?
    • What is the sleeveless shirt Matthew McConaughey's character is wearing with a famous musician on it?
    • What is 'A Time to Kill' about?

    Details

    • Release date
      • July 24, 1996 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Tiempo de matar
    • Filming locations
      • London, Ontario, Canada
    • Production companies
      • New Regency Productions
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    • Budget
      • $40,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $108,766,007
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $14,823,159
      • Jul 28, 1996
    • Gross worldwide
      • $152,266,007
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    • Runtime
      • 2h 29m(149 min)
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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