A Time to Kill - Movie Review

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At the start of the trial, outside the courthouse the streets are filled with protestors for both opposing sides of the trial. The streets that lined the entrance to the courthouse steps also contained the US military accompanied by military tanks and the soldiers were heavily armed. Among the protestors were the KKK, which included the dragon master that helped Cobb start his own KKK chapter. The atmosphere grew more intense over a short period of time and a huge brawl in the streets quickly ensued. The dragon master was killed by a Molotov cocktail thrown by a black teenage from the roof of a city bus. The dragon master was burned to death; Cobb and the KKK were extremely angered so they decided to retaliate by burning down Brigance’s family home. This alone was the inspiration that Brigance needed to get more serious about winning Carl Lee’s case.

As the trial continues days later, Cobb attempts to assassinate Brigance upon him exiting the courthouse by sitting atop a building across the street from the courthouse. Cobb misses and shoots an armed guard in the neck who was policing the demonstration outside the courthouse and escorting Brigance out of the courthouse. This armed guard was paralyzed by the shot to the neck. With the feeling of defeat, Cobb’s crew of Klansmen decide to kidnap Roark. The KKK take her into a slightly desolate, wooded area that neighbored a swampland and tied her up to a cross by her hands, where she was left for dead. Mickey Mouse, the Klansmen informant, decides to save Roark; he cuts her down and takes her to the hospital. The next day, Brigance visits Carl Lee in his holding cell. Feeling hopeless because of the relentless efforts of the defense and the Klan, Brigance suggests that Carl Lee should take a lesser plea. To me, the next scene was the eye-opening/moral and enlightening section of the movie.

Carl Lee explains to Brigance that this trial is not about race and justice, even though Brigance believes that him and Carl Lee are friends. Carl Lee then tells Brigance that he’s the “enemy” because he’s white just like the people who want to see him serve life in prison or the death penalty. Carl Lee tells Brigance that the only way they were going to win the trial was if he could convince the jury to see Carl Lee’s point of view; Carl Lee told Brigance to imagine that he was one of the jury members. The next day at trial after the prosecution’s summation, Brigance then addressed the members of the jury. Brigance approached the jury and instead of giving a summation, he instructed the members to close their eyes while he told them a story. Brigance recounted the incident of Carl Lee’s daughter’s assault but in a very general yet descriptive way. At the end of his story telling, Brigance then told the jury to imagine that the little girl in the story was white. Brigance then asked if the jury they were capable of not convicting a white man of revenge-killing then why couldn’t they do the same for a black man. Before returning to his seat, Brigance left the jury members with faces filled with tears. In the very next scene, a boy rushes out of the courthouse exclaiming the jury’s findings of Carl Lee being found innocent. The protestors on both sides of the trial expressed their joy and disappointment aloud. Then, Carl Lee’s daughter is shown running up to him and they embrace one another. The next scene shows Carl Lee’s house and a cookout in the front yard. Brigance, accompanied by his wife and child, pull up to the party. Brigance’s wife meets Carl Lee and his wife; she gives them a peach cobbler she made and takes her daughter to meet Carl Lee’s daughter.