rotten tomatoes: 69%
IMDB: 7.1
Never saw it. I like getting movie recommendations
Quote
loved it)
The best movie I had seen in ten years! One of the ten best I've ever seen!, 8 October 2006
Author:
Gwendylan from United States
This movie dealt with such a deplorable subject.. such a sickening act, without so much as one single gratuitously violent scene in the whole perfectly realised masterpiece.
It's a chilling, thought-provoking, hard-hitting piece that's taut, absorbing, and impeccably well-paced.
There are jaw-dropping performances by numerous top-flight actors here, not a-one letting the ball drop even once. Not one actor's time or talents were wasted in this extremely well thought-out project.. not one actor wasted a cent of the money we paid to see it.
Matthew McConaughey's "Jake Brigance" was an incredibly lucky shot of an acting debut that he took and ran with like the wind, turning in an amazing, heart-stopping, truly star-making performance, which may prove to be the crowning achievement of his entire career when all is said and done.. It will be a treacherous climb to try and top it, certainly.
Class act Donald Sutherland is superbly cast in a quiet, and profound role, as "Jake"'s, {now no longer practicing}, professor, a perfect fit, this role, for a man of such rare eloquence~ There is a sizzling sub-story going on between "Jake", a devoted family man, and Sandra Bullock's character that could not have been tighter, steamier, nor more well written and played out.
I recommend this movie to anyone who believes in justice, who has a child, or only knows one.
You want cheap, tawdry, sleazy, violent 'entertainment'? There's not one thing here for you~
Killing cannot be considered "right" by any means; but sometimes it's just not as simple as "THOU SHALT NOT KILL".
So many of us say, "I would kill for my children, {or other loved one's}!".. but would we? ..Would we be in the "right"?
HATED IT:
Insulting, 8 March 2000
Author:
Victim_Of_Fate from London, UK
Regardless of whether the predominant social message of this film - that vigilante justice is acceptable - is justifiable, I was more insulted by McConaughey's closing statement. In a courtroom drama, the closing statement of the defence attorney is pretty much the crux of the film, and when the issue is as difficult to resolve as this one, the statement is really being delivered to the audience as well as the jury. This basically implies that the audience consider the rape of a white girl to be a more horrific crime than the rape of a black girl. I for one find this very insulting. As for the rest, I found the acting reasonable, with the exception of Sandra Bullock, who seems to be playing her usual bubbly self (doesn't really work in a courtroom drama), but what's the point when the film's message is as poor as this one. It tells you that vigilante justice is fine, and accuses you of racism if you disagree.
