‘Time To Kill’ Full Of Cliches, But Definitely Fun To Watch

“A Time to Kill” is chock-full of overused movie cliches, unrealistic plot twists and somewhat inconsistent acting.

Sounds like the kind of box office bomb that Hollywood has gotten used to, right? Wrong. “A Time to Kill” was the most enjoyable movie I’ve seen all summer.

Despite the drawbacks listed above, “Time” has all the traits that have made the masses want to go to movies for the last 75 years. It was full of suspense, spellbinding oratory and characters you can’t help but love. Relying on that powerful threesome, it’s easy to forget everything that’s wrong with it.

Matthew McConaughey, a virtual unknown before he landed the lead role, is spectacular. As Jake Brigance, a white lawyer defending a black man accused of murder, McConaughey has a difficult and complex character to play. He pulls it off with ease.

Another challenge for McConaughey is he has to make his character fresh. Variations of his role have been played for years. But he easily makes you forget those before him.

Brigance defends Carl Lee Hailey (played by Samuel L. Jackson), who was seen murdering two men who raped and attempted to kill his daughter. A plea of insanity is entered, despite the fact that everyone knows the murders were premeditated revenge.

So the case comes down to whether an entirely white jury believes that these murders were justifiable.

That’s only one aspect of the story. Before long, the Ku Klux Klan gets involved. They threaten Brigance’s secretary, kidnap his research assistant and set fire to his house.

Still, though, Brigance sticks to the case, “trying to save the world one case at a time,” in the words of his mentor, a disbarred lawyer played by Donald Sutherland.

The supporting cast, while spotty, has some gems. Sandra Bullock plays Ellen Roark, Brigance’s researcher - a part far too small for someone of her talent.

Also great are Sutherland, Oliver Platt as an enterprising, immoral divorce lawyer who gets involved with the case and Chris Cooper as a cop wounded by a ricocheting bullet aimed at the rapists.

In stark contrast, though, were three others. Kevin Spacey, as the state attorney trying the case, is dreadfully inconsistent. He tries to play a clever, conniving lawyer in pursuit of his own selfish goals, a role that never really comes off.

Also annoying were Brenda Fricker as a secretary and Ashley Judd as his wife.

“A Time to Kill” is highlighted by two incredible speeches, one from Jackson and the other from McConaughey during the trial’s summation. That, on its own, was worth the ticket price.

Some self-proclaimed movie buffs will undoubtedly label “A Time to Kill” as a failed attempt at a poignant racial film and say it was no more than cheap Hollywood entertainment.

OK, maybe it was cheap entertainment, but I loved it. And anyone who gives it a chance will, too.

Grade: B+