Set in Ford County, Mississippi, A Time to Kill tells the emotional story of a young, idealistic lawyer who defends a black man, Carl Lee Hailey, for taking the law into his own hands following an unspeakable crime committed against his young daughter. The small town is thrown into upheaval as Jake finds himself arguing against the formidable district attorney, Rufus Buckley, and goes under attack from both sides of a racially divided city.
What Is the Story of A Time to Kill?
Based on John Grisham’s bestselling novel, A Time to Kill tells the story of Jake Brigance, an idealistic white lawyer from Ford County, Mississippi, who sits in on a harrowing court case: A 10-year-old black girl named Tonya Hailey was brutally raped and beaten by two white men. Jake is shaken by the testimony of the girl’s father, Carl Lee Hailey, but when Carl takes the law into his own hands in the courtroom, the grieving father is suddenly under arrest and facing a trial of his own. Carl begs Jake to represent him, and although it’s a tough case, the young lawyer agrees to fight for the justice of Tonya, Carl and their family. With the help of his oft-inebriated mentor Lucien Wilbanks and a bright young law student named Ellen Roark, Brigance goes head to head against district attorney Rufus Buckley. As the controversial trial shakes the town to its core, Brigance finds himself—and his own beloved family—under attack.
"With performers on the level of John Douglas Thompson and [Patrick] Page, you can be guaranteed a certain complement of gripping exchanges and stirring orations."
Vulture
Scott Brown
"[Tom] Skerritt nicely pulls off a charming disgraced and drunken lawyer and [Fred Dalton] Thompson is a sure-footed judge, perfectly cast."
Associated Press
Mark Kennedy
"[Page] wraps himself in Southern smarm, wielding an oily smile and lowering his voice to a fiendish basso croak. At a recent preview, he had the audience eating out of his hand—that is, rooting solidly against him."
USA Today
Elysa Gardner
"James Noone’s expressive set, made almost entirely of polished wood and sensuously curved like the staves of a barrel, has the mellow glow (provided by lighting designer Jeff Croiter) you’d expect to find in an old country courthouse in the Deep South."
Variety
Marilyn Stasio
"[John Douglas] Thompson lends a palpable weight and gravity to his performance as Carl Lee, whose belief that his actions were justified makes him squirm with anguish at the idea that he’ll hang for his crimes."
The New York Times
Charles Isherwood