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A Time to Kill

A Time to Kill

Experience a time you'll never forget.

1996149 minRMidcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Director
Joel Schumacher
Starring
Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey

A young lawyer defends a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter, sparking a rebirth of the KKK.

Where to watch

Where can I watch A Time to Kill?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists A Time to Kill to rent or buy on Prime Video, and on no subscription service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about A Time to Kill?

A Time to Kill earns 10 badges, led by Universally Loved and Top 5% in Crime.

Show 2 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is A Time to Kill worth watching?

A Time to Kill's Midcredits score is the 94th percentile of all films, from 491K ratings across 6 sources. 84% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

94th percentile

Better received than 94% of films

95th percentile among Crime94th percentile among 1990s
Acclaim (how much people like it)90th
Approval (how many liked it)94th

74 /100

90th percentile of all films

93rd percentile among Crime92nd percentile among 1990s

Critics 53 · Audience 76

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

A tight consensus around 7.6 — people broadly agree on this one.

84% liked it

94th percentile of all films

94th percentile among Crime95th percentile among 1990s
84% rated it 7–1016% rated it 1–6

Critics 66% · Audience 85%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of audiences approved than critics.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 7 wins / 12 noms overall

  • NominatedGolden Globes· Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

98th percentile

491K ratings across platforms

98th percentile among Crime98th percentile among 1990s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 34% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$40M
Opening weekend$15M
Domestic gross$109M
Worldwide gross$152M

Returned 3.8× its budget — 97th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

The film is a glossy, crowd-pleasing courtroom drama that delivers high entertainment value while tackling weighty themes of race and justice.

Fans praised

  • powerful emotional impact and tearjerker closing argument
  • star-making lead performance by Matthew McConaughey
  • strong ensemble cast with no weak links

Detractors panned

  • heavy-handed, one-sided portrayal of racism that paints all white Southerners as villains
  • preachy and manipulative script that stacks the deck for vigilante justice
  • caricature villains and lack of subtlety in the screenplay

What stands out

Acting82

ensemble praised as stellar; McConaughey's breakthrough and Jackson's intensity highlighted; detractors say cast can't elevate material

Emotional impactDivisive82

deeply moving for fans; detractors dismiss it as sentimental manipulation

TensionDivisive80

gripping and edge-of-seat; detractors call it manipulative but effective

DialogueDivisive72

closing argument widely praised; detractors find speeches preachy

PacingDivisive70

taut and absorbing for most; some feel editing is rushed and overstuffed

CharactersDivisive60

some find characters well-drawn; others call Ellen Roark overwritten and villain clichés

Plot and storyDivisive55

compelling premise but accused of contrivance and manipulative stacking

Originality35

derivative of To Kill a Mockingbird and Grisham formula

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 5 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 4 points apart
  • Critics vs users 2 points apart
  • US vs non-US 1 point apart

Watch experience

What is A Time to Kill like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Tense and gripping: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want something tense that holds you to the end.

It is intense and leaves you thinking. Skip it when you want an easy night.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Tense and gripping.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseMelancholicCathartic
Heaviest: middle
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Melodramatic · 9% of films: Heightened emotion, played large.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film plays its serious racial and legal themes straight, with earnest emotion and gravity.
The rideThe trial's tension dominates the middle stretch, with melancholic undertones from the community's pain and a cathartic release at the end.
StructureThe story unfolds in a straightforward linear fashion, from the crime through the trial to the verdict.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Thinking.

Thought-provokingHopeful
Why it leaves you this wayThe trial's outcome and final family scene leave you reflecting on racial justice while feeling a cautious hope for reconciliation.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Monster
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% (this title) · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Institutional injustice: A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).

21% of films fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe film centers on a lawyer challenging a racist judicial system to save a client who took revenge, making it a loose overcoming the monster story where the monster is systemic injustice.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfJusticeMorality
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% (this title) · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16% (this title): Justice 13% (this title) · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% (this title) · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Morality

Justice · 13% of filmsPrejudice · 3% of filmsFamily bonds
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film is fundamentally about whether the legal system can deliver justice for a black father in a deeply racist Southern town.
StanceThe film questions whether the justice system can overcome deep-seated racial prejudice, centering on Jake Brigance as he navigates the trial.

The world

ContemporaryRuralInstitutionalDomesticRealistic
Orchestral modernSupportive music · original score · Elliot Goldenthal
SettingCanton, Mississippi, during a racially charged trial
MusicThe score blends tense strings with mournful southern-inflected themes to underscore the film's moral weight.

Content guide

Is A Time to Kill okay for kids?

R

A Time to Kill is rated R: “Rated R for violence and some graphic language” (MPAA). As of September 28, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at intense (73/100), sexual content at moderate (41/100), language at intense (61/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (42/100) and frightening material at severe (82/100). Overall it is heavier than 57% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 23 other countries
  • UK15
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany12
  • France12
  • Ireland15
  • South Korea15
  • Brazil14
  • Belgium18
  • Czechia15+
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK-16
  • Hungary18
  • ID13+
  • IsraelR
  • MexicoC
  • Netherlands16
  • Norway15
  • Poland18
  • PortugalM/12
  • RO18+
  • Spain18
  • Sweden15 År
  • Switzerland12
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 74% of all filmsHeavier than 57% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Intense
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 55%
Sex & Nudity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 39%
Profanity
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 40%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 54%
Frightening / Intense
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 82%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is frightening material, violence, and language. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does A Time to Kill have?

MovieCove's classifier found 7 depicted content warnings in A Time to Kill: Child abuse (severe), Hate-motivated violence (severe), Gun violence (moderate), Kidnapping or confinement (moderate), Torture (moderate), Addiction or relapse (mild), plus 1 withheld here because it would spoil the plot. Each is backed by a verbatim quote from the parents' guide notes; a missing warning is not a guarantee of absence.

SevereChild abuseHate-motivated violence
ModerateGun violenceKidnapping or confinementTorture
MildAddiction or relapse

Cast and crew

Who is in A Time to Kill?

Cast

1 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Matthew McConaughey
as Jake Tyler Brigance
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Sandra Bullock
as Ellen Roark
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Samuel L. Jackson
as Carl Lee Hailey
Globe nominee: Golden Globe nomination — Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion PictureTop draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Kevin Spacey
as D.A. Rufus Buckley
Ashley Judd
as Carla Brigance
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.
Donald Sutherland
as Lucien Wilbanks
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Oliver Platt
as Harry Rex Vonner
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.
Charles S. Dutton
as Sheriff Ozzie Walls
Brenda Fricker
as Ethel Twitty
Kiefer Sutherland
as Freddie Lee Cobb

Crew

More like this

What are movies like A Time to Kill?

Movies like A Time to Kill include The Rainmaker (1997), The Chamber (1996) and Philadelphia (1993). Of the 12 closest matches, all are courtroom dramas and films about the law.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

John Grisham wrote 4 of these 12. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with A Time to Kill?

778 other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: courtroom drama. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.