A Time to Kill
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: July 24, 1996 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
9
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
If the film doesn't add up to a cogent legal argument, neither does it have trouble delivering 2 hours and 20 minutes' worth of sturdy, highly charged drama. Read full review
90
TimeRichard Schickel
Director Joel Schumacher's breathlessly paced and incident-crammed movie will induce a certain sense of deja vu among veteran viewers. Read full review
90
VarietyTodd McCarthy
As originated by Grisham and adapted by Akiva Goldsman, this is a story of elemental emotional and legal issues splashed across a large canvas, and director Joel Schumacher has done a solid job of keeping the many components in focus and balance. Read full review
80
EmpireIan Nathan
Schumacher is never quite smart enough to keep the debate neutral, and the unrestrained hero worship at the close leaves a nasty taste. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A Time to Kill, based on the first novel by John Grisham, is a skillfully constructed morality play that pushes all the right buttons and arrives at all the right conclusions. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Then again, it's worth noting that this Hollywood production is actually saying something, rather than just churning out eye-popping special effects while relying on a regurgitated plot. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
Joel Schumacher, the director of "Falling Down," "The Client" and "Batman Forever," has a strong feel for this kind of glossy pop entertainment and a way of integrating social issues without sacrificing narrative drive. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
To its credit, A Time to Kill allows the debate to snake through the entire movie, engagingly pitting characters and speeches against each other, creating a dramatic forum for ethical debate uncommon in most commercial American films. Read full review
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