Brandon at Random Reviews

There was a point in the 90s and early 2000s where Hollywood was just churning out adaptations of John Grisham novels left and right. It was staggering how many great novels the guy had penned and for that matter, how many of the movies were remarkably solid and watchable works. All had compelling and at a lot of times culturally significant stories and characters. They somehow just captured things the way they needed to be, all a product of masterful storytelling on Grisham’s part.

This movie has a shit ton of now household name actors in it. Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey (I know), Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland, Ashley Judd, Oliver Platt, and Chris Cooper among others. A lot of these people were maybe familiar or considered young stars by 1996, but most were in the infancy of their stardom and didn’t have a lot of reps under their belt yet. The performances here are spectacular. The racial themes in the story are carried out with a certain sensitive flair by the actors and things manage to feel authentic on-screen. Fuck, this thing is good.

The fact that this movie has such starpower does not take away from its well-crafted camera work and screenwriting. The scenes lend the right perspective to each moment and allow for the audience to take in the experience in the way they should. This drama is shot like it ought to be. No crazy or tasteless cinematography, just standard shit executed to the best level. Now that I mention it I can’t tell if this flick is supposed to be set in present day or what, it feels very 90s looks-wise though.

There is a lot of racial tension in this film btw. The KKK makes multiple appearances. Crosses are burned. People talk about their differences and some downright scary shit goes on, much of which I would label with a trigger warning of some sort for people who are exceptionally sensitive to rape, sexual assault, racism, and violent crimes of many sorts. This movie certainly has a lot of thematic stuff going on and they don’t pull any punches.

I think Jackson gives the best performance here. The “I hope they burn in hell” line in the courtroom is a tad over-the-top, sure, but he’s fucking killing it otherwise. Bullock is pretty great too, she has to do some pretty rough scenes here and there. McConaughey’s acting talents seem significantly underdeveloped here, which is a shame given that he’s kind of the lead actor and should be performing on a level above the supporting cast. Then there’s Spacey. Piece of shit in real life aside, he can act, but I feel like every time he has to do a voice/accent in a movie it seems like he’s doing a bit or an SNL sketch that he’s about start cracking up during. It’s like he’s smirking when he’s putting on that southern drawl. We also get a Twofer Sutherland father/son combo here, which is neat.

All in all I’d say this flick was pretty good. It’s not as good as I remember it being the first time I saw it, it’s a bit of a product of its time I guess. Still pretty great.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2