A Time to Kill - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of A Time to Kill or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to A Time to Kill

[wallace]

Though it is suggested that Judge Noose is at least partly biased against Jake and too friendly with the prosecutor, the advice he offers Jake to plea bargain the case is legally sound.

[lena]

Film debut of Octavia Spencer (Roark's Nurse).

[sophie]

The book was John Grisham's first novel. The movie is his fourth.

[darrell]

Some differences from the novel: -The novel is set in the fictional town of "Clanton," as opposed to the real city of Canton. -Carl Lee does not shoot the two rapists in the courthouse rotunda in full view of a crowd, but rather in a back stairway. A stuttering janitor is one of the very few witnesses. -Ethel Twitty, Jake's secretary, has an antagonistic relationship with Jake in the novel and he considers her to be terrible at her job. She also has a son who resembles Lucien. -Lucien is much more of a radical character, and while Jake respects him and seeks advice from him, they do not have the father/son relationship as in the movie. -Jake hires Roark more or less on the spot in the novel. Roark is also introduced much later in the story, and she is not present at the death of Billy Ray Cobb and Pete Willard. -Deputy Hastings is a black character in the novel, and by extension he does not join the KKK with Freddie Lee Cobb. -Judge Noose is not as adversarial to Jake in the novel as he is in the movie, and he certainly is not in the pocket of Rufus Buckley. In fact, at times he seems to disdain Buckley. -Jake is booted off the case at one point in the novel in favor of a prominent Memphis lawyer. Carl Lee's brother Lester, who is a a semi-prominent character in the book but unseen in the movie, convinces Carl Lee to rehire Jake. -Jake and Carl Lee aren't friends in the novel, and while Jake does attend a barbecue at the Hailey residence after the trial, it's with Harry Rex and not with his family. -Jake is only paid $900 for his services in the book. He is never paid from the funds the local churches and the NAACP allegedly raised for Carl Lee's defense.

[carl]

Kevin Spacey and Chris Cooper appeared in Darrow (1991) and American Beauty (1999).

[gabriel]

Kevin Spacey and Donald Sutherland appeared in Outbreak (1995) and Horrible Bosses (2011).

[veronica]

Matthew McConaughey and Nicky Katt appear in Dazed and Confused (1993).

[bryan]

Woody Harrelson wanted to play Jake Brigance, but John Grisham objected to his casting.

[nora]

Although Sandra Bullock (Ellen Roark) is supposed to be a young law student and Matthew McConaughey (Jake Brigance) is a law school grad and a father, Bullock is five years older than McConaughey.

[tamara]

Paul Newman turned down the role of Lucien Wilbanks because he found the film's message distasteful.

[eli]

Like John Grisham's novel, the movie was very controversial, and was widely accused of condoning murder.

[kylie]

Anthony Heald earlier played a psychiatrist in "Silence of the Lambs."

[ethel]

Oliver Platt and Kevin Spacey appeared in Working Girl (1988).

[harry]

M. Emmet Walsh appears to be left out of the movie credits at he end of the movie.

[jamie]

Samuel L. Jackson appeared in Jurassic Park (1993) and John Diehl would later appear In Jurassic Park III (2001).

[richard]

M. Emmet Walsh plays a character in this movie named Willard Tyrell Bass. The name Tyrell also appears in another movie Mr. Walsh was in, Blade Runner (1982).

[harry]

Director Joel Schumacher originally offered the lead role to Val Kilmer during the production of Batman Forever (1995), which is surprising since Schumacher has always been very open about his strained relationship with Kilmer on the set (while still praising Kilmer's performance). However, Kilmer declined.