A Time to Kill: A movie about justice and racial discrimination

Photo taken from IMDb

The movie started with two whites Pete and Billy Ray driving a truck, drunk, throwing their empty bottles to blacks they see; blacks playing basketball, on the roof of blacks' homes. The driver hit the brake to stop, went inside a store, a girl named Tonya went out of the store, owned by a black, kick some of the displays, pick up many cans of beer, drop it in front of the store owner and I guess they didn't pay for it. They drove on, saw the girl, Tonya, walking with her groceries. They stopped, threw something at her and then she dropped her groceries.  They grabbed her and brought her some place hidden. They ripped her clothing one by one and started raping her. One after another. They urinated at her. Not satisfied yet, they tied her up on the neck and hang her on a tree. The branch is not so strong and it fell. By the end of the story, it was stated that she was dropped on a creek. This girl is black. She was found and was alive fortunately. However, after all the medical check-up, it was found that she can no longer bear a child because her very young womb was destroyed. If you are the girl's father, how would you feel? What will you do?

The two men responsible for the rape was arrested, put to jail and they will be facing their first hearing.  A young lawyer, Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey), who is married and has one daughter named Hannah, is going to defend the case after he had a conversation with Carl Lee Hailey ( Samuel L.Jackson). Carl Lee mentioned that he is going to kill those two men. Jake mentioned this meeting to her wife and he was advised to give the information to the chief of police of Canton, Mississippi but he didn't. At the time of the first hearing, the two suspects are being escorted by the police and chief itself upstairs, Ellen Roark (Sandra Bullock), who would be helping Jake to defend the case, was on the stairs, with other spectators including the family of the suspects looking at them when suddenly the door opened, Carl appeared with a gun on hand, very furious started shooting the suspects until they die. The chief of police was hit unintentionally. 

Carl Lee was arrested, he gave himself in without hesitation. And then the real trial began. Jake is planning to ask for a change of location because he is aware there will be no fair trial but it was denied. One reason of denial is because the preceding judge is white. Whites in the community is superior over the blacks, therefore, they have to gamble everything just to win and get a fair trial. Do you think it is justifiable that Carl Lee be freed for killing Pete and Billy because they raped and almost killed her daughter? 

I love the way Samuel L. Jackson acted as a father in this film. The acting would captivate you and be emotionally attached to the movie. The two lawyers, Matthew McConaughey and Kevin Spacey both did a good job in the movie. Kevin would make you annoyed, Matthew would make you sympathetic. 

I always have doubt with justice. It is always unfair. Cases between poor and rich; rich wins, cases between white and black; white wins. It may not be always like that, but vice versa is very RARE. Anywhere we go we encounter racial discrimination. From simply getting a sit on a bus to making a good name in school, so on and so forth. Name it, ethnicity is always a BIG factor.  

Give it a shot! Watch it if you haven't done so.