Not knowing anything about “A Time To Kill,” I listened to the audiobook first because of John Grisham’s reputation in the New York Times Bestseller list. I saw online that Matthew McConaughey played the main character Jake Briance, but immediately closed the webpage so I could use my imagination on the other characters.   

The story is a courtroom drama about defendant Car Lee Hailey and his vengeance against two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter. Hailey shoots and kills both of them in the courtroom’s building, setting the stage for a moral dilemma on how justice should be served.   

Michael Beck does a fantastic job reading the book. He acts out such a distinct southern voice while also giving each character their own flair. I particularly enjoyed his voicing of Judge Noose, yelling “Sustained!” as he brought an incredulous tone, which gives the listener the imagination of pounding the gavel.   

For the movie, the characters were more scaled back. Judge Noose didn’t act out any of the high-pitched tones that were in the book.   

A difference between the two that may seem small is Jake’s dog, Max. The supporters of the rapists killed him during the house fire in the book, but he survived in the movie. I chalk that up to being too depressing for the big screen. However, the killing hit me hard, and that was another strength of the book, since it showed how deep Jake was in with the case, with everyone around him being collateral damage due to him not quitting.   

I felt they miscast Sandra Bullock as Ellen Roark. She plays a law student who takes on an unpaid internship under Jake. In the book, Grisham describes her character wearing jeans and a t-shirt, looking like a recent law school graduate at 25 years of age. In the movie, Jake and Ellen looked like coworkers that have been working professionally for some time.  

One aspect of the movie I enjoyed over the book was Samuel L. Jackson playing Carl Lee Hailey. You could feel his anguish after what happened with his daughter. In the book, he didn’t stand out to me, despite being a major character. Jackson was magnificent in the role of Hailey.   

During Ellen’s attack in the book, the assailants shaved her head, and she was languishing in the hospital for the rest of the story. In the movie, there was no way they were shaving Bullock’s head. While still in the hospital, she seemed fine in the next scene.   

I enjoyed the book more, as director Joel Schumacher ignored details that were pertinent to the story. Those missed details could have improved the film, even if it had a long running time of two and a half hours. Schumacher captured some visuals, such as closeups of everyone’s sweat to highlight the hot southern sun. But ultimately, it falls short of reaching the critical acclaim status that the book received. 

http://thatwasnotinthebook.com/diff/a-time-to-kill/1#diffpage