A few problems I had with this film

I agree with most of your points. I also dislike the way the film manipulates the viewer so that it becomes impossible to reasonably disasgree with the nature of Brigance's defense. For instance, Judge Noose (could that name be any more obvious?) is portrayed as a biased old fool who only wishes to get the town past this nasty business as soon as possible. To this end, he urges Jake to convince his client to take a plea bargain for manslaughter. The viewer is supposed to believe the judge has lost all sense of fairness, I suppose, but this is exactly the right thing for Jake to do in such a case. As you point out above, Carl Lee is obviously guilty of killing the men with intent, yet a good lawyer should be able to get a manslaughter conviction based on the mitigating circumstances that prompted Carl Lee's rage. To do otherwise is just to argue for nullification, as you say.

It's an entertaining and highly watchable film, but as a "controversial think piece," it's a non-starter, in my opinion.

I think to be more accurate, he wasn't told to not discuss the rape of Carl Lee's daughter. He was just told not accuse Cobb and Willard of the crime.

2. Matthew McConaughey's character's driving motivation was to prove a black man could get a "fair" trial in the south. No matter your opinion on the subject, a trial in which a jury decides to nullify the law is not "fair." A better case to defend would be a case where he could at least attempt to establish reasonable doubt.

In the book, Brigance gives an interview to a New York Times reporter about the case and admits "no, he would not be convicted if he were white." IOW, Carl Lee in the end got the same sentence (nothing) that he would have gotten if he were white. While questionably legal, that is "fair:" it means the system's treated people of both races the same way.


There's a plan in everything, kid. And I love it when a plan comes together!

I agree with the Ashley Judd comment. She seemed like a good actress in everything else i've seen her in but in this she does seem a bit off. The part where Carla comes to see Jake just before the trial, i actually found her a little bit creepy... almost as if she was going to jump up and say she was joining the Klan or something!

~"I strongly urge you to move your face back to where it was."~

While Matthew's character did say that his motives were to show a black man could get a fair trial. I think it was revealed later in the movie it was because he wanted to ease his conscious because he would've done the same thing if he was in Samuel L Jackson's position.

Also he never mentioned the rape of Tonya Haley he just gave details of a rape and told the jury use their imagination it was a loophole

Fair points.
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