MovieChat Forums > A Time to Kill (1996) Discussion > They should have switched roles

They should have switched roles

posted 10 years ago by shanayneigh
7 replies | jump to latest

This movie (and book) would've been much more interesting if they would've switched the roles. What if it was a white girl who was raped by two black guys who were shot by the girl's KKK father. Would you still sympathize with the dad who killed his daughter's rapists, even though he's a filthy racist?

[–] Enigma805 10 years ago

If he wasn't kkk then yes definitely. If he's kkk then its a bit harder to sympathize with him killing 2 black guys as you know he has alternative motives

[–] shanayneigh 10 years ago

Exactly, and that's what would've made the story much more compelling to me. As it is now, the deck is stacked pretty steep in favor of one side. Not only is his daughter raped, she's a black girl in the deep south being raped by KKK-wannabes. I mean, how could you not sympathize with Samuel L Jackson in this movie??

Working in the movie business since -92

[–] ToHelenBackAgain 10 years ago

I mean, how could you not sympathize with Samuel L Jackson in this movie??

And yet, I really didn't. I felt terrible for Hailey's daughter, of course, and the rest of his family, but him, not so much. Because he exacted his revenge without even thinking about what it would mean for them, to lose him. And, at least as he is presented in the film, he seems to feel entitled to get away with it, too.

I don't remember thinking any of that when I read the book, but that was a long time ago... since then, I've come to appreciate better the ramifications and ripples of actions. And Hailey may have been written with a good deal more nuance (I'm not about to unearth my copy of the book, but I think he probably was) in the book than in the film.

I did not take the same issue with Brigance, though I found it understandable that his wife did. Because what he was doing was legal and should have been safe, though in practice it wasn't. He was defending his client, not shooting people in public.

Anyway, to topic, I don't think switching 'em up would have worked. The still-prevalent racism in some parts of Mississippi is itself a major character in the story. To make the rapists black and the vigilante white would just be bias confirmation. I don't think it'd be nearly so interesting.

Please only click "Reply" on my post if you are replying to what I said in my post.

[–] mikeyg24 10 years ago

I'm just not sure what kind of movie it would have made for. Even at the time the movie is set bigotry in the court system was rife. It would probably have been a quick trial, not guilty by unanimous decision and movie over.

Yours sincerely, General Joseph Liebgott

[–] SoAudreyHepburn 9 years ago

My only sympathy would be towards the rape victim

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] reichen4eva (251) 4 years ago

Hailey was an unlikeable character in this film so it was hard to sympathize with him. Certainly sympathize with his daughter though.