A time to kill

¶ … Kill directed by Joel Schumacher. Specifically it will explain the major components of the criminal justice system (police, courts, corrections) that are evident in the movie. This film is based on the life of a young trial lawyer in Mississippi, who defends a black man who killed the two white crackers that raped and tried to murder his young daughter. It is an interesting look at the court system in the south, and how flawed it can be.

All the major components of the justice system are evident in this movie. The police (both black and white) are evident during the arrest, the murders, and the trial, the courts are evident as the trial progresses, and corrections is evident when Brigance visits his client in jail while the trial continues. They work together to try to keep the peace and bring justice to the people throughout the film, and the film shows how they all work together, including the lawyers in the courts, to try to bring justice. They also show how the court system is a "game" with both sides trying to win, and sometimes at all costs, whether the person is innocent or guilty.

These major components all work together in the film. The police make the arrest and incarcerate the suspects. They manage them as they move through the courts system, and they act as correctional officers, too. The attorneys work to bring their cases together, pick a jury, and plead their case in front of the jury, with the aid of the judge, who officiates. The police are present in the courtroom to guard their suspect, so they all interact together. The jury then decides the fate of the suspect. It all works together theoretically. The film shows the behind the scenes aspect of the courtroom, with the attorney attempting to find any evidence that will clear his suspect, despite whether he is guilty or not.

The film shows that the courts system is flawed in many ways. Brigance compares it to a game, where the two opposing players maneuver through the system to get what they want for their client. He talks about this when it comes to picking a jury, and which attorney is more skilled at using his challenges to get the kind of jury he wants. The lawyers call in favors from one another, and from the judges they know, and it all works like a game. At one time, the film makes the point that it is not a jury of your peers if your peers are not on the jury, and in this case, the jury is all white, while the defendant is black, which is a big deal in rural Mississippi where the film takes place. Brigance makes the point that the trial is supposed to be about the truth, but for the most part, the film shows that is really not the case.