Sandra Bullock’s Crime Thriller Based On One Of The Most Banned Books Surges On Netflix Three Decades Later
A Time to Kill is surging on Netflix nearly three decades after its original release. The 1996 film is based on a novel by John Grisham, the author of several best-selling legal thrillers which were adapted into major motion pictures by some of Hollywood’s biggest directors and stars during the 1990s, including The Firm (1991), The Pelican Brief (1993), and The Rainmaker (1997).
Now, A Time to Kill ranks sixth on Netflix’s Global Top 10 movies for the week of November 11–16 with 5.4 million views and 13.4 million hours viewed. It ranks below Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein in first, A Merry Little Ex-Mas, KPop Demon Hunters, In Your Dreams, Being Eddie, and above The Little Things, A House of Dynamite, The Marksman, and Shrek Forever After in 10th.
Despite being a Top 10 movie in 67 countries this week, A Time to Kill is not streaming on Netflix in the United States, though it is available to rent or buy on several digital platforms, including Prime Video from $3.79.
Matthew McConaughey in A Time To Kill waiting in a courtroom
Directed by Joel Schumacher, with a script written by Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind) based on John Grisham’s debut novel, A Time to Kill follows a young attorney in Mississippi who takes on the case of a Black father who fatally shot the two white men who assaulted his young daughter.
The book has frequently been banned in schools for its depictions of graphic content, including rape and murder scenes.
The film’s star-studded cast includes Oscar winners Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side), Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club), Kevin Spacey (The Usual Suspects, American Beauty), Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot), Chris Cooper (Adaptation), and Octavia Spencer (The Help) in her film debut. Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) also stars.
The supporting cast includes Emmy winners Donald Sutherland, Kiefer Sutherland (24), Charles S. Dutton, and Patrick McGoohan. Emmy nominees Oliver Platt (The West Wing, The Bear) and Ashley Judd also star, alongside Beth Grant, Kurtwood Smith, and Joe Seneca.
A Time to Kill received mixed reviews from critics at the time of release for running too long and refusing to delve too deeply into its themes, though it still largely works thanks to its polished filmmaking and excellent acting. However, like many John Grisham movies, A Time to Kill was a considerable commercial success, making $152 million at the box office against its $40 million budget.
A Time to Kill is actually the second John Grisham movie directed by Joel Schumacher to appear on Netflix’s Global Top 10 this year, as The Client (1994) also found renewed success on the streaming service in August 2025.
Release Date
July 24, 1996
Runtime
149 minutes
Director
Joel Schumacher
Writers
John Grisham, Akiva Goldsman
