Directed by joel schumacher with matthew mcconaughey sandra bullock samuel l jackson kevin spacey in canton mississippi a fearless young lawyer and his assistant defend a black man accused of murdering two white men who raped his ten year old daughter inciting violent retribution and revenge from the ku klux klan. A time to kill is a 1996 american courtroom crime drama film based on john grisham s 1989 novel of the same name sandra bullock samuel l jackson matthew mcconaughey and kevin spacey star with oliver platt ashley judd and kiefer sutherland and patrick mcgoohan appearing in supporting roles. A time to kill matthew mcconaughey actor sandra bullock actor joel schumacher director. A time to kill is a 1989 legal thriller by john grisham it was grishams first novel the novel was rejected by many publishers before wynwood press eventually gave it a modest 5000 copy printing when doubleday published the firm wynwood released a trade paperback of a time to kill which became a bestseller