The Chamber (1996)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

James Foley

Writers (WGA):

John Grisham (novel)
William Goldman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

11 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Time is running out.

Plot:

A young man fresh out of law school tries to win a reprieve for his racist grandfather who is on death row.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Ku Klux Klan | Prison | Racist | Law

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Chris O'Donnell	...	Adam Hall
Gene Hackman	...	Sam Cayhall
Faye Dunaway	...	Lee Cayhall Bowen
Robert Prosky	...	E. Garner Goodman
Raymond J. Barry	...	Rollie Wedge / Donnie Cayhall (as Raymond Barry)
Bo Jackson	...	Sgt. Clyde Packer
Lela Rochon	...	Nora Stark
David Marshall Grant	...	Gov. David McAllister
Nicholas Pryor	...	Judge Flynn F. Slattery
Harve Presnell	...	Atty. Gen. Roxburgh
Richard Bradford	...	Wyn Lettner
Greg Goossen	...	J.B. Gullitt (as Gregory Goossen)
Seth Isler	...	Marvin B. Kramer
Millie Perkins	...	Ruth Kramer
Sid Johnson	...	Josh Kramer

MPAA:

Rated R for violent images and some language.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #34851) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | UK:12 (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 (bw) | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Davis Entertainment

Trivia:

William Goldman, who wrote the early drafts, was reportedly unsatisfied with the re-writes and never saw the finished movie

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Sam Cahall states that the new law allowing him to opt for lethal injection applied only to inmates convicted after 1984. Actually it was just the opposite: Those convicted after 1984 could only have lethal injection. Before 1984 convicts could choose between lethal injection and the gas chamber.

Quotes:

Lee Bowen: Pretty good for poor white trash. How well I'll be accepted after everybody finds out I'm Hitler's daughter is another thing.

Soundtrack:

Temenos (Here Come The Shakes)

Good story, good actors, good acting but BAD director

it's the worst Grisham-adapted movie ever !! too bad, good story from a novel about a man should be punished in gas chamber. The bad script ruins everything. This movie is a very good example of how a BAD director and a bad script can ruin a supposedly good movie with good story, good actors and good acting. The director who directed two Madonna-related movies :At CLose Range and Who's That Girl (Which both suck) doesn't really understand the novel I think. I think he should've read some Grisham books and watch all Grisham-based movies The movie loses the touching and key points of the story of the original novel. This movie is such a Disappointment for John Grisham fans. But for those of you who haven't read the book, this movie might be entertaining for you at least with good Oscar caliber actor (Gene Hackman, Faye Dunaway) combined with a young fresh actor Chris O'Donnell.