A Time to Kill (1996) — Screenplay
In racially charged Mississippi, a lawyer risks everything to defend a father who murdered his daughter's rapists, igniting a firestorm of hate and violence.
- Written by
- John Grisham, Akiva Goldsman
- Genre
- Drama, Crime, Thriller
- Studio
- Warner Bros., New Regency Productions
- Length
- 138 pages
For screenwriters, this adaptation demonstrates how to transform a legal thriller into a character-driven drama, balancing courtroom tension with intimate character moments. The script's use of escalating external pressures to test the protagonist's resolve offers a masterclass in building stakes and maintaining narrative momentum.
Read the full A Time to Kill (1996) screenplay in PDF, page by page, right here on Laper — or download the original script to study John Grisham, Akiva Goldsman’s scene work, dialogue and structure at your own pace. A free resource for screenwriters and film students learning Hollywood script format.