Time To Kill, A (1996) Movie Script
Free Carl Lee!
Free Carl Lee!
Free Carl Lee!
Free Carl Lee!
Free Carl Lee!
Beautiful day, isn't it?
There he is.
Any word on Bud?
Ethel's still with him.
Thank you for coming.
Well, well, well.
The Pillsbury Dough Boy.
Still practicing exploitative law?
Thought you were dead.
I'm trying. What do we have here?
I'd like to introduce--
Lucien Wilbanks, third white man in
Mississippi to join the NAACP...
...permanently disbarred
by Superior Court...
...for attacking police who busted
a picket line in an oil strike.
It is a pleasure, Ms. Ark.
Everyone, jury selection begins today.
To win this case we need a
sympathetic jury willing to acquit...
...and a jury that can use the
insanity plea as an excuse to do so.
I need a drink.
No drinking.
What do you mean?
It's my building, leased to
you for a reasonable rent...
...and I want a drink.
Ms. Ark, I have all the
respect in the world for you.
I believe in your right to equal pay,
your right to bear a child...
...or to abort one.
You should be treated like a man.
Since you are a law clerk...
...genderless in my eyes...
...I think you should be
the one to go buy the beer.
ERA, 'she' woman. That would be
an excellent activity for you.
No drinking. Not today.
Noose selects this panel randomly.
Too many bad candidates and we're sunk.
Luck of the draw.
What you need...
...is young fathers who want
to do what Carl Lee did.
Agreed. We need young
men with families here.
I'd prefer no one over 50.
Less bigotry with youth.
So we stay away from women,
rednecks and old men.
Citizens, thank you.
Counsel, you each have 12
challenges. Let's begin.
The state challenges jurors #6...
...10...
...and 32.
Your Honor, the defense
strikes jurors 1, 4...
...8 and 2.
And 31.
Your Honor, the defense also
strikes jurors 22 and 29.
That's it, then.
You're out of challenges.
Jurors, you will be
sequestered starting tonight.
Opening statements begin tomorrow.
That's a jury of my peers?
God bless America.
My name is Stump Sisson...
...and I'm proud to be a Grand Dragon...
...for the Invisible Empire...
...of the Ku Klux Klan!
What the hell?
I'm here to say...
...that the law-abiding
whites of this state...
...are sick and tired
of niggers stealing...
...raping, killing, and
getting away with it!
We demand justice!
We demand this nigger...
...be convicted...
...and his black ass
sent to the gas chamber!
Who's a nigger?!
You pointy-headed...
...white-faced, no-good
son-of-a-whore!
Shut up, you wild animal.
I'll drag your ass out of here!
You're the animal!
Open the gate!
Turn around.
Know what?
Just take off your pants.
Come on, do I look that easy?
Afraid I'll see your underwear?
With Carla gone, the laundry's
piling up. I'm not wearing any.
I haven't worn any in years.
I'm not going to watch, I promise.
Now, strip, please.
Fine.
What I need from you...
Do tell.
Is a way to discredit the
State's shrink, Dr. Rodeheaver.
Unless you discredit the shrink...
Carl Lee does not have a chance.
Sorry.
Sissy.
He's got a good chance.
There. You'll live.
Thanks.
Good butt.
What do you do to blow off steam...
...besides trying to kill each other?
You got a disco...
...strip bars...
...or malls...
...to go to?
Stump's dead.
He's dead.
Come on. Let's go home.
It's all over.
It ain't near over.
I'll be right back.
Here are your mud bugs.
Anything else?
A couple of...
...specials and some fried dill pickles.
-You got it.
-Thanks, sugar.
That wasn't sexist. Really,
I never order my own food.
I can't do another shot.
Fine, I'll do another shot.
Just a splash.
To...
Carl Lee.
May a jury find that man
loony as a fruitcake.
Hear, hear.
No more.
So...
...was he crazy when he did it?
No, he wasn't crazy.
He told me he'd do it.
I tried to tell myself
he wasn't serious.
I think I really wanted him to do it.
I came home that night and looked
at Hannah. She looked so tender.
All I could think about was
all the monsters out there...
...and any one of them can
come steal her innocence.
Take her life, if they want.
Yeah, I wanted those boys dead.
You're goddamn right I did.
I guess I helped kill them.
So tomorrow, when we get in court...
...it's not just Carl Lee
I'm trying to get off.
Burn in hell, Brigance!
Good job.
How is it that you'll drive 1-1 /2
hours to take me to dinner but...
...you have no problem
walking into my motel room?
With everything that's going on...
...we can't be too careful.
Just want to make sure it's safe.
I'm not scared.
Yes, I am.
Of what?
Of what's going to happen tomorrow.
All the other cases I've worked
on were only paper defendants.
I never knew the towns...
...and I never touched
the lives or anything.
Tomorrow morning...
...Buckley will try to
kill Carl Lee Hailey.
Now it's on us to stop him.
Go over the battle in your mind.
Argument, rebuttal, examination
and cross. All of it.
Remember something:
You are one of the good guys.
And good guy has...
...the spicy on her lip.
But still one of the good guys.
I'm going home.
Lock the door behind you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
It's going to blow!
My dog's in there!
It's too late.
Hey, buddy.
Seen my dog?
Looking for my dog.
Max, come here!
Come on, Max!
I booked you on the 9:15 to Gulf Port.
Economy, of course.
Go see your wife and daughter.
What'd you do that for?
The trial's in less than 3 hours.
Come on.
Noose'd give you a continuance.
The NAACP boys be down
here before lunch...
...drooling.
Max, let's go, boy! Come on!
Listen to me.
Your marriage is troubled,
you're about to have an affair.
Your career's in ruins, if you're lucky.
If not, you're dead.
Don't get me wrong.
What you've put into this case,
you've even inspired me...
...and I'm uninspirable.
Do everyone a favor, though.
Drop the case.
No, I can't.
I won't. I'm not going to quit.
I quit now, all this
is for nothing. No.
Max, come on now. Max,
where are you? Come on!
Max is dead, and you're next.
Walk away.
Max, come here.
Who's got the goods?
Pre-trial strategy at my
office in less than 2 hours...
...and I expect to see your ass there!
Free Carl Lee!
Free Carl Lee!
Free Carl Lee!
Fry Carl Lee!
Fry Carl Lee!
Fry Carl Lee!
Mr. Buckley...
...you may begin.
Good morning.
You are Cora Mae Cobb, the mother
of Billy Ray Cobb, are you not?
Yes, sir.
Where were you when he was murdered?
Outside that door right there.
Me and Freddie was
waiting for his hearing.
He was walking up the stairs...
...in handcuffs.
Can you tell us how old your son
was at the time of his death?
Your son was 23 when he died?
In those 23 years, Mrs. Cobb...
...how many children did he kidnap?
Objection, Your Honor!
Sustained.
You are out of order.
Withdraw the question.
The jury will disregard the last
question from Mr. Brigance.
In your son's 23 years...
...how many other children did he rape?
In my chambers.
Court will recess for lunch.
Why antagonize the judge? He should've
known Noose'd pull him into chambers.
He knew.
But he got to draw first blood,
and that's more important.
Come play on a winning team.
How's that impotence thing?
You're not being paid
for your work, are you?
No, sir.
Well, I guess Jake's
paying you in other ways.
Impotence.
Yes. Girls talk.
If you would, can you please
identify this weapon?
The weapon found at the scene.
You were able to identify the
fingerprints found on this gun?
Yes, the prints on the gun
matched those of Carl Lee Hailey.
You're sure?
Yes.
I'd like to enter this into
evidence as Exhibit S-18.
We have no further use of this witness.
Sheriff Walls...
...did you arrest Cobb and Willard?
Yes, I did.
I arrested them for the rape...
...and attempted murder of
Is it true that Pete Willard...
...signed a confession...
...saying that he and Billy
Ray Cobb did rape Tonya Hailey?
Objection! That's inadmissible,
and Mr. Brigance knows it.
I've spoken to you before.
We are not trying the rape
of Miss Hailey today...
...but the murder of two young men, and
if you continue in this performance...
...I'll hold you in contempt.
Is that understood?
Yes, sir.
I have no further questions.
Yes.
You say something?
Yes, he did sign a confession.
Objection!
Jurors...
...you will disregard the
last remark of Sheriff Walls.
Court is adjourned till
tomorrow morning, 9:00.
I'm taking Bud back to Oxford.
He always missed Oxford.
I don't know what to say.
There's nothing you can say.
I know you didn't want
any of this to happen...
...but it happened all the same.
You wagered all our lives on this.
You just went ahead and did what you
felt you had to do, no matter what.
Some folks think that's brave.
Not me, Jake.
Now, you may win...
...but I think we've all lost here.
Would you help an old lady to her car?
You don't need any help, Ethel...
...but it would be an honor to
escort you to your automobile.
Didn't like that one?
Buckley presents his shrink tomorrow
and I need a way to bring him down.
I keep asking myself, 'What would
Jake do? What would my father do?'
'Lucien?'
That's your problem right there.
You must ask yourself,
'What would Harry Rex do?'
What would he do?
Cheat.
Cheat like crazy.
We gotta talk about it.
Wait. The judge said absolutely
not to discuss this case.
The judge ain't stuck here
away from his family.
The sooner we start talking
about it, the sooner it's over.
I want to get out of here
as much as anyone else.
Let's get on with it.
Undecided?
Four.
Guilty?
Seven.
Not guilty?
That nigger's dead.
Folks can't get enough of the trial.
That's why my editor said to come
down and interview Rodeheaver.
Dr. Rodeheaver's in court today.
If you want to be a reporter...
...maybe you should do
some better research?
You know what? I don't mind waiting.
My paper really wants this interview.
Is he still in room 369?
-I'll just go there.
-Wrong again. He's in 128.
But he's gone all day.
You can't see him today.
You want to come back in my office
and schedule an appointment?
I'll come back another time...
...when he's got time to talk,
when things have died down.
-Thank you.
-You can call me any time.
Your Honor, the State
calls Deputy Dwayne Looney.
Good morning.
Would you please state
your name for the record?
Deputy Dwayne Powell Looney.
Thank you, Deputy Looney.
Were you present at the murders of
Billy Ray Cobb and James Lewis Willard?
Yes, sir.
If you can remember...
...describe how you were wounded
for the members of the jury.
I think bullets bounced off the
floor, caught me in the knee.
What happened to your leg?
Doc cut it off.
After the loss of your
right leg, detective...
...are you able to serve as a policeman?
I'm able to perform a number of...
services.
Did you see the gunman?
No, sir.
But Mr. Hailey did...
...personally apologize
for his shooting me.
So Mr. Hailey admitted...
...shooting you.
Yes, sir.
I have no further questions.
No questions.
Wait a minute.
The State would like to call Dr.--
Can I have a moment?
Take your time.
Ask if he thinks I should go to jail.
They amputated his leg
because you shot him.
He's the prosecution's witness.
You're my lawyer?
Ask him.
One question.
Make up your mind, Mr. Brigance.
Deputy Looney...
...do you think Carl Lee
shot you intentionally?
No, sir...
...it was an accident.
Ask him.
Should he be punished for shooting you?
No, sir.
I hold no ill will toward the man.
I would have done it.
What do you mean by that?
I don't blame him for what he did.
Those boys raped his girl.
Objection! The witness's opinion
on this matter is irrelevant.
Your Honor...
...I believe Deputy Looney has earned
the right to speak here today.
Overruled.
Continue.
Go ahead, Dwayne.
I got a little girl.
Somebody rapes her, he's a dead dog.
I'll blow him away like Carl Lee did.
Objection!
Should the jury convict Carl Lee Hailey?
Don't answer that question.
He's a hero. You turn him loose.
The jury will disregard--
Turn him loose!
Silence that witness!
Turn him loose!
People can say whatever they
want in this courtroom!
Quiet!
Any more of that nonsense...
...and you're all out of here!
Mr. Buckley, you may begin.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Please state your name and occupation
for the members of the jury.
My name is Dr. Wilbert Rodeheaver,
Chair of Psychiatry...
...at Mississippi State...
...and Director of the Whitfield
Facility for the Criminally Insane.
Your credentials speak for themselves.
Can you explain, as you do so
eloquently in your book...
...the McNaughton Rule for the jury?
Certainly.
The McNaughton Rule states...
...a person must be unable
to tell right from wrong...
...and/ or be unaware of the
consequences of his actions...
...to be termed legally insane.
You examined Mr. Hailey?
Yes, Mr. Hailey and I spoke about
his childhood, his family...
...his experiences during the war.
And the rape of his daughter?
Yes, we spoke at length about the
brutal rape of his daughter Tonya.
What is your diagnosis of
Mr. Hailey's mental condition...
...on the day that he shot Billy
Ray Cobb and James Lewis Willard?
At the time of the murders, his mental
condition was without any defects.
Mr. Hailey was sane.
Wait a minute. The defense contends--
Mr. Brigance has gone to great
effort to prove to this jury...
...that Mr. Hailey is a nutball...
...is a slow coach...
...or...
...what is the clinical definition?
Insane.
-Do you disagree?
-Yes!
Carl Lee Hailey knew what he was doing.
He slaughtered those men in cold blood.
Thank you.
I have no further questions.
Where is Roark?
I don't know.
The cross-examination,
Mr. Brigance?
We would request a recess until--
I must see you.
We will not need a recess,
but just a few moments.
When you and Lois Lane are ready....
Just a few questions.
Who do you work for?
The State of Mississippi.
In 11 years of service...
...how many trials did you testify
in that used the insanity defense?
This is my 46th trial.
Of those 46 trials...
...how many times have you testified
the defendant was legally insane?
Objection!
The doctor cannot be asked...
...to recall all of his testimony
at those trials. It's absurd.
Overruled.
Thank you.
I can't remember.
Could the reason you
can't remember be...
...that in 1 1 years and 46 trials...
...you never saw a defendant
whom you found insane?
I can't recall at this time.
Can you recall testifying
at Dan Baker's trial?
Objection! This has nothing to
do with the proceedings here.
Overruled.
This better be good.
Thank you.
I'll ask again.
Can you recall testifying
at the trial of Dan Baker?
It's a rather brutal double homicide
where you found the defendant sane?
A dissenting psychiatrist
disagreed with you.
And Mr. Baker was found insane
and institutionalized.
Where is he currently?
At Whitfield.
Who is the chief psychiatrist there?
I am.
You are.
Dr. Rodeheaver is the
chief psychiatrist.
Now help me make this clear to the jury.
In 1985, you testified that Dan Baker...
...was legally sane.
The jury disagreed with you.
And Mr. Baker was found not
guilty by reason of insanity.
Since then he has been a patient in your
hospital as a paranoid schizophrenic.
Is that correct?
Do you normally admit patients...
...keep and treat them for 10
years if they are of sound mind?
No.
Then it would be fair to say...
...that you find insane people
sane for the purposes of trial?
Objection! Argumentative!
Withdraw the question.
Nothing further.
Genius, Roark.
How can you get a fair trial?
Get an ambulance!
Heard any news on the guard?
Ozzie says he's probably paralyzed.
Some stranger...
...somebody's husband...
...somebody's son...
...put himself in harm's way...
...for me.
When I saw the blood...
...I got so scared because
I thought it was you.
Do you want me to stay?
Yeah.
I want you to stay.
So you better go.
Oh, shit.
Speed limit's 45, not 70, ma'am.
-Have you been drinking?
-No, I just wasn't thinking.
Get out of the car for a minute.
-Is that really necessary?
-Get out of the car.
Isn't it customary to ask
for license and registration?
Be still, bitch!
Get in there!
You can't blame a nigger
for being a nigger...
...no more than you can
blame a dog for being a dog.
But a whore like you...
...co-mingling with mongrels,
betraying your own...
...that makes you worse than a nigger.
I'll tell you what I'll do.
I'll leave you tied up here naked.
First it'll just be
the bugs eating at you.
One day, maybe two.
That sun's going to cook you.
And animals...
...they'll pick up your stink.
They'll come for something to eat.
Carl Lee Hailey should've shot you too.
Come on, boys. Let's go.
It's okay.
Mr. Brigance, you may
call your first witness.
Yes, Your Honor. The defense calls
Dr. Willard Tyrrel Bass.
Have you seen Roark?
Not yet.
Would you explain to the jury...
...the effect his daughter's rape
had on Mr. Hailey's condition?
Tonya's rape caused a relapse...
...a temporary break with reality.
But yesterday, a Dr. Rodeheaver...
...suggested that Mr. Hailey's
act of calculation was...
...the definition of sanity.
That's ridiculous.
Many of the most famous
schizophrenics are calculating.
John Hinckley, for example.
Calculating.
And legally insane.
So, Dr. Bass, how would
you diagnose Mr. Hailey...
...at the time?
Mr. Hailey experienced a recurrence
of a dissociative condition...
...as a result of the trauma
caused by his daughter's rape.
Now, since Mr. Hailey was unaware
of the reality of his actions...
...he couldn't tell right from wrong.
Nor could he understand the
consequences of his actions.
He was, therefore, legally insane.
Couldn't tell right from wrong,
or understand the consequences.
Therefore, legally...
...insane.
Thank you, Dr. Bass.
I have no further questions.
Your witness.
I'm sorry, excuse me.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Dr. Bass...
...could you please state for
the record your full name?
Willard Tyrrel Bass.
Tyrrel Bass. That's a very unique name.
Now...
...Doctor...
...ever been convicted of a felony?
Of course not.
You're sure?
As certain of that as you are of
the testimony you've just given?
Of course.
Let me understand this now...
...since you are under oath.
You're telling me, and this jury,
that on October 17th, 1960...
...you weren't convicted
of statutory rape?
Objection!
Dr. Bass is not on trial.
This goes to show the
credibility of the witness.
Overruled.
Continue.
Thank you. Now, Doctor...
...were you convicted of statutory rape?
You got the wrong man.
Really?
I have some interesting
photographs of you...
...with an underage female...
...in a motel by the Dallas
police on September 11th, 1960.
Would you like to look at these images
and see if they refresh your memory?
I didn't think so.
We would like to introduce
into evidence these records...
...showing that on
September 15th, 1960...
...this man, one Tyrrel Bass...
...pled guilty...
...to statutory rape.
Now, Doctor, I'm going to
ask you one last time...
...were you or were you not
convicted of statutory rape?
I can explain--
I'm not interested.
Answer the question, yes or no.
Yes, I was.
That's enough.
I have nothing further.
Redirect, Mr. Brigance?
None.
Court'll recess one hour for lunch.
You told me he was a credible witness.
I didn't know.
The record was expunged.
Buckley really outdid himself.
Lucien, I was counting on you.
You wanted this case.
You got it.
It isn't easy saving the world,
but you stick with it.
You might have a knack for it.
Don't do what I did. Don't quit.
What are you talking about,
'quit'? You're a hero.
Hero, my ass!
Did the world need me beating
cops on that picket line?
I was needed here, in that courtroom.
I let them push me.
I gave them an excuse to kick me out...
...and now I can never
plead a case again.
But you can.
You're an attorney.
Be proud.
Your job is to find justice, no
matter how well she hides from you.
So you go in there...
...and do your job.
Hurry up.
They'll start without you.
Come with me.
I can't.
I love you...
...but I can't.
You know that.
I'll never go in a courtroom again.
And I can't be you.
Don't be me.
Be better than me.
And how did you feel?
I felt...
I don't know...
It was like I was outside myself...
...watching myself.
All the while I kept
hearing my baby say...
...'I called for you, Daddy.
When them men was hurting me...
...I called for you over and over but...
...you didn't never come.'
Thank you, Mr. Hailey.
I have no further questions.
You have an emergency call.
Mr. Hailey...
Before you stepped outside yourself to
watch yourself shoot Willard and Cobb...
...were you aware that if convicted
they might be freed in only 10 years?
Yes, I heard people say that.
Should men who kidnap a
child be free in 10 years?
No, sir.
Should men who rape a child be free?
No, sir.
Should men who hang a child be free?
No, sir.
What do you think should
happen to them?
Objection!
Do you think they deserve to die?!
Don't answer!
Yes, they deserved to die
and I hope they burn in hell!
I have nothing further.
Summations begin tomorrow.
Court adjourned.
They found Roark.
So...
...I had to do this to
get you to call me Ellen?
I'm so sorry.
This is all my fault.
Don't sweat it, really.
They didn't hurt anything
that won't heal.
Nothing.
Besides...
...Doctor...
...what's-his-name said
I'll be out in a few days.
I'm fine.
How did we do?
Bass turned out to be a felon.
Carl Lee got trapped on the stand.
People been terrorized, Roark.
Beaten...
...killed.
It's not worth it.
It's only not worth it if Carl
Lee goes to the gas chamber.
Listen, this case is not
over until the summation.
Remember that.
And you've got one big fat chance...
...to reinvent yourself.
To make that jury see...
...this whole case through your eyes.
They're good eyes.
Now, get out of here, go to work.
I'll keep in touch.
No, you won't.
Big liar.
Win or lose, Roark...
...we make one hell of a team.
We might have.
We really might have.
You really want to kiss me right now.
Yes, I do.
Undecided?
Guilty?
Hey, Max.
Where's Hannah?
I left her at my parents'.
How'd you get here?
Drove.
In the storm?
Got something needs
to be said in person.
I've been blaming you
for all that's happened.
But it's not your fault.
You didn't kill those boys.
You were trying to make things right.
I know that now.
I thought you took this case
because you wanted to prove...
...what a big time lawyer you were.
But I was wrong.
You took this case because...
...if those boys...
...had hurt Hannah...
...the way they hurt Tonya...
...you would've killed them too.
Baby. Come here.
Come here.
I love you Jake.
I thought I was going to lose you.
We're going to lose this case.
There are no points of law to argue here.
I want to cop a plea.
Maybe Buckley'll cop us a...
...second-degree murder and we
can get you life in prison.
I can't do no life in prison.
Get me out. If it was you on trial--
It's not me.
We're not the same.
The jury has to identify
with the defendant.
They see you, they see a yardworker.
They see me...
...they see an attorney.
You live on the hill.
With you white and I'm black.
See, Jake?
You think just like them.
That's why I picked you.
You're one of them, don't you see?
You think you ain't because
you eat in Claude's...
...and you're on TV talking about
black and white.
But the fact is...
...you're just like them.
When you look at me,
you don't see a man.
You see a black man.
I am your friend.
We ain't no friends.
We're on different sides of the line.
I ain't never seen you in my part of
town. You don't know where I live.
Our daughters...
...won't play together.
What do you mean?
America...
...is a war...
...and you're on the other side.
How a black man ever going
to get a fair trial...
...with the enemy on the
bench and the jury box?
My life in white hands.
You, Jake.
That's how.
You're my secret weapon, because
you're one of the bad guys.
You don't mean to be, but you are.
It's how you's raised.
'Nigger, Negro, black...
...African-American.'
No matter how you see me...
...you see me as different.
You see me like that jury sees me.
You are them.
Now, throw out your points of law, Jake.
If you...
...was on that jury...
...what would it take to convince you...
...to set me free?
That's how you'll save my ass.
That's how you save us both.
Is Carl Lee Hailey insane?
It's a notion so outrageous...
...the only witness the defense
could produce to support it...
...was a convicted felon.
He is not insane.
This is a man who is
a confessed murderer.
This is a man who admitted...
...on this stand...
...to carrying out the sentence
he believed the alleged rapists...
...of his daughter deserved!
He's taken justice out of your hands!
And put it in his own.
And with those hands...
...he took the lives of two young men!
We feel terrible over what
happened to his daughter.
But feeling terrible...
...and knowing something is
wrong does not give any of us...
...a right to kill.
Everyone, your duty is clear.
All in this courtroom know the truth.
All in this state know the truth.
Now you need only find the courage...
...to speak the words:
'Carl Lee Hailey...
...is guilty!'
Guilty!
Guilty!
State rests, Your Honor.
Now, I had a great
summation all worked out...
...full of some sharp lawyering...
...but I'm not doing it.
I'm here to apologize.
I am young, and I am inexperienced.
But you cannot...
...hold Carl Lee Hailey responsible...
...for my shortcomings.
In all this legal maneuvering...
...something got lost.
That something is the truth.
It is incumbent upon us lawyers...
...not to just talk about the truth...
...but to actually seek it...
...to find it, to live it.
My teacher taught me that.
Let's take Dr. Bass, for example.
I would never knowingly put a
convicted felon on the stand.
I hope you believe that.
But what is the truth?
That he's a disgraced liar?
What if I told you...
...the woman he was accused of
raping was 17, he was 23...
...that she became his wife...
...bore his child...
...and is still married to him?
Does that make his
testimony more or less true?
What in us seeks truth?
Our minds...
...or is it our hearts?
I tried to prove blacks could
get a fair trial in the South...
...that we are all equal
in the eyes of the law.
That's not the truth.
The eyes of the law are human eyes...
...yours and mine, and until we
can see each other as equals...
...justice is never
going to be evenhanded.
It will only be a reflection
of our own prejudices.
So until that day...
...we have a duty under
God to seek the truth...
...not with our minds...
...where fear and hate turn
commonality into prejudice...
...but with our hearts...
...but we don't know better.
I want to tell you a story.
Please close your eyes...
...while I tell it.
I want you to listen to me.
I want you to listen to yourselves.
Go ahead.
Close your eyes, please.
This is a story about a little girl...
...walking home from the grocery
store one sunny afternoon.
I want you to picture this girl.
Suddenly a truck races up.
Two men grab her.
They drag her into a nearby field...
...and they tie her up...
...then rip off her clothes.
They climb on.
First one, then the other...
...raping her...
...shattering everything
innocent and pure...
...with a vicious thrust...
...in a fog of drunken breath and sweat.
And when they're done...
...after they've...
...killed her tiny womb...
...murdered any chance for
her to bear children...
...to have life...
...beyond her own...
...they use her for target practice.
So they start throwing
full beer cans at her.
They throw them so hard...
...that it tears the flesh
all the way to her bones.
Then they urinate on her.
Now comes the hanging.
They have a rope.
They tie a noose.
Imagine the noose coiling
tight around her neck...
...and a sudden blinding jerk.
She's pulled into the air
and her feet go kicking....
They don't find the ground.
The hanging branch...
...isn't strong enough.
It snaps and she falls...
...back to earth.
So they pick her up...
...throw her in the back...
...drive to Foggy Creek Bridge...
...pitch her over.
And she drops some 30 feet...
...down to the creek bottom.
Can you see her?
Her raped...
...beaten...
...broken body...
...soaked in their urine...
...soaked in their semen...
...soaked in her blood...
...left to die.
Can you see her?
I want you to picture...
...that little girl....
Now, imagine she's white.
The defense rests.
Innocent!
Innocent! He's innocent!
Innocent?!
We won! We won!
Ellen, we won! Aren't you happy?!
My God, Ellen, you have to be happy!
He's coming home.
That was...
That was...
I'm one of the bad guys, remember?
Freddie Lee Cobb!
We got something to talk about.
Hastings, you belong
over there with them.
Get over.
Congratulations, counselor.
Thank you.
Look.
Hello.
This is Ms. Hailey. This is Hannah.
She's so pretty.
Brought you some peach cobbler.
Come on in. Come in.
This is my daughter, Tonya.
Nice to meet you.
Just thought our kids
could play together.
Free Carl Lee!
Free Carl Lee!
Free Carl Lee!
Free Carl Lee!
Beautiful day, isn't it?
There he is.
Any word on Bud?
Ethel's still with him.
Thank you for coming.
Well, well, well.
The Pillsbury Dough Boy.
Still practicing exploitative law?
Thought you were dead.
I'm trying. What do we have here?
I'd like to introduce--
Lucien Wilbanks, third white man in
Mississippi to join the NAACP...
...permanently disbarred
by Superior Court...
...for attacking police who busted
a picket line in an oil strike.
It is a pleasure, Ms. Ark.
Everyone, jury selection begins today.
To win this case we need a
sympathetic jury willing to acquit...
...and a jury that can use the
insanity plea as an excuse to do so.
I need a drink.
No drinking.
What do you mean?
It's my building, leased to
you for a reasonable rent...
...and I want a drink.
Ms. Ark, I have all the
respect in the world for you.
I believe in your right to equal pay,
your right to bear a child...
...or to abort one.
You should be treated like a man.
Since you are a law clerk...
...genderless in my eyes...
...I think you should be
the one to go buy the beer.
ERA, 'she' woman. That would be
an excellent activity for you.
No drinking. Not today.
Noose selects this panel randomly.
Too many bad candidates and we're sunk.
Luck of the draw.
What you need...
...is young fathers who want
to do what Carl Lee did.
Agreed. We need young
men with families here.
I'd prefer no one over 50.
Less bigotry with youth.
So we stay away from women,
rednecks and old men.
Citizens, thank you.
Counsel, you each have 12
challenges. Let's begin.
The state challenges jurors #6...
...10...
...and 32.
Your Honor, the defense
strikes jurors 1, 4...
...8 and 2.
And 31.
Your Honor, the defense also
strikes jurors 22 and 29.
That's it, then.
You're out of challenges.
Jurors, you will be
sequestered starting tonight.
Opening statements begin tomorrow.
That's a jury of my peers?
God bless America.
My name is Stump Sisson...
...and I'm proud to be a Grand Dragon...
...for the Invisible Empire...
...of the Ku Klux Klan!
What the hell?
I'm here to say...
...that the law-abiding
whites of this state...
...are sick and tired
of niggers stealing...
...raping, killing, and
getting away with it!
We demand justice!
We demand this nigger...
...be convicted...
...and his black ass
sent to the gas chamber!
Who's a nigger?!
You pointy-headed...
...white-faced, no-good
son-of-a-whore!
Shut up, you wild animal.
I'll drag your ass out of here!
You're the animal!
Open the gate!
Turn around.
Know what?
Just take off your pants.
Come on, do I look that easy?
Afraid I'll see your underwear?
With Carla gone, the laundry's
piling up. I'm not wearing any.
I haven't worn any in years.
I'm not going to watch, I promise.
Now, strip, please.
Fine.
What I need from you...
Do tell.
Is a way to discredit the
State's shrink, Dr. Rodeheaver.
Unless you discredit the shrink...
Carl Lee does not have a chance.
Sorry.
Sissy.
He's got a good chance.
There. You'll live.
Thanks.
Good butt.
What do you do to blow off steam...
...besides trying to kill each other?
You got a disco...
...strip bars...
...or malls...
...to go to?
Stump's dead.
He's dead.
Come on. Let's go home.
It's all over.
It ain't near over.
I'll be right back.
Here are your mud bugs.
Anything else?
A couple of...
...specials and some fried dill pickles.
-You got it.
-Thanks, sugar.
That wasn't sexist. Really,
I never order my own food.
I can't do another shot.
Fine, I'll do another shot.
Just a splash.
To...
Carl Lee.
May a jury find that man
loony as a fruitcake.
Hear, hear.
No more.
So...
...was he crazy when he did it?
No, he wasn't crazy.
He told me he'd do it.
I tried to tell myself
he wasn't serious.
I think I really wanted him to do it.
I came home that night and looked
at Hannah. She looked so tender.
All I could think about was
all the monsters out there...
...and any one of them can
come steal her innocence.
Take her life, if they want.
Yeah, I wanted those boys dead.
You're goddamn right I did.
I guess I helped kill them.
So tomorrow, when we get in court...
...it's not just Carl Lee
I'm trying to get off.
Burn in hell, Brigance!
Good job.
How is it that you'll drive 1-1 /2
hours to take me to dinner but...
...you have no problem
walking into my motel room?
With everything that's going on...
...we can't be too careful.
Just want to make sure it's safe.
I'm not scared.
Yes, I am.
Of what?
Of what's going to happen tomorrow.
All the other cases I've worked
on were only paper defendants.
I never knew the towns...
...and I never touched
the lives or anything.
Tomorrow morning...
...Buckley will try to
kill Carl Lee Hailey.
Now it's on us to stop him.
Go over the battle in your mind.
Argument, rebuttal, examination
and cross. All of it.
Remember something:
You are one of the good guys.
And good guy has...
...the spicy on her lip.
But still one of the good guys.
I'm going home.
Lock the door behind you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
It's going to blow!
My dog's in there!
It's too late.
Hey, buddy.
Seen my dog?
Looking for my dog.
Max, come here!
Come on, Max!
I booked you on the 9:15 to Gulf Port.
Economy, of course.
Go see your wife and daughter.
What'd you do that for?
The trial's in less than 3 hours.
Come on.
Noose'd give you a continuance.
The NAACP boys be down
here before lunch...
...drooling.
Max, let's go, boy! Come on!
Listen to me.
Your marriage is troubled,
you're about to have an affair.
Your career's in ruins, if you're lucky.
If not, you're dead.
Don't get me wrong.
What you've put into this case,
you've even inspired me...
...and I'm uninspirable.
Do everyone a favor, though.
Drop the case.
No, I can't.
I won't. I'm not going to quit.
I quit now, all this
is for nothing. No.
Max, come on now. Max,
where are you? Come on!
Max is dead, and you're next.
Walk away.
Max, come here.
Who's got the goods?
Pre-trial strategy at my
office in less than 2 hours...
...and I expect to see your ass there!
Free Carl Lee!
Free Carl Lee!
Free Carl Lee!
Fry Carl Lee!
Fry Carl Lee!
Fry Carl Lee!
Mr. Buckley...
...you may begin.
Good morning.
You are Cora Mae Cobb, the mother
of Billy Ray Cobb, are you not?
Yes, sir.
Where were you when he was murdered?
Outside that door right there.
Me and Freddie was
waiting for his hearing.
He was walking up the stairs...
...in handcuffs.
Can you tell us how old your son
was at the time of his death?
Your son was 23 when he died?
In those 23 years, Mrs. Cobb...
...how many children did he kidnap?
Objection, Your Honor!
Sustained.
You are out of order.
Withdraw the question.
The jury will disregard the last
question from Mr. Brigance.
In your son's 23 years...
...how many other children did he rape?
In my chambers.
Court will recess for lunch.
Why antagonize the judge? He should've
known Noose'd pull him into chambers.
He knew.
But he got to draw first blood,
and that's more important.
Come play on a winning team.
How's that impotence thing?
You're not being paid
for your work, are you?
No, sir.
Well, I guess Jake's
paying you in other ways.
Impotence.
Yes. Girls talk.
If you would, can you please
identify this weapon?
The weapon found at the scene.
You were able to identify the
fingerprints found on this gun?
Yes, the prints on the gun
matched those of Carl Lee Hailey.
You're sure?
Yes.
I'd like to enter this into
evidence as Exhibit S-18.
We have no further use of this witness.
Sheriff Walls...
...did you arrest Cobb and Willard?
Yes, I did.
I arrested them for the rape...
...and attempted murder of
Is it true that Pete Willard...
...signed a confession...
...saying that he and Billy
Ray Cobb did rape Tonya Hailey?
Objection! That's inadmissible,
and Mr. Brigance knows it.
I've spoken to you before.
We are not trying the rape
of Miss Hailey today...
...but the murder of two young men, and
if you continue in this performance...
...I'll hold you in contempt.
Is that understood?
Yes, sir.
I have no further questions.
Yes.
You say something?
Yes, he did sign a confession.
Objection!
Jurors...
...you will disregard the
last remark of Sheriff Walls.
Court is adjourned till
tomorrow morning, 9:00.
I'm taking Bud back to Oxford.
He always missed Oxford.
I don't know what to say.
There's nothing you can say.
I know you didn't want
any of this to happen...
...but it happened all the same.
You wagered all our lives on this.
You just went ahead and did what you
felt you had to do, no matter what.
Some folks think that's brave.
Not me, Jake.
Now, you may win...
...but I think we've all lost here.
Would you help an old lady to her car?
You don't need any help, Ethel...
...but it would be an honor to
escort you to your automobile.
Didn't like that one?
Buckley presents his shrink tomorrow
and I need a way to bring him down.
I keep asking myself, 'What would
Jake do? What would my father do?'
'Lucien?'
That's your problem right there.
You must ask yourself,
'What would Harry Rex do?'
What would he do?
Cheat.
Cheat like crazy.
We gotta talk about it.
Wait. The judge said absolutely
not to discuss this case.
The judge ain't stuck here
away from his family.
The sooner we start talking
about it, the sooner it's over.
I want to get out of here
as much as anyone else.
Let's get on with it.
Undecided?
Four.
Guilty?
Seven.
Not guilty?
That nigger's dead.
Folks can't get enough of the trial.
That's why my editor said to come
down and interview Rodeheaver.
Dr. Rodeheaver's in court today.
If you want to be a reporter...
...maybe you should do
some better research?
You know what? I don't mind waiting.
My paper really wants this interview.
Is he still in room 369?
-I'll just go there.
-Wrong again. He's in 128.
But he's gone all day.
You can't see him today.
You want to come back in my office
and schedule an appointment?
I'll come back another time...
...when he's got time to talk,
when things have died down.
-Thank you.
-You can call me any time.
Your Honor, the State
calls Deputy Dwayne Looney.
Good morning.
Would you please state
your name for the record?
Deputy Dwayne Powell Looney.
Thank you, Deputy Looney.
Were you present at the murders of
Billy Ray Cobb and James Lewis Willard?
Yes, sir.
If you can remember...
...describe how you were wounded
for the members of the jury.
I think bullets bounced off the
floor, caught me in the knee.
What happened to your leg?
Doc cut it off.
After the loss of your
right leg, detective...
...are you able to serve as a policeman?
I'm able to perform a number of...
services.
Did you see the gunman?
No, sir.
But Mr. Hailey did...
...personally apologize
for his shooting me.
So Mr. Hailey admitted...
...shooting you.
Yes, sir.
I have no further questions.
No questions.
Wait a minute.
The State would like to call Dr.--
Can I have a moment?
Take your time.
Ask if he thinks I should go to jail.
They amputated his leg
because you shot him.
He's the prosecution's witness.
You're my lawyer?
Ask him.
One question.
Make up your mind, Mr. Brigance.
Deputy Looney...
...do you think Carl Lee
shot you intentionally?
No, sir...
...it was an accident.
Ask him.
Should he be punished for shooting you?
No, sir.
I hold no ill will toward the man.
I would have done it.
What do you mean by that?
I don't blame him for what he did.
Those boys raped his girl.
Objection! The witness's opinion
on this matter is irrelevant.
Your Honor...
...I believe Deputy Looney has earned
the right to speak here today.
Overruled.
Continue.
Go ahead, Dwayne.
I got a little girl.
Somebody rapes her, he's a dead dog.
I'll blow him away like Carl Lee did.
Objection!
Should the jury convict Carl Lee Hailey?
Don't answer that question.
He's a hero. You turn him loose.
The jury will disregard--
Turn him loose!
Silence that witness!
Turn him loose!
People can say whatever they
want in this courtroom!
Quiet!
Any more of that nonsense...
...and you're all out of here!
Mr. Buckley, you may begin.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Please state your name and occupation
for the members of the jury.
My name is Dr. Wilbert Rodeheaver,
Chair of Psychiatry...
...at Mississippi State...
...and Director of the Whitfield
Facility for the Criminally Insane.
Your credentials speak for themselves.
Can you explain, as you do so
eloquently in your book...
...the McNaughton Rule for the jury?
Certainly.
The McNaughton Rule states...
...a person must be unable
to tell right from wrong...
...and/ or be unaware of the
consequences of his actions...
...to be termed legally insane.
You examined Mr. Hailey?
Yes, Mr. Hailey and I spoke about
his childhood, his family...
...his experiences during the war.
And the rape of his daughter?
Yes, we spoke at length about the
brutal rape of his daughter Tonya.
What is your diagnosis of
Mr. Hailey's mental condition...
...on the day that he shot Billy
Ray Cobb and James Lewis Willard?
At the time of the murders, his mental
condition was without any defects.
Mr. Hailey was sane.
Wait a minute. The defense contends--
Mr. Brigance has gone to great
effort to prove to this jury...
...that Mr. Hailey is a nutball...
...is a slow coach...
...or...
...what is the clinical definition?
Insane.
-Do you disagree?
-Yes!
Carl Lee Hailey knew what he was doing.
He slaughtered those men in cold blood.
Thank you.
I have no further questions.
Where is Roark?
I don't know.
The cross-examination,
Mr. Brigance?
We would request a recess until--
I must see you.
We will not need a recess,
but just a few moments.
When you and Lois Lane are ready....
Just a few questions.
Who do you work for?
The State of Mississippi.
In 11 years of service...
...how many trials did you testify
in that used the insanity defense?
This is my 46th trial.
Of those 46 trials...
...how many times have you testified
the defendant was legally insane?
Objection!
The doctor cannot be asked...
...to recall all of his testimony
at those trials. It's absurd.
Overruled.
Thank you.
I can't remember.
Could the reason you
can't remember be...
...that in 1 1 years and 46 trials...
...you never saw a defendant
whom you found insane?
I can't recall at this time.
Can you recall testifying
at Dan Baker's trial?
Objection! This has nothing to
do with the proceedings here.
Overruled.
This better be good.
Thank you.
I'll ask again.
Can you recall testifying
at the trial of Dan Baker?
It's a rather brutal double homicide
where you found the defendant sane?
A dissenting psychiatrist
disagreed with you.
And Mr. Baker was found insane
and institutionalized.
Where is he currently?
At Whitfield.
Who is the chief psychiatrist there?
I am.
You are.
Dr. Rodeheaver is the
chief psychiatrist.
Now help me make this clear to the jury.
In 1985, you testified that Dan Baker...
...was legally sane.
The jury disagreed with you.
And Mr. Baker was found not
guilty by reason of insanity.
Since then he has been a patient in your
hospital as a paranoid schizophrenic.
Is that correct?
Do you normally admit patients...
...keep and treat them for 10
years if they are of sound mind?
No.
Then it would be fair to say...
...that you find insane people
sane for the purposes of trial?
Objection! Argumentative!
Withdraw the question.
Nothing further.
Genius, Roark.
How can you get a fair trial?
Get an ambulance!
Heard any news on the guard?
Ozzie says he's probably paralyzed.
Some stranger...
...somebody's husband...
...somebody's son...
...put himself in harm's way...
...for me.
When I saw the blood...
...I got so scared because
I thought it was you.
Do you want me to stay?
Yeah.
I want you to stay.
So you better go.
Oh, shit.
Speed limit's 45, not 70, ma'am.
-Have you been drinking?
-No, I just wasn't thinking.
Get out of the car for a minute.
-Is that really necessary?
-Get out of the car.
Isn't it customary to ask
for license and registration?
Be still, bitch!
Get in there!
You can't blame a nigger
for being a nigger...
...no more than you can
blame a dog for being a dog.
But a whore like you...
...co-mingling with mongrels,
betraying your own...
...that makes you worse than a nigger.
I'll tell you what I'll do.
I'll leave you tied up here naked.
First it'll just be
the bugs eating at you.
One day, maybe two.
That sun's going to cook you.
And animals...
...they'll pick up your stink.
They'll come for something to eat.
Carl Lee Hailey should've shot you too.
Come on, boys. Let's go.
It's okay.
Mr. Brigance, you may
call your first witness.
Yes, Your Honor. The defense calls
Dr. Willard Tyrrel Bass.
Have you seen Roark?
Not yet.
Would you explain to the jury...
...the effect his daughter's rape
had on Mr. Hailey's condition?
Tonya's rape caused a relapse...
...a temporary break with reality.
But yesterday, a Dr. Rodeheaver...
...suggested that Mr. Hailey's
act of calculation was...
...the definition of sanity.
That's ridiculous.
Many of the most famous
schizophrenics are calculating.
John Hinckley, for example.
Calculating.
And legally insane.
So, Dr. Bass, how would
you diagnose Mr. Hailey...
...at the time?
Mr. Hailey experienced a recurrence
of a dissociative condition...
...as a result of the trauma
caused by his daughter's rape.
Now, since Mr. Hailey was unaware
of the reality of his actions...
...he couldn't tell right from wrong.
Nor could he understand the
consequences of his actions.
He was, therefore, legally insane.
Couldn't tell right from wrong,
or understand the consequences.
Therefore, legally...
...insane.
Thank you, Dr. Bass.
I have no further questions.
Your witness.
I'm sorry, excuse me.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Dr. Bass...
...could you please state for
the record your full name?
Willard Tyrrel Bass.
Tyrrel Bass. That's a very unique name.
Now...
...Doctor...
...ever been convicted of a felony?
Of course not.
You're sure?
As certain of that as you are of
the testimony you've just given?
Of course.
Let me understand this now...
...since you are under oath.
You're telling me, and this jury,
that on October 17th, 1960...
...you weren't convicted
of statutory rape?
Objection!
Dr. Bass is not on trial.
This goes to show the
credibility of the witness.
Overruled.
Continue.
Thank you. Now, Doctor...
...were you convicted of statutory rape?
You got the wrong man.
Really?
I have some interesting
photographs of you...
...with an underage female...
...in a motel by the Dallas
police on September 11th, 1960.
Would you like to look at these images
and see if they refresh your memory?
I didn't think so.
We would like to introduce
into evidence these records...
...showing that on
September 15th, 1960...
...this man, one Tyrrel Bass...
...pled guilty...
...to statutory rape.
Now, Doctor, I'm going to
ask you one last time...
...were you or were you not
convicted of statutory rape?
I can explain--
I'm not interested.
Answer the question, yes or no.
Yes, I was.
That's enough.
I have nothing further.
Redirect, Mr. Brigance?
None.
Court'll recess one hour for lunch.
You told me he was a credible witness.
I didn't know.
The record was expunged.
Buckley really outdid himself.
Lucien, I was counting on you.
You wanted this case.
You got it.
It isn't easy saving the world,
but you stick with it.
You might have a knack for it.
Don't do what I did. Don't quit.
What are you talking about,
'quit'? You're a hero.
Hero, my ass!
Did the world need me beating
cops on that picket line?
I was needed here, in that courtroom.
I let them push me.
I gave them an excuse to kick me out...
...and now I can never
plead a case again.
But you can.
You're an attorney.
Be proud.
Your job is to find justice, no
matter how well she hides from you.
So you go in there...
...and do your job.
Hurry up.
They'll start without you.
Come with me.
I can't.
I love you...
...but I can't.
You know that.
I'll never go in a courtroom again.
And I can't be you.
Don't be me.
Be better than me.
And how did you feel?
I felt...
I don't know...
It was like I was outside myself...
...watching myself.
All the while I kept
hearing my baby say...
...'I called for you, Daddy.
When them men was hurting me...
...I called for you over and over but...
...you didn't never come.'
Thank you, Mr. Hailey.
I have no further questions.
You have an emergency call.
Mr. Hailey...
Before you stepped outside yourself to
watch yourself shoot Willard and Cobb...
...were you aware that if convicted
they might be freed in only 10 years?
Yes, I heard people say that.
Should men who kidnap a
child be free in 10 years?
No, sir.
Should men who rape a child be free?
No, sir.
Should men who hang a child be free?
No, sir.
What do you think should
happen to them?
Objection!
Do you think they deserve to die?!
Don't answer!
Yes, they deserved to die
and I hope they burn in hell!
I have nothing further.
Summations begin tomorrow.
Court adjourned.
They found Roark.
So...
...I had to do this to
get you to call me Ellen?
I'm so sorry.
This is all my fault.
Don't sweat it, really.
They didn't hurt anything
that won't heal.
Nothing.
Besides...
...Doctor...
...what's-his-name said
I'll be out in a few days.
I'm fine.
How did we do?
Bass turned out to be a felon.
Carl Lee got trapped on the stand.
People been terrorized, Roark.
Beaten...
...killed.
It's not worth it.
It's only not worth it if Carl
Lee goes to the gas chamber.
Listen, this case is not
over until the summation.
Remember that.
And you've got one big fat chance...
...to reinvent yourself.
To make that jury see...
...this whole case through your eyes.
They're good eyes.
Now, get out of here, go to work.
I'll keep in touch.
No, you won't.
Big liar.
Win or lose, Roark...
...we make one hell of a team.
We might have.
We really might have.
You really want to kiss me right now.
Yes, I do.
Undecided?
Guilty?
Hey, Max.
Where's Hannah?
I left her at my parents'.
How'd you get here?
Drove.
In the storm?
Got something needs
to be said in person.
I've been blaming you
for all that's happened.
But it's not your fault.
You didn't kill those boys.
You were trying to make things right.
I know that now.
I thought you took this case
because you wanted to prove...
...what a big time lawyer you were.
But I was wrong.
You took this case because...
...if those boys...
...had hurt Hannah...
...the way they hurt Tonya...
...you would've killed them too.
Baby. Come here.
Come here.
I love you Jake.
I thought I was going to lose you.
We're going to lose this case.
There are no points of law to argue here.
I want to cop a plea.
Maybe Buckley'll cop us a...
...second-degree murder and we
can get you life in prison.
I can't do no life in prison.
Get me out. If it was you on trial--
It's not me.
We're not the same.
The jury has to identify
with the defendant.
They see you, they see a yardworker.
They see me...
...they see an attorney.
You live on the hill.
With you white and I'm black.
See, Jake?
You think just like them.
That's why I picked you.
You're one of them, don't you see?
You think you ain't because
you eat in Claude's...
...and you're on TV talking about
black and white.
But the fact is...
...you're just like them.
When you look at me,
you don't see a man.
You see a black man.
I am your friend.
We ain't no friends.
We're on different sides of the line.
I ain't never seen you in my part of
town. You don't know where I live.
Our daughters...
...won't play together.
What do you mean?
America...
...is a war...
...and you're on the other side.
How a black man ever going
to get a fair trial...
...with the enemy on the
bench and the jury box?
My life in white hands.
You, Jake.
That's how.
You're my secret weapon, because
you're one of the bad guys.
You don't mean to be, but you are.
It's how you's raised.
'Nigger, Negro, black...
...African-American.'
No matter how you see me...
...you see me as different.
You see me like that jury sees me.
You are them.
Now, throw out your points of law, Jake.
If you...
...was on that jury...
...what would it take to convince you...
...to set me free?
That's how you'll save my ass.
That's how you save us both.
Is Carl Lee Hailey insane?
It's a notion so outrageous...
...the only witness the defense
could produce to support it...
...was a convicted felon.
He is not insane.
This is a man who is
a confessed murderer.
This is a man who admitted...
...on this stand...
...to carrying out the sentence
he believed the alleged rapists...
...of his daughter deserved!
He's taken justice out of your hands!
And put it in his own.
And with those hands...
...he took the lives of two young men!
We feel terrible over what
happened to his daughter.
But feeling terrible...
...and knowing something is
wrong does not give any of us...
...a right to kill.
Everyone, your duty is clear.
All in this courtroom know the truth.
All in this state know the truth.
Now you need only find the courage...
...to speak the words:
'Carl Lee Hailey...
...is guilty!'
Guilty!
Guilty!
State rests, Your Honor.
Now, I had a great
summation all worked out...
...full of some sharp lawyering...
...but I'm not doing it.
I'm here to apologize.
I am young, and I am inexperienced.
But you cannot...
...hold Carl Lee Hailey responsible...
...for my shortcomings.
In all this legal maneuvering...
...something got lost.
That something is the truth.
It is incumbent upon us lawyers...
...not to just talk about the truth...
...but to actually seek it...
...to find it, to live it.
My teacher taught me that.
Let's take Dr. Bass, for example.
I would never knowingly put a
convicted felon on the stand.
I hope you believe that.
But what is the truth?
That he's a disgraced liar?
What if I told you...
...the woman he was accused of
raping was 17, he was 23...
...that she became his wife...
...bore his child...
...and is still married to him?
Does that make his
testimony more or less true?
What in us seeks truth?
Our minds...
...or is it our hearts?
I tried to prove blacks could
get a fair trial in the South...
...that we are all equal
in the eyes of the law.
That's not the truth.
The eyes of the law are human eyes...
...yours and mine, and until we
can see each other as equals...
...justice is never
going to be evenhanded.
It will only be a reflection
of our own prejudices.
So until that day...
...we have a duty under
God to seek the truth...
...not with our minds...
...where fear and hate turn
commonality into prejudice...
...but with our hearts...
...but we don't know better.
I want to tell you a story.
Please close your eyes...
...while I tell it.
I want you to listen to me.
I want you to listen to yourselves.
Go ahead.
Close your eyes, please.
This is a story about a little girl...
...walking home from the grocery
store one sunny afternoon.
I want you to picture this girl.
Suddenly a truck races up.
Two men grab her.
They drag her into a nearby field...
...and they tie her up...
...then rip off her clothes.
They climb on.
First one, then the other...
...raping her...
...shattering everything
innocent and pure...
...with a vicious thrust...
...in a fog of drunken breath and sweat.
And when they're done...
...after they've...
...killed her tiny womb...
...murdered any chance for
her to bear children...
...to have life...
...beyond her own...
...they use her for target practice.
So they start throwing
full beer cans at her.
They throw them so hard...
...that it tears the flesh
all the way to her bones.
Then they urinate on her.
Now comes the hanging.
They have a rope.
They tie a noose.
Imagine the noose coiling
tight around her neck...
...and a sudden blinding jerk.
She's pulled into the air
and her feet go kicking....
They don't find the ground.
The hanging branch...
...isn't strong enough.
It snaps and she falls...
...back to earth.
So they pick her up...
...throw her in the back...
...drive to Foggy Creek Bridge...
...pitch her over.
And she drops some 30 feet...
...down to the creek bottom.
Can you see her?
Her raped...
...beaten...
...broken body...
...soaked in their urine...
...soaked in their semen...
...soaked in her blood...
...left to die.
Can you see her?
I want you to picture...
...that little girl....
Now, imagine she's white.
The defense rests.
Innocent!
Innocent! He's innocent!
Innocent?!
We won! We won!
Ellen, we won! Aren't you happy?!
My God, Ellen, you have to be happy!
He's coming home.
That was...
That was...
I'm one of the bad guys, remember?
Freddie Lee Cobb!
We got something to talk about.
Hastings, you belong
over there with them.
Get over.
Congratulations, counselor.
Thank you.
Look.
Hello.
This is Ms. Hailey. This is Hannah.
She's so pretty.
Brought you some peach cobbler.
Come on in. Come in.
This is my daughter, Tonya.
Nice to meet you.
Just thought our kids
could play together.