MovieChat Forums > A Time to Kill (1996) Discussion > I am sorry but I do NOT agree:

I am sorry but I do NOT agree:

posted 10 years ago by creatorof2002
5 replies | jump to latest

I do NOT agree with the rape victim's father getting off scott free at the end. I can totally understand why he did what he did and I am personally glad those 2 pieces of $hit are dead (though getting repeatedly gang raped in prison for being child molesters would be a much better fate for them than death).

But we as a SOCIETY cannot start condoning vigilante revenge occurring inside courtrooms during trials, as soon as we as a society decide to allow that we are setting the stage for anarchy and a breakdown of the system, and technically one is innocent until proven guilty in court. Can you imagine if an enraged father in a different case did something like that and it turned out that the people he shot were innocent?

Plus, part of the morality of justified revenge is this: If one is getting a justified revenge (think the Punisher or Count of Monte Cristo) no matter how entitled to revenge they are the burden of responsibility is entirely on them to NOT harm innocents in the process of getting their revenge. For example the Punisher or Count of Monte Cristo were both heros so if a villain hid behind a hostage they would wait till later to get their revenge rather than shoot through the hostage. An evil person after revenge would not care (think Khan on Star Trek 2).

Well he was so frantic in his rage that he did NOT aim that gun carefully enough and an errant shot missed the rapists and accidentally hit a security guard in the knee and did so much damage to the leg it had to be AMPUTATED. Yes it was an accident but the burden of responsibility was entirely on him.

I wish he had been convicted of a lesser offense like manslaughter or something, I just do not approve of scott free like that.

[–] ave_roma2004 10 years ago

In the real world, they would have buried him in charges. This is an unrealistic movie, period.

[–] creatorof2002 10 years ago

over 20 years ago a woman, Ellie Nestler shot and killed the man who had raped her son, she did it in a court room during the trial. She become semi famous and had many supporters and only got a few years for some reduced conviction and she had cancer, I lost track she might have died in prison and I hate to say this because I do not know what I would do if someone I loved was raped or horribly abused in some way. That being said I am MORE forgiving with vigilante revenge if it happens in the regular world. I feel that once a criminal is apprehended and on trial and in a court of law the law needs to be allowed to take it's course. As flawed as our criminal justice system is (and it IS flawed) We as a society cannot start condoning circumventing our courts with guns.

At the time I disagreed with everyone who said she should get off scott free. I just feel allowing vigilante justice inside courtrooms even when morally it is totally justified is the beginning of a dangerous and slippery slope.

The least the courts could have done is convict him of malicious wounding or some reduced version of that charge like reckless endangerment resulting in terrible injury (like when you are driving drunk which is a form of being careless and accidentally injure someone) for the security guard whose leg he shot off.

As I said before if you are the hero in a story (including TRUE stories) the burden of responsibility is entirely on you to ONLY harm those that deserve it. If you accidentally harm an innocent bystander in the process of getting your revenge you pay for it in some way. I hope the one legged security guard at least sues that guy in civil court. His career as a security guard is likely over as a result. Being not guilty criminally does not save you from CIVIL court as we learned form OJ SIMPSON.

[–] RobbieCalifornia 9 years ago

I'm not sorry to say I was glad to see those two guys blown away. Period.

I know it was wrong for the father to take the law into his own hands, blah blah.
In this movie, which is a fictitious story and not real life, I was glad.

[–] manofsteel4455 9 years ago

Don't people like you ever live in the real world?

[–] geearf 9 years ago

Agreed, and mostly because of the cop losing his leg.
I mean killing the 2 guys is not nothing but I could somehow understand him getting free of it, but the cop's life changing event? no he should pay for that!