The Chamber (1996)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The Chamber is directed by James Foley and adapted to screenplay by William Goldman and Phil Alden Robinson from the John Grisham novel of the same name. It stars Gene Hackman, Chris O'Donnell, Faye Dunnaway, Lela Rochon and Robert Prosky. Music is by Carter Burwell and cinematography by Ian Baker.Young attorney Adam Hall (O'Donnell) fights to keep his Klansman grandfather, Sam Cayhall (Hackman), from the gas chamber.Grisham famously slated the film, even shouldering some of the blame himself, it's not hard to see why. It's a legal drama without any drama, it plods aimlessly along, getting by on Hackman's fully committed performance. At times it forgets its legal duties and gets wrapped up in family strife, which would be OK if this aspect of the story had anything worthwhile to say, it doesn't, and you can see the cast and director straining to make a two hour talkathon worthy of your time. It isn't, sadly, making it the poorest Grisham adaptation to screen. 5/10

Not your typical law drama. It's about a rookie attorney trying to keep his KKK grandfather off the death penalty for killing a civil rights lawyer's kids.It's an interesting take on redemption as the lawyer tries to find a glimmer of light in a dark man and the ultimate underdog story as he represents a man who is without a doubt guilty and dislikedGene Hackman's performance is steady and though Hackman himself can play a likable villain like he did in the Superman movies, the character he played is hard to like which is exactly what you want. Chris O'Donnell did well, in this starring vehicle as a young rookie lawyer, who trying to grasp at his family history and finding it difficult. It was a good political law drama, that came out in a sea of good political law dramas, and though O'Donnell was at his most dashing and popular (a year after Batman & Robin) and Hackman was also around his peak, I think this movie got lost when you have to go up against Matthew McConaughey in A time to kill and following Denzel in the pelican brief and Cruse in A few good men.Which is sad because this movie was very intelligent and acted well be all involved especially O'Donnell and Hackman who had some interesting interactions in the film. Plus, a shout out to Bo Jackson who did some acting in the movie as well. Give it a shoot.

Having survived the hatred and bigotry that was his Klansman grandfather's only legacy, young attorney Adam Hall seeks at the last minute to appeal his death sentence for the murder of two small Jewish boys 30 years before. Only four weeks before he is to be executed, Adam meets his grandfather for the first time in the Mississippi prison which has held him since the crime.....The only reason to see this film is for Hackman's central performance. Whenever he's on screen, he's mesmerising, and at times, pretty terrifying. But, the same cannot be said for the rest of the film.It's easily the poorest adaptation of a Grisham novel, and this was when his stories were being churned out every other month, much like young adult novels today.It's as if the studio threw money at it, plastered the writers name everywhere, and hope it would succeed, but it didn't.It's too long, the narrative and direction are terrible, and O'Donnell has the screen presence of that sandwich Tom Cruise ate in Minority Report. He shows no emotion, has no depth, and the final scene where he is running, is funny for all the wrong reasons.The support is there, but no matter how prolific the actor/actress maybe, they suffer because the character is so stereotyped.Come the end, you are. More relieved for Hackman, rather than shocked.One wasted opportunity.

Schock-free, little suspense and a absolutely horrible performance by Faye Dunaway. This is what this movie has going for it.A grandson fights for his racist grandfather's life. This could have been interesting but we get little to no insight about the back story which led to the event. I will reveal that it has something to do with a murder and the grandfather about to get the gas chamber. I don't think it will spoil anyones enjoyment of the film or vice versa.The problem is that Gene Hackman as the grandfather is such a underwritten character and he is not portrayed enough as the monster he is supposed to be. Yes, he is a white supremacist and his own family resented him for it, but he comes off much too sympathetic as the plot goes along. He yells and resists at first, he mocks his liberal grandson and that's about it.Chris O'Donnell as the grandson doesn't really register either. We know his motivation but we don't really feel his pain of learning where he comes from. Again, the script is severely underwritten on his part.Then the worst of all. The daughter, played by Faye Dunaway. There is a scene at the end between Hackman and Dunaway that is so false, so unintentionally hilarious that I almost shut the film off.The ending is sad but it doesn't have enough emotional power either. Because Hackman has neither been portrayed as a total monster, nor has he been portrayed as monster with a heart, we could care less if he lives or dies.