The Chamber (film)
| The Chamber | |
|---|---|
The Chamber movie poster
|
|
| Directed by | James Foley |
| Produced by |
John Davis Brian Grazer Ron Howard |
| Screenplay by |
William Goldman Phil Alden Robinson (as "Chris Reese") |
| Based on |
The Chamber by John Grisham |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Carter Burwell |
| Cinematography | Ian Baker |
| Edited by | Mark Warner |
|
Production
company |
|
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
113 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million |
| Box office | $22,540,359 |
The Chamber is a 1996 crime thriller film based on John Grisham's novel of the same name. The film was directed by James Foley and stars Gene Hackman and Chris O'Donnell.
Having survived the hatred and bigotry that was his Klansman grandfather Sam Cayhall's (Hackman) only legacy, young attorney Adam Hall (O'Donnell) seeks to appeal the old man's death sentence for the murder of two Jewish children 30 years ago. Only 28 days before Cayhall is to be executed, Adam meets his grandfather for the first time in the Mississippi State Penitentiary which has held him since his conviction in 1980. The meeting is predictably tense when the educated, young Mr. "Hall" confronts his venom-spewing elder, Mr. "Cayhall" about the murders. The next day, headlines run proclaiming Adam the grandson who has come to the state to save his grandfather, the infamous Ku Klux Klan bomber.
While the old man's life lies in the balance, Adam's motivation in fighting this battle becomes clear as the story unfolds. He fights not only for his grandfather but also perhaps for himself. He has come to heal the wounds of his own father's suicide, to mitigate the secret shame he has always felt for having this man as a grandfather and to bring closure, one way or another, to the suffering the old man seems to have brought to everyone he has ever known. At the end, there is some redemption for the condemned man when he expresses remorse and realizes his wasted life of hate. It is revealed that there were others involved in the bombing, but he is the only one who is actually executed.
Ron Howard was originally set to direct the film, but left the project to direct Ransom (1996). He stayed on as a producer on the film.Brad Pitt was committed to playing Adam Hall, but left the project when Howard left to direct Ransom.
...
Wikipedia