The Chamber

1996

1h 53m

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

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Crime

Drama

Idealistic young attorney Adam Hall takes on the death row clemency case of his racist grandfather, Sam Cayhall, a former Ku Klux Klan member he has never met.

Directors

James Foley

Writers

William Goldman(screenplay by)

John Grisham(novel by)

Phil Alden Robinson(screenplay by)

Stars

Chris O'Donnell

Gene Hackman

Faye Dunaway

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Watch The Chamber (1996) Official Trailer - Chris O'Donnell, Gene Hackman Movie HD

Top cast

Adam Hall

Sam Cayhall

Lee Cayhall Bowen

E. Garner Goodman

Nora Stark

Sgt. Clyde Packer

Ruth Kramer

Gov. David McAllister

Raymond J. Barry

Rollie Wedge

Nicholas Pryor

Judge Flynn F. Slattery

Richard Bradford

Wyn Lettner

Harve Presnell

Attorney General Roxburgh

Phelps Bowen

Dr. Anne Biddows

Marvin B. Kramer

Joe Lincoln

J.B. Gullitt

Directors

James Foley

Writers

William Goldman(screenplay by)

John Grisham(novel by)

Phil Alden Robinson(screenplay by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

If you spend half as much time trying to be a lawyer instead of trying to be Dick Tracy, I might not be dead in five days. 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

John Chard11 Mar, 2016