The Chamber (1996)

A top cast consisting of veteran aces Gene Hackman and Faye Dunaway can't rescue this way-too-long, dreadfully earnest version of John Grisham's equally gimpy novel. There are several problems in this story of an intertwined Southern family who must disentangle themselves from the past and the dark shadow of a 1967 bombing. That terrorist attack led to the deaths of two Jewish children and was pinned on the black-sheep patriarch of the family, a racist, card-carrying Klansman named Sam Cayhall (Hackman), who is now serving time on death row for the hate crime. Years later, the savior grandson cometh. Young-buck lawyer Adam Hall--played with righteous determination and limited range by Chris O'Donnell--pulls out all the stops to save his client from the Mississippi gas chamber. As is usual in Grisham country, the poor lawyer becomes embroiled in a plan more diabolical, corrupt, and layered than he could guess and the truth spirals out of control, endangering lives, and opening old wounds. The Chamber attempts to twist and turn through its plodding story, but there is no gray area in which to force the viewer to weigh his or her conscience against the skewed facts. Everything that occurs in The Chamber is black or white, good or bad, and there is no crisis of conflict to make us question the morality and stance of the two sides in play. The bad guys are awful, the politicians are bought off, the cops are either corrupt or apathetic, and only one puny guy is left to bring down a house of cards that's been standing solidly for decades. O'Donnell is quickly put to shame by Hackman, who even manages to suffer through a sadistically long, melodramatic stroll down death row with his dignity intact. --Paula Nechak Amazon.com essential video

Not the best Grisham movie

If I were to categorize all of the Grisham movies so far, it would go like this: 1. The Firm 2. The Pelican Brief 3. The Client 4. Runaway Jury (Hackman is better in this one) 5. A Time to Kill 6. The Rainmaker 7. A Painted House 8. The Chamber.

My favorites: The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, Runaway Jury, A Painted House. April 28, 2008

Passable.

This film is really only good for two things.

1. Chris O'Donnell appears without his shirt on for one scene

2. Faye Dunaway plays a crazy drunk (ultimate camp!) November 8, 2006

Can we presume to be better than God?

Apart from the emotional content due to the fact that a grandson defends his grandfather who is going to be executed for a racist crime, the films deals with the death penalty with great sympathy and ethical enlightenment. It also reveals with some silent moments here and there that the decision to execute the murderer is not at all taken for real moral reasons but only for political reasons. The governor finally gives the go-ahead message and refuses to pardon the murderer or even to stay the execution for some new investigation in some facts that appeared at the very last minute, and this under pressure from a crowd and he even announces his decision in front of this crowd and TV cameras. This is what is particular unbeareable about the death penalty : the final decision is always taken by some elected politician who turns it into his own political campaign Just for that reason it is unethical. The film also reveals how the grandfather is transformed in just 28 days by the energy and dedication of his grandson. He finally realizes, as he says so well, that he was not completely black and evil and that there must have been something good in him that he transmitted to his son who transmitted it in his turn to his grandson. There was a new hope in that man. But that was too late and that could not be taken into account by the governor.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Université Paris Dauphine, Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne
February 8, 2006

Not Bad, but Not Great either

The Chamber was a bit of a disappointment considering the make-up of the cast: Chris O'Donnell and Gene Hackman among others.
The film sheds light on a young lawyer who decides to defend his grandfather, a member of the KKK, in an effort to prevent his execution from being carried out.
In short, the acting, the dialogues, and the plot are pretty good, though it lacks that extra something to put it over the top.
In a nutshell, it's probably not a movie you would want to add to your collection, but it will provide for an evening's entertainment, and that's about it.
No masterpiece here... 3 Stars
October 28, 2005

BLUE GENE

Gene Hackman's electrifying performance dominates this adaptation of John Grisham's best selling novel. Hackman portrays Sam Cayhall, a man who's been on death row for sixteen years for the bombing of a lawyer's office that resulted in the death of the lawyer's two children. Cayhall is a vile man, who has lived a life of hatred and prejudice, the result of generations of such bigoted ancestors. Enter Chris O'Donnell as his young grandson, who is a lawyer and wants to reopen the case and spare his grandfather the gas chamber. What ensues is a painful exploration of hatred, prejudice and a dysfunctional family.
I liked the movie, in spite of its several flaws. Hackman is phenomenal, and Chris O'Donnell does a good job as the naively innocent, but determined, young barrister. Faye Dunaway offers wonderful support as Hackman's estranged daughter who has lived a life of secrecy and guilt. Lela Rochon, Raymond Barry, David Marshall Grant and Robert Prosky offer fine support too.
I found myself involved in the movie, and feel it didn't offer any easy answers. Hackman is a guilty man, but his performance is so well doone that one can't help but feel sorry for the life he has chosen, and the life he has sacrificed.
I think it's well worth viewing. November 17, 2004

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