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starring: Chris O'Donnell, Gene Hackman, Faye Dunaway, Robert Prosky, Raymond J. Barrydirected by: James Foley
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786304358528
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
ISBN: 6304358520
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Studios
Release Date: November 11, 1997
Running Time: 113 minutes
Sales Rank: 22307
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: October 11, 1996
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video:
Adapted from John Grisham's novel, this does not live up to its potential; although it does come close. A fresh-faced Chris O'Donnell is the naive but insistent young attorney determined to appeal the case of Gene Hackman. The latter plays a unapologetic death-row inmate accused of killing two Jewish boys 30 years earlier. O'Donnell, we quickly learn, is the grandson of the murderous old cuss and has his own agenda for trying to save him. Meant more as a character study than a courtroom thriller, this never quite gels, as it leaves a few too many questions unanswered. However, it is well worth seeing for the performances, especially Hackman as the grizzled and nasty elderly convict. --Rochelle O'Gorman
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - 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.
Rating:  - 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!)
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
Rating: - 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, ... Read More
Rating:  - 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 ... Read More
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