The Chamber

"Time is running out."

1996 1h 53m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 289

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Time is running out.”

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Cast

Chris O'Donnell
Adam Hall
Gene Hackman
Sam Cayhall
Faye Dunaway
Lee Cayhall Bowen
Robert Prosky
E. Garner Goodman
Lela Rochon
Nora Stark
Bo Jackson
Sgt. Clyde Packer
Millie Perkins
Ruth Kramer
David Marshall Grant
Gov. David McAllister

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: James Foley
Writers: William Goldman, Phil Alden Robinson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 45% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by James Foley, shot by Ian Baker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mark Warner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Chris O'Donnell and Gene Hackman and Faye Dunaway carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Time is running out.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

James Foley directs. Ian Baker behind the camera. Carter Burwell scores. Mark Warner cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 45% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
330 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by James Foley, shot by Ian Baker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Mark Warner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Chris O'Donnell and Gene Hackman and Faye Dunaway carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Time is running out.".
9IMDB entry: tt0115862 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ian Baker
Original score: Carter Burwell
Editing: Mark Warner
Production design: David Brisbin
Costume design: Tracy Tynan
Makeup / hair: Lance Anderson
Stunt coordinator: Webster Whinery
Runtime: 113 min · 1h 53m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $50,000,000
Box office: $22,540,359
Return: 45% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Chamber (1996)

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James Foley

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2016-03-11
★ 5/10
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

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