The Chamber (film)
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| The Chamber | |
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 The Chamber movie poster |
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| Directed by | James Foley |
| Produced by | John Davis Brian Grazer Ron Howard |
| Written by | John Grisham (novel) William Goldman (screenplay) Chris Reese (screenplay) |
| Starring | Chris O'Donnell Gene Hackman |
| Music by | Carter Burwell |
| Cinematography | Ian Baker |
| Editing by | Mark Warner |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 11 1996 |
| Running time | 113 min. |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Chamber is 1996 drama/thriller film based on the John Grisham novel of the same name. The film is directed by James Foley and stars Gene Hackman and Chris O'Donnell.
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[edit] Synopsis
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 small Jewish boys 30 years before. Only 28 days before Sam Cayhall is to be executed, Adam meets his grandfather for the first time in the Mississippi state prison which has held him since his conviction in 1980 (16 years ago). 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.
[edit] Cast
- Chris O'Donnell - Adam Hall
- Gene Hackman - Sam Cayhall
- Faye Dunaway - Lee Cayhall Bowen
- Robert Prosky - E. Garner Goodman
- Raymond J. Barry - Rollie Wedge/Donnie Cayhall
- Bo Jackson - Sgt. Clyde Packer
- Lela Rochon - Nora Stark
- David Marshall Grant - Gov. David McAllister
- Nicholas Pryor - Judge Flynn F. Slattery
- Harve Presnell - Atty. Gen. Roxburgh
[edit] Production history
Ron Howard was originally set to direct the film, but left the project to direct Ransom (1996). He stayed on as Executive Producer on the film.[citation needed] Brad Pitt was committed to playing Adam Hall, but left the project when Howard left to direct Ransom.[citation needed]
William Goldman, who wrote the early drafts, was reportedly unsatisfied with the re-writes and never saw the finished movie.[citation needed]
[edit] Filming locations
Scenes were filmed in the actual gas chamber at Parchman Penitentiary.[citation needed]
[edit] External links
- The Chamber at the Internet Movie Database
- The Chamber on the All Movie Guide
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