User Reviews

A movie that you expect to be a courtroom drama actually turns out to be the story of a family and its past, as young lawyer Adam Hall (Chris O'Donnell) finds himself digging through several generations of family skeletons after he takes on the case of his grandfather Sam Cayhall (Gene Hackman), a racist scumbag found guilty years before of a Mississippi bombing that killed two Jewish children and now set to die in the gas chamber in less than a month unless Adam can find some way of commuting the death sentence.

The clear highlight of the movie is Hackman's performance. He was believable in a movie in which he's definitely cast against type. He becomes the epitome of the racist scumbag he's portraying, and yet the character's nature is also softened by the writers, who introduce uncertainties about Cayhall's level of involvement in the bombing and who raise the possibility that he may be feeling remorse for what happened. Cayhall in the end even does something somewhat noble. His daughter (played by Faye Dunaway) - who witnessed him murder a black man in an incident years before - has been haunted with guilt, believing that if she had let him know that she was present, he would never have killed the man in front of her eyes. She feels guilty, believing that she's responsible for the man's death and finally asks her father as she visits before his execution whether he would have killed the man if he had known she was there. He says he would have. It sounds like a harsh and cold statement coming from Cayhall, and yet he's really telling her that it wasn't her fault and she shouldn't feel guilty over what happened. I found that simple scene very moving - mainly because it seemed to be a lie. His body language seemed to suggest that he wouldn't have killed the man with his daughter watching, but he wanted to take away her feelings of guilt.

Perhaps, though, that also serves as the great weakness here - to me at least. Cayhall was a bad guy, but there seemed to be attempts to excuse him - especially with the repeated refrain that he had no choice but to become a hateful bigot. His father had been one, his father's father, and his father as well. How could Cayhall have turned out differently after three generations of hate? The obvious response (which was strangely never voiced) is that Cayhall's son (Adam's father, who had ultimately committed suicide, apparently out of shame from the family's past) turned out differently in spite of the four generations of hatred in the family before him. The whole idea that Cayhall was destined to be a racist because of his upbringing grated on me because of that. Still, Hackman's performance was great, and Cayhall was an interesting character.

Chris O'Donnell was overshadowed by Hackman in this. He was all right as Adam, but perhaps lacked a bit of spark that might have brought more life to the movie. The writers made a good decision in not developing a romance between Adam and Nora (Lela Rochon.) An inter-racial romance between the racist's grandson and lawyer and the governor's aide might have been an obvious direction to take, but it frankly would have been too obvious. The end result, though, was that Nora was a minor character. Her place in the story seemed ill-defined to me. There's a hint of some deep, dark secrets from the past that could come back to haunt some of Mississippi's political elite, but that never gets developed.

Many criticize this because it apparently strays quite liberally from the John Grisham novel on which it's based (which I've never read I admit.) Well, this is a movie. Movies and books are different. You can't just take a novel and make it fit the screen, so adaptations don't bother me as long as the end result on film is good. This was a good movie, and I appreciated the fact that while Cayhall's character was softened over the course of it, there was no real redemption for the character. He played his part in the children's deaths, and he paid the price for it. Overall, this is pretty good.

Sam Cayhall (Gene Hackman) is set to be executed for a bombing thirty years ago in Mississippi that killed two Jewish boys. His grandson Adam (Chris O'Donnell) has been avoiding the hateful legacy of his Klan grandfather. The young lawyer takes on the case. His investigation reveals that others were involved and he struggles to stop the execution.

Gene Hackman is a great racist but his character is irredeemable. Chris O'Donnell has his boyish looks but I don't sense the substance. Faye Dunaway is simply horrible in this one. The story is flat. The legal thriller is ultimately meaningless. Other than Hackman, this movie doesn't have much.

First, I should admit that I've never read any of John Grisham's novels. I've seen many of the film adaptations (which usually seem to be worthy, if absolutely nothing else). It seems like most critics - and much of the public - considered "The Chamber" the worst adaptation of a Grisham novel ever. When I saw the movie, I didn't find it terrible, though not a great movie either. Maybe it was just that many people - myself not included - counted "A Time to Kill" as one of the best adaptations, and dismissed this one.

Anyway, Gene Hackman makes a pretty ugly Klansman (well duh, he gets into any character), and I'd say that he overshadows Chris O'Donnell (who just looks a little out of place in this sort of movie). I can't tell whether or not Faye Dunaway is just there for show. But overall, what I like about this movie is that it doesn't lionize Hackman's character, but it shows why he became a Klansman - sort of like what "Dead Man Walking" does with Sean Penn's character. Obviously, "The Chamber" isn't in the same league as that one. But still, I think that most people need to reassess this movie. Also starring Robert Prosky, Raymond J. Barry, Bo Jackson and Lela Rochon.

Just like the book, this movie is amazing. The story is unique in the sense that it is very personal. A boy's grandfather is to be executed for murdering two small children, and as he investigates the crime further, he discovers more terrifying secrets about his grandfather and his past. He knows little about his roots because his father commited suicide when he was a kid, and this may be the only chance he has at discovering who he is, however unpleasant it may be. Chris Odonnel is great in this and Gene Hackman shines. I give this **** out of **** stars.

I just finished watching this after I just finished hearing about it. I'll say it's not great, but its definitely worth the time to watch.

You have a very dramatic story of a murdering bigot's grandson (who's a lawyer) trying to save his grandfather (Gene Hackman) from his execution in 28 days. Just from their you know the plot is going to thicken.

When I saw this movie had Gene Hackman and Faye Dunaway I said "great I love those actors". It's also got Chris O'Donnell, OK not a bad actor (but does he remind anyone else of Matthew Perry?), and it's even got Bo Jackson.

I was surprised by a few things. One was that, Bo Jackson, despite not having many lines, was quite good at acting. Another less pleasant was that, as much as I love her, Faye Dunaway did not do an overly impressive performance. Watch her in "Bonnie and Clyde" and then compare her to THIS role... you're not even on the same chart. Playing a rich Southern Bell is maybe more difficult for her, but she did have a few good scene's playing a drunk. One thing that didn't surprise me was Gene Hackman. Mr. Hackman is undoubtedly a great actor, is this movie he made no exception. He definitely needs to give thanks to his make up crew, but he certainly delivered the punches. The emotions he showed seemed so powerful, like he's really ready to join in a lynching. But he's also prepared, not ready, but prepared to forgive.

Really i think that the only problem with this movies was the scenes without Gene Hackman. The rest of the scenes made everything seem more like a "Made for TV movie". The chemistry between Adam Hall (Chris O'Donnell) and Nora Stark (Lela Rochon) was played off of more when they WEREN'T together. With better acting this could have been a much better film. But still it was not bad.

Kudos to John Grisham for the novel, It's a good idea, it wasn't played out as well as it could have... But still, it's still worth while watching.

On the surface "The Chamber" is about a young lawyer named Adam Hall (Chris O'Donnell) who is trying to save his grandfather (Gene Hackman) from the death penalty. But really the movie is about breaking the cycle of racism, hatred, and bigotry that got his grandfather put on death row to begin with.

Although not one of Grisham's best, he still deserves credit for daringly going into a dark and despised part of American history. This movie may have stirred many people the wrong way and touched a nerve with others. I saw an excellent depiction of a torn young man desiring to help his grandfather in spite of his and everyone else's despise of that same man.

The movie was compelling. Just one tale about the troubled history of Mississippi. As the character Nora Stark (Lela Rochon) said..."Mississippi has bodies buried everywhere."

This is not one of the more famous (author) John Grisham based-movies and it's a bit talky for my normal tastes, but it was interesting. You can thank Chris O'Donnell and Gene Hackman for two excellent acting performances which helped make this so entertaining in spots.

O'Donnell plays young attorney "Adam Hall" (shades of Matt Damon's character in another Grisham movie, "The Rainmaker"). Meanwhile, it's no surprise that Hackman gives us another fascinating performance, this time as the attorney's brutally racist grandfather, "Sam Cayhall." He's been imprisoned for a murder and O'Donnell is trying to release him from a death sentence. Hackman's performance elevates from a "fair" to a "good" movie. While O'Donnell is trying to do his job, a few revelations occur considering his Klansman grandpa. Faye Dunaway also is in here and has a memorable scene with "Sam."

Yes, the critics were right in that this could have been better but they were off base blasting this film. It's still an entertaining film, and they forget the value of that.

Idealistic attorney Chris O'Donnell (as Adam Hall) goes down to Mississippi, to take on the "death row clemency case of his onetime Klansman grandfather" Gene Hackman (as Sam Cayhall). "With just 28 days before the execution, Adam sets out to retrace the events leading to the crime for which Sam was convicted. As the impending death sentence looms closer, Adam works quickly to uncover the family's history for any hidden clues. In a white-knuckle series of twists and turns, Adam discovers deceptions and dark secrets that ultimately lead him to the startling truth," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.

"White-knuckled"? Indeed not. "The Chamber" (as in gas chamber) starts off very well; and, Mr. Hackman's portrayal of the yellow-teethed racist is worth a look. Faye Dunaway (as Lee Cayhall Bowman) has a showy supporting role. All in all, the film's personnel portends a much better story than the one which appears on screen. Building up a romance between blue-eyed Mr. O'Donnell and brown-skinned Lela Rochon (as Nora Stark) seems like such an obvious way to improve the story (whether or not it was done in the John Grisham novel), you've got to wonder how on Earth they missed the obvious.

***** The Chamber (10/11/96) James Foley ~ Chris O'Donnell, Gene Hackman, Faye Dunaway

"The Chamber" tanked at the Box Office when it was released back in '96 due to critics' negative reaction and it was even bashed by the author of the novel himself, John Grisham, who called it a "disaster". Well, i don't know if it was Grisham's genuine feelings about the film or he was just jumping in the bandwagon of badmouthing this, for saving himself to earn more millions from Hollywood for the next screen adaptation of one of his works.

"The Chamber" isn't by all means a great movie or even one of the best Grisham's adaptations, but it's much better than the bad reputation it got then and still have over the years.

Some reviewers here wrote about "major" differences from the book to the screen, but as far as i read the majority of it, they're just picking on the movie, because nothing of them are noteworthy, and about EVERY movie adaptation from the literary world, it change certain aspects from the plot and / or the characters for the storytelling suit the big screen better.

James Foley (who helm'd the vastly underrated dark teen drama, "Reckless"; the splendid crime / thriller, "At Close Range" or the superb drama film adapted from Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning play, "Glengarry Glen Ross") knows how to handle social dramas of this kind, approaching dark subjects on the human condition, awareness and behavior and "The Chamber" is a competent exercise on that.

Gene Hackman delivers here one of his best performances from the 90's as the hateful bigot, Sam Cayhall, which deserved more recognition and Chris O'Donnel, playing his rookie lawyer and grandson who's advocating him, isn't bland here, in fact, he's solid, looking more mature in his acting and showing how he learned since working with Pacino in "Scent of a Woman".

Faye Dunaway is a bit 'out' in her acting, going over-the-top in every scene and being just 11 years younger than Hackman and looking every year of it, it looks implausible the father / daughter kinship.

The rest of the cast was given almost nothing to do (some appears in tiny roles such as Robert Prosky), but perform the best they could out of it, especially Raymond J. Barry in a memorable turn as the vicious Klansman.

In short, "The Chamber" is worth a watch for fans of Grisham's big screen adaptations and 'death row" flicks such as "Dead Man Walking" ('95) or "Stephen King's The Green Mile" ('99).

I give it a solid 7.5 !!

It is to bad that a powerfull performance by Gene Hackman was wasted in a poor paced, slow moving drama. The remaining cast gave a good account of themselves but the script just lack any sense of direction or suspense. Being a die hard Grisham fan I was terribly disappointed in the end product.

A movie from a John Grisham's novel is almost a guarantee to be a good movie. The Chamber is a crime/courtroom movie, where a grandson tries to save his grandfather from death row, in this case from the gas chamber. Chris O'Donnell plays the grandson and he did a good job playing his character. Gene Hackman was also very good in his role of the racist grandfather, a Klan member for his entire life. It wasn't Faye Dunaway's best role but luckily she didn't have a major part in this movie. I don't know if they tried for us to get sympathy for the accused but in my case there is no way I will ever have any sympathy for a vile human being like that. The Chamber is a good movie if you like this genre, never boring, and entertaining as you'll have to wait till the end to know what the outcome will be.

Not your typical law drama.

It's about a rookie attorney trying to keep his KKK grandfather off the death penalty for killing a civil rights lawyer's kids.

It's an interesting take on redemption as the lawyer tries to find a glimmer of light in a dark man and the ultimate underdog story as he represents a man who is without a doubt guilty and disliked

Gene Hackman's performance is steady and though Hackman himself can play a likable villain like he did in the Superman movies, the character he played is hard to like which is exactly what you want. Chris O'Donnell did well, in this starring vehicle as a young rookie lawyer, who trying to grasp at his family history and finding it difficult. It was a good political law drama, that came out in a sea of good political law dramas, and though O'Donnell was at his most dashing and popular (a year after Batman & Robin) and Hackman was also around his peak, I think this movie got lost when you have to go up against Matthew McConaughey in A time to kill and following Denzel in the pelican brief and Cruse in A few good men.

Which is sad because this movie was very intelligent and acted well be all involved especially O'Donnell and Hackman who had some interesting interactions in the film. Plus, a shout out to Bo Jackson who did some acting in the movie as well. Give it a shoot.

The movie did not portray most of the characters in a believably authentic manner, although the Hackman character for the first 90% of the picture was fascinating. Breaking into the State Sovereignty Commission's files was gratuitous,unrealistic and added nothing more to the plot that a straightforward, legal examination of the files would have added. Fulfilling the death-row Last Meal request of Hackman for a bowl of Eskimo Pies by giving him Eskimo Pie ice cream pops, instead of the (nearly ) unique traditional Eskimo Pie seemed to underline what seemed like a lack of authenticity found throughout the movie. Very disappointing.

Missed this film with Gene Hackman and greatly enjoyed his fantastic talents. Hackman, (Sam Cayhall) sure put his heart and soul in the character of a death row inmate who had all kinds of hatred instilled from childhood and many generations of his family who wore a hooded head, just like a clown or Timid Soul. It is hard to believe that such a group of hateful people could harm society, however, there is still plenty of them around in 2005, who have never grown up to love their neighbor as themselves. Faye Dunaway, (Lee Cayhall Bowman), played the sister to Sam Cayhall who witnessed a horrible senseless murder from a tree. Lee never got over it and became addicted to drink and a horrible existence. If you like Gene Hackman, this is a great picture to view his great Talents.

I would say this one was just run of the mill as far as the overall picture. Gene Hackman, a staple of Grisham movies, is very good and most likely the saving grace. He plays a white supremacist bomber who is set to be executed because he supposedly blew up a one-armed Jewish lawyer and his two twin girls. Chris O'Donnell is Hackman's grandson who becomes his lawyer in an desperate attempt to save his life. I would say that O'Donnell's acting is adequate but not exceptional. Fay Dunaway plays Hackman's aged daughter and turns in a fine showing. The plot is well constructed but it leaves you wondering was justice really done? I feel the answer is the all too usual yes and no. On one hand the guilty were punished and yet no one is satisfied with the outcome which I suppose is true of most real life situations. Hackman's character is as bad as an apple that's been lying on the ground for three weeks but he at times does resemble an actual human being with real feelings and emotions. His character isn't sorry about anything he's done but is his own man. He assumes responsibility for his sins while detesting those who used him for their own ends and it shows when he angrily confronts his old comrade-in-arms who pays him a stupidly ill-advised visit in prison. O'Donnell's character does love Hackman in spite of Hackman's repeated abuse of him and tries everything possible to defend him from final judgment. I can't say I loved this film it was not a wasted experience just not a pleasant one due to the subject material but you can't be happy everyday.

it's the worst Grisham-adapted movie ever !! too bad, good story from a novel about a man should be punished in gas chamber. The bad script ruins everything. This movie is a very good example of how a BAD director and a bad script can ruin a supposedly good movie with good story, good actors and good acting. The director who directed two Madonna-related movies :At CLose Range and Who's That Girl (Which both suck) doesn't really understand the novel I think. I think he should've read some Grisham books and watch all Grisham-based movies The movie loses the touching and key points of the story of the original novel. This movie is such a Disappointment for John Grisham fans. But for those of you who haven't read the book, this movie might be entertaining for you at least with good Oscar caliber actor (Gene Hackman, Faye Dunaway) combined with a young fresh actor Chris O'Donnell.