An extremely powerful courtroom drama whose scope exceeds any John Grisham story that's hit the silver screen thus far. All the cast shines, particularly veteran Samuel L. Jackson and newcomer Matthew McConaughey who is much more talented than many of his more experienced peers. One would have wished the film would let the audience decide for themselves the moral questions broached, but aside from this admittedly fundamental flaw, one is left with grand, involving filmmaking that ranks with the best in the genre.