Adapted from Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the same name, the story takes place in a depression-era 1930s, in a racially divided made-up city known as Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus Finch is a lawyer who agrees to defend a black man, Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) for accusation of raping a white woman. Many townspeople try to persuade Atticus not to defend Robinson, but goes along with it anyway. Many wonder, will it end all racism in Maycomb?
There is not much to say about this movie, because it has been analyzed and covered to death by many others besides myself. The story is very unique because it is shown in the perspective of two young kids, Jem (Phillip Alford) and mainly Scout, which is just as important as an adult. Everything done is so perfect and puts you just in the right mood - the atmosphere, the music, the editing, the beautiful setting, and, as I said before, the acting. The pacing of the story is very well done, too. You are always head-over-heals in excitement. It is disappointing to see how so much was cut out of the movie from the novel (which I slightly prefer more), as there were many memorable moments in the book that I wished were portrayed. But it is not as important to the main story and would drastically slow down the pacing at some points, so all is forgiven.
So... What is there left to say? This movie is one of the highest regarded films ever, and is simply perfect. Atticus' closing speech is brilliant and sends chills down my spine ever time I watch it. And lastly, Robert Duvall's debut performance in a movie is especially incredible, without having any lines, and is one of the performances that gets me teary-eyed, even while writing this review. It would be a sin not to give To Kill a Mockingbird a 4/4.
