FAQ

Harvard law professor Paul Armstrong (Sean Connery) is asked by death row inmate Bobby Earl Ferguson (Blair Underwood) to prove his innocence eight years after he was convicted for raping and murdering 11-year-old Joanie Shriver (Barbara Jean Kane). A strong opponent against capital punishment, Paul takes the case, against the threats of Sheriff Tanny Brown (Laurence Fishburne), the chief detective on the case and the one who coerced a confession from Bobby Earl. Paul successfully uncovers some overlooked evidence and gets Bobby Earl released from prison but quickly learns that there is more to the case than meets the eye and that his wife Laurie (Kate Capshaw) and young daughter Katie (Scarlett Johansson) are in grave danger.

Just Cause is a 1992 novel by American psychological thriller writer John Katzenbach. The novel was adapted for the movie by American screenwriters Jeb Stuart and Peter Stone.

Most likely it was sweet tea, a style of iced tea common in the Southern United States. At its simplest level, it is merely black tea with sugar but may contain flavorings, such as raspberry or mint. Sugar content can be quite high, suggesting that Brown may have consumed it as an energy drink.

The culprit is not mentioned in the movie. Some viewers think it might have been Sheriff Brown or Detective J.T. Wilcox (Christopher Murray). Others think it was merely a disgruntled Ochopee resident, since everyone in town knew that Armstrong was poking around and they were unhappy about him opening old wounds.

No one, not even Blair Sullivan (Ed Harris), knows the answer. As Blair explained to Armstrong, the "Behavioral Science boys" tried to blame it on his parents beating, abusing, and "sexing" him, but he poohpoohed that idea, saying only "there ain't no formula for people like me...just a predisposition for an appetite." In other words, Sullivan thinks he was born that way (nature) not created by his environment (nurture). Killing people brought a satisfaction to him. There was probably no revenge in killing his parents. He just had it done to have one last bit of joy before going to the chair.