A good rule to follow for wannabe gritty thrillers: Lead actors shouldn't remind you of late-night informercial pitchmen.
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:12
Fresh:0
Rotten:12
Average Rating:2.9/10
Consensus: Hackneyed and over dramatic, this undercooked courtroom drama suffers from bad dialogue and a twist ending you'll see from a distance.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for a sex scene, violence and brief strong language.
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Sep 11, 2009 Limited
Synopsis:
High profile lawyer, Mark Hunter (Michael Douglas) has an impeccable record putting criminals behind bars and is a shoo-in for governor in the upcoming election. But when ambitious rookie...
High profile lawyer, Mark Hunter (Michael Douglas) has an impeccable record putting criminals behind bars and is a shoo-in for governor in the upcoming election. But when ambitious rookie journalist, C.J. (Jesse Metcalfe) begins investigating Hunter for tampering with evidence to secure his convictions, the district attorney’s perfect record is up for scrutiny.
Commencing a risky game of cat and mouse with Hunter, C.J. frames himself as a murder suspect to catch the corrupt D.A. in the act.
Romantically involved with C.J. but unaware of his assignment, assistant D.A. Ella Crystal (Amber Tamblyn) becomes caught between her boss’s political ambitions and C.J.’s dangerous exposé. As mounting evidence stacks up against both men, Ella’s own life becomes threatened when she discovers incriminating proof that puts the fate of both Nichol’s innocence and Hunter’s reputation in her hands.
With intricate plot twists ratcheting the tension throughout the film, this gripping courtroom thriller is written and directed by acclaimed director, Peter Hyams (Running Scared, End of Days) and also stars Orlando Jones and Joel David Moore. --© 42 West and Autonomous Films
Starring: Jesse Metcalfe, Amber Tamblyn, Michael Douglas, Joel David Moore
Starring: Jesse Metcalfe, Amber Tamblyn, Michael Douglas, Joel David Moore, Orlando Jones
Director: Peter Hyams
Director: Peter Hyams
Screenwriter: Peter Hyams
Producer: Ted Hartley, Limor Diamant, Mark Damon
Composer: David Shire
Studio: Autonomous Films
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Reviews for Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
There's little in this pointless rehash to distract audiences from the pleasure of watching Tamblyn, a fine young actress whose direct, grownup stare belies her baby features.
What you won't be able to figure out is why this laughable yarn didn't go straight to DVD.
The leads can't lend either spunk or gravitas to what was already a preposterous yarn 50 years ago.
There are plenty of reasonable doubts about his mediocre legal thriller remake.
Despite excellent stunt work and a too-brief appearance by Orlando Jones as an unflappable cop, the movie -- unlike Mr. Douglas’s hairdo -- never rises above mediocrity.
What I can’t figure out is how director Peter Hyams can remake a 1956 movie from the great Fritz Lang and not learn anything about suspense, pacing and storytelling in the process.
Like its title, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is a generic, forgettable courtroom thriller.
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt feels like some throwaway 1980s TV movie, with its implausible premise, dizzying twists, cheesy montages and melodramatic score.
Douglas makes smarm a chewy pleasure, but this is a noir in search of a hero we can root for because we actually buy what he’s doing.
Lang's film, the last he made in the U.S., exposed the immorality of the death penalty; Hyams's retread offers only more plot and longer, louder car chases.
Noisy and excessive where the original was hushed and restrained, and wholly devoid of mystique...
Latest News for Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
September 10, 2009:
Critics Consensus: 9 Looks Great, But The Plot's Weak
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August 05, 2009:
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