Product Details

• Actors: Donald Sutherland, Amy Irving, Rider Strong, Christopher McDonald, Graham Greene (II)
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: April 3, 2001
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302993237
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,056 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Staring Donald Sutherland, Amy Irving. In this great Suspense.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Puzzling little yarn, January 3, 2002

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Shadow Woman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Benefit of the Doubt [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I wasn't sure if I should give this flick 1-star for being so bad or 5-stars for being so bad it's good, so I went for the happy medium of 3. If you enjoy poorly scripted, odd, formulaic thrillers like I do, then this is right up your alley.

Donald Sutherland plays a man who has just been relased from jail after 22 years spent there for the murder of his wife (although he says it was an accident... and you should hear the speech about loving America he makes to obtain his parole... very ironic in hindsight...har har). He goes back to his hometown, where he tries to reconcile with his daughter (played by Amy Irving) and his grandson who want nothing to do with him. At first I thought, this movie is called "Benefit of the Doubt"...maybe it's about an innocent man who has to try to win his daughter's trust back, and she won't give him the benefit of the doubt so he has to keep on keeping on until they can be all lovey-dovey again and live happily ever after. Maybe his suspect behaviour was the filmmaker trying to make Sutherland look suspicious so we'd be as leery of him as she was. About a half-hour in I began to have doubts that that was the case. The only reason I did all this musing is because it was Donald Sutherland, so I naturally assumed it would at least be somewhat intelligent. Wrong! From the time Frank (Sutherland's character) offed the daughter's fiance (in what is probably the funniest scene in the movie), it was official: this was one of those laughably bad films that fans of the genre crave.

It's not the best of the worst, but if you appreciate this sort of thing there's plenty to make you chortle and snicker. There's even an incestuous relationship (complete with an attempted rape) between father and daughter. And the ending- what a spectacular work of genius! It must have taken a true artist to think that one up. But poor Donald Sutherland! He's such a talented thespian (and U of T alum...yay!), it's a shame to see his gift go to waste acting in this type of movie, although if it was anyone else playing the part it probably wouldn't be nearly as funny.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars DOUBTING AMY, May 6, 2004

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Michael Butts (Berkeley Springs, WV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Benefit of the Doubt [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Since her breakthrough role as Carrie's friend in the classic Brian De Palma CARRIE, Amy Irving has played a variety of roles, most noticeably her Oscar nominated turn in YENTL and her spirited turn in CROSSING DELANCEY. Donald Sutherland, never Oscar nominated, but definitely a should have been for ORDINARY PEOPLE, also has taken a lot of chances in his long career. Together you would expect a great chemistry and fireworks to light the screen. Sadly to say, this doesn't happen in this by the book thriller. Even stalwarts such as Christopher McDonald, Theodore Bikel and Graham Greene don't ignite any sparks. The scenery is gorgeous and the plot does take an unexpected twist towards the end, but all in all, director Jonathan Heap doesn't build enough tension and suspense to make this anything more than an okay thriller. McDonald's death scene is almost funny as one other reviewer notes and Greene's dispatch is cruelty to the max. Rider Strong (Cabin Fever) in his first role shows the potential talent he will realize in future films.
You can do worse, but you can definitely do better--catch Sutherland in THE PUPPET MASTERS or EYE OF THE NEEDLE; see IRVING in THE CONFESSION.

4.0 out of 5 stars good service, July 7, 2009

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Staci Woodworth "staci l. woodworth" (conway, ar usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Benefit of the Doubt [VHS] (VHS Tape)

the service was good and accurate and i wish to do more with this seller in the future.