Customer Reviews

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I did not expect much from this movie. Mostly because it stars Jesse Metcalfe and Amber Tamblyn. Amber is ok but Jesse Metcalfe clearly needs some more practice. He's so emotionless. This movie would have been even better if he were replaced with a better actor. Sorry, but the guy needs work. I was definately wrong about the film though. This is actually a pretty good film. It's about this reporter that decides to frame himself for murder so he can expose the dirty D.A. played by the great Micheal Douglas. This movie has a really strong script. I don't think anyone with common sense would frame themselves for murder but this movie had me going. It also has this surprise ending that will make your jaw hit the floor. I would definately rent this one. If you can find it cheap on DVD it might even be worth buying. Decent actors,good story, and a surprise ending, you can't ask for much more than that. At least not from a straight to dvd movie. HOLLA

This is the perfect movie to show in a college film/ screenwriting class on how not to make movie. The clichés, the bad acting, the terrible direction of all its moving parts, and the ill-contrived rushed plot. I stopped this movie a little after the 1-hour mark after it almost made me physical/emotionally ill. Anyone who likes this movie cannot be trusted to even take my trash to the curb. Some movies are bad, but they are made to be corny (i.e "Transmorphers: Fall of Man" or any Ed Wood flick) but this has no excuse becuase its supposed to be a serious suspense-drama. The producers and creators of this should seek work doing something else...maybe removing roadkill from the streets.

Im not one to suggest ticket sales as a barometer of a good or even quality movie but this one at THE U.S. Box Office took in ticket sales of only $17,164 (stat at IMDB)...they generally find that much in between theater seats for Disney-pixar movies.

What speaks volumes about the overall quality of this movie is that it was released in only half a dozen movie theaters nationwide, and grossed less than 20k at the box office.

At best it's an average movie with no quality acting, which reflects the fact that only 5% of voters on Rotten Tomatoes actually enjoyed it. The complications that arise with our main character as the movie progresses are predictable, as is the "twist" that occurs at the film's conclusion.

The biggest mystery of this film is how they were able to land Michael Douglas on the cast. Douglas has virtually no real screen time in this movie, which is a major disappointment for those of us who enjoyed his work in movies like King of California, Wall Street and Basic Instinct. No need to wait for the jury to return to the courtoom; my verdict is that it's not worth even a Redbox rental.

Amateurish B movie remake of a 1956 RKO film. Uses every cliche in the book. Awful! How did they get Michael Douglas to do this film?

An ambitious local TV reporter C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe) needs a big story to boost his career. And he believes - we don't know why - that high profile District Attorney Mark Hunter (Michael Douglas) is planting false evidence to maintain a high conviction rate. So, in order to expose and publicly humiliate the DA, C.J. devises a contrived plan to set a trap for Hunter by making himself look like a prime murder suspect!

Well, things terribly wrong for C.J., as you expect. This is so terribly wrong that you may start scratching your head wondering why characters including the DA's assistant Ella (Amber Tamblyn) keep doing silly things throughout the film.

The whole premise could be pretty unbelievable back in 1956, when the original "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" (directed by Fritz Lang) was made. In 2010, when most people in America have an easy access to the internet and digital technologies, the story looks simply absurd. In short a reporter doesn't need this elaborate scheme. Of course, everything will be explained in the end, but by the time that happens, most viewers would stop taking the impossible story seriously.

OK, I know this idea, "willing suspension of disbelief," and we often need it to enjoy some classic films. But for the storyline this incredible to really work, we need something - like more round and believable characters, atmospheric cinematography, and most of all, actors and actresses as charismatic and skillful as, say, Humphrey Bogart or Barbara Stanwyck.

Finally, I have been a fan of director Peter Hyams - I still like many of his film in the past, "Capricorn One" and "Narrow Margin" for instance. They may not be winning Academy awards, but surely thrilling and entertaining, but whatever happened to him?

There are few things that are so chilling in film as to watch a movie that is so completely lost in plotting that there can be no redemption. Almost every film has some bright spot, some point of interest. Unfortunately, the greatest honor I can bestow upon "Beyond A Reasonable Doubt" is that it is, without equal, perhaps the silliest movie I've watched in the last year. Peter Hyams, the director, is a workmanlike pro that's been around forever. More commercial than artistic, Hyams' spotty resume includes (of all things) Van Damme's best picture ("Timecop"), one of Schwarzenegger's worst ("End of Days") and one of my favorite good/bad movies "Capricorn One" (which despite some clunky acting, I could still watch endlessly). Reuniting his "The Star Chamber" lead, Michael Douglas, for this legal thriller probably seemed like a decent idea--but, oh, this one is painful.

When an ambitious reporter (Jesse Metcalf) discovers some irregularities in the many convictions of a high-power lawyer and gubernatorial candidate (Douglas)--he sees breaking a big scandal as a ticket to the big time. Concocting the most elaborately inane scheme ever to frame himself for murder, Metcalf is preposterously out of his depth. Even our greatest actor alive couldn't sell this ridiculous piece of nonsense and, needless to say, Metcalf isn't any more up to the task. This, however, being a tricky legal thriller--there are plenty of very obvious (I mean surprising, yes that's what I meant) revelations in store for the viewers. However, even knowing every twist well in advance STILL doesn't make the plot any more feasible.

Hyams and team are perhaps hoping we've never seen a real legal thriller. Someone must have thought that "Beyond A Reasonable Doubt" was a clever entertainment and perhaps one version of the script was. But devising a whole movie around "surprise" twists with no foundation isn't particularly clever--it's really just lazy. And, to top it off, if the "surprises" have no surprise factor--that just makes the whole experience practically insufferable. "Beyond A Reasonable Doubt" is an unimaginative and uber-silly retread of dozens of other, better stories. It's biggest sin, however, is to have the smarmy and loathsome Douglas (his trademark character, not he himself) and then to barely use him. I actually hated "Beyond A Reasonable Doubt." Even if it wasn't a great film, it could have been a pleasantly entertaining one. But suspension of disbelief aside, the screenplay was just too preposterous--I literally laughed out loud, but not in a good way. KGHarris, 12/10.

C.J. is convinced that the DA is corrupt and is manufacturing evidence in order to convict the people he is prosecuting so that he can have an unblemished record of convictions. C.J. tells his friend that he will prove that the DA is corrupt by getting himself arrested. He will protect himself by videotaping what he is doing so that he can prove that he is innocent.

But is C.J. telling the truth? Is this really what he wants to do? Will the DA find out what C.J. is up to? How will he protect himself? Will he go so far as to murder people? Will the video that C.J. prepared prove his innocence? These questions and more make this an interesting thriller with twists and turns.

Michael Douglas plays a high profile lawyer and District Attorney, Mark Hunter, who is winning an overwhelming number of murder cases on DNA found on items at the murder scene. Mr. Hunter has an overwhelming record of putting criminals away. A young, handsome upstart journalist, C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalf) has a gut feeling that evidence tampering is going on. He is sure that the D.A. is "planting" DNA after the fact to get the perfect record and be a candidate for Governor.

C.J. Frames himself as a murder suspect to catch the corrupt D.A. in the act. He and his newsroom buddy work together on the project. In the meantime, C.J. becomes romantically involved with the D.A.'s assistant, Ella Crystal (Amber Tamblyn), but he keeps his plan to "out" the D.A. secret from her. Ella becomes tangled in the mounting evidence of both men and her own life becomes threatened. C.J.'s innocence and the D.A.'s reputation end up in her hands.

"Beyond A Reasonable Doubt" is a very satisfying mystery with thrilling twists and turns.

"Beyond a Reasonable Doubt," director Fritz Lang's 1956 exposé on capital punishment, remains unavailable on DVD. If only the same could be said about filmmaker Peter Hyams' unnecessary remake. The empty-headed 2009 version died a quick death at the box office - nearly qualifying for straight-to-video status. Even with his limited role, Michael Douglas delivers another take-the-money-and-run performance. It's time to give Lang's film noir classic a legitimate DVD release and wipe this travesty off the face of the earth.

This movie is worth your time to watch. We would definitely recommend it to others