Double Jeopardy (1999)

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writers (WGA):

David Weisberg (written by) &
Douglas Cook (written by)

Release Date:

24 September 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Drama | Mystery | Crime

Tagline:

Murder isn't always a crime.

Plot:

A woman framed for her husband's murder suspects he is still alive; as she has already been tried for the crime, she can't be re-prosecuted if she finds and kills him.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Parole Officer | Car In Water | Ferry | Beneficiary

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Tommy Lee Jones	...	Travis
Ashley Judd	...	Libby
Benjamin Weir	...	Matty - Age 4
Jay Brazeau	...	Bobby
Bruce Greenwood	...	Nick
John Maclaren	...	Rudy (as John MacLaren)
Ed Evanko	...	Warren (as Edward Evanko)
Annabeth Gish	...	Angie
Bruce Campbell	...	Bartender At Party
Brennan Elliott	...	Yuppie Man
Angela Schneider	...	Yuppie Girl
Michael Gaston	...	Cutter
Gillian Barber	...	Rebecca Tingely
Tom McBeath	...	Coast Guard Officer
David Jacox	...	Deputy Ben

Also Known As:

Doppelmord (Germany)
Double condamnation (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, a scene of sexuality and some violence.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Germany | Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (NO. 34724) | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Greg Kinnear was offered the part of Nicholas Parsons but passed.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the scene in the Lafayette cemetery, we see that Libby has been put in a mausoleum and then put in a coffin with a body. This is a factual error since burials at the Lafayette cemetery do not involve actually burying people by themselves in a coffin that stays that way forever. The burial process involves putting someone in a very simple wooden box and letting them decompose with other members of family who have been buried before hand. Also the process to open a mausoleum is considerably harder than just opening a door. Bricks and mortar and usually a name plate/stone must be removed to get into a mausoleum. Also under the same line there is not a single mausoleum within the cemetery that would have a window in it. Burials also usually involve the traditional catholic mourning period of 366 days before the mausoleum is opened again, so even if someone had just been recently buried the body that Libby is put next to would not be as un-decomposed as shown in the movie.

Quotes:

Nick Parsons: Now is not a good time.
Travis Lehman: Well, I've got good news. It won't be long.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Corneil et Bernie: Double Jeopardy (#1.18)" (????)

Soundtrack:

Tiger Rag

Thanks God for Tommy Lee Jones.

Double Jeopardy is an interesting enough thriller, but it just isn't as satisfying as you would expect a movie with this premise to be. Ashley Judd is just annoying for the first hour or so of the film, and it isn't until the fugitive style chase begins that the movie gets really interesting. And this, of course, is where Tommy Lee's excellent acting is the most entertaining and fun. He has unfortunately been somewhat typecast since his spectacular performance in The Fugitive, but at least he has been typecast in a role that is always fun to watch and that he can always pull off excellently.

I think it's pointless to try to argue whether or not the whole double jeopardy law can truly be handled in the way that it was described in the film, but as a crime film Double Jeopardy was pretty good. Judd's husband in the film is one of those characters that's easy to hate, and not only because of what he did in the movie. You just look at this guy and you immediately don't like him. That's good casting, but it also completely voided any effectiveness that his `auction' might ever have had. And how about that coffin scene! Who cares that no one gets buried in a coffin that has plenty of room for two! That was one of the creepiest things I've seen in a movie in years.

Clearly, there is nothing spectacular about Double Jeopardy. It's not going to win any awards and it probably won't be remembered for very long. But it has a certain charm that can unfortunately only be appreciated if you're in the right state of mind when you watch it. Don't expect it to be as good as The Fugitive just because Tommy Lee Jones is in it (really, are any movies as good as The Fugitive?). I mean, let's face it, Double Jeopardy isn't even as good as Under Siege, but as far as a moderately entertaining crime thriller to kill a couple hours, you could definitely do a lot worse.