Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)

Remake of the 1956 film noir film "Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" in which a writer's plan to expose a corrupt district attorney takes an unexpected turn.

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writers:

Peter Hyams (screenplay), Douglas Morrow

Stars:

Jesse Metcalfe, Amber Tamblyn, Michael Douglas

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jesse Metcalfe	...	C.J. Nicholas
Amber Tamblyn	...	Ella Crystal
Michael Douglas	...	Mark Hunter
Joel David Moore	...	Corey Finley
Orlando Jones	...	Ben Nickerson
Lawrence P. Beron	...	Lieutenant Merchant (as Lawrence Beron)
Sewell Whitney	...	Martin Weldon
David Jensen	...	Gary Spota
Sharon K. London	...	Judge Sheppard (as Sharon London)
Krystal Kofie	...	Taieesha
Randal Reeder	...	Survivalist Man (as Randel Reeder)
Ryan Glorioso	...	Animal Shelter Attendant
Jon McCarthy	...	Detective Rawley
Grant James	...	Aaron Wakefield
Eric Gipson	...	Allen

Storyline

High profile lawyer Mark Hunter has an impeccable record putting criminals behind bars and is a shoe-in for governor in the upcoming election. But when ambitious rookie journalist, C.J. Nicholas 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 becomes caught between her boss's political ambitions and C.J.'s dangerous expose. 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 C.J's innocence and Hunter's reputation in her hands.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to wal mart | strong female | female protagonist | ticket | doubt | 

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Taglines:

Why would a man frame himself... for murder?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a sex scene, violence and brief strong language

Details

Country:

USA Saudi Arabia

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 July 2009 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Más allá de la duda

Filming Locations:

Winnipeg, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,164, 13 September 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$32,409, 27 September 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Autonomous Films, Foresight Unlimited, Government of Saudi Arabia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The garage scene contains far too many unbelievable sequences, such as pyrotechnics without any discernible cause and the weapon car stopping alongside the intended victim instead of simply turning into her.

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Goofs

When in the shop to buy a switch-blade, between 31:25 and 31:45, some shots show Corey Finley holding his bag with his left hand and some other shots show his left hand hanging down.

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Connections

References The Mask (1994)

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Soundtracks

Foolin Around
Composed by Jane Marie Finstrom
Provided by RoyaltyFreeMusic.com

User Reviews

Dopey crime drama, very amusing though

The career of director/cinematographer Peter Hyams has been one of slow decent into mediocrity like Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, which has just a slight improvement over his previous entry A Sound of Thunder. This movie is arguably the dopiest courtroom drama of the decade (at least). It is a story that lives purely on coincidence and contrivance. It feels rushed and ends on an anti-climactic note. Sounds pretty bad huh? Actually it wasn't. There is something kind of amusing about the idiocy of Beyond a Reasonable Doubt which may be just enough to keep you watching. Sometimes it gets actually fairly tense.

C. J. Nicholas is an investigative reporter in Missouri who is convinced that the district attorney, has been faking evidence for the last 17 murder cases he has taken on. In order to expose him, C. J. comes up with a crazy scheme which involves framing himself for a murder, getting arrested and hoping that Nicholas tries to pin something on him. Sounds good, but something goes very wrong.

Not for a moment is the story believable, and it takes too many ways out of conflict, including rushing scenes, throwing in cheap surprises, and also a deus ex machina to conclude the whole thing. If you are not bothered by this, you may find something to salvage from Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. There are some quirky scenes here and there and a few good Hyams shots

Well, it could have been worse I suppose, the movie was better than I expected, but I think I may be giving it more generosity than it deserves.