Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009)

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This movie is worth watching for two reasons:(1) Michael Douglas reappears as "Gordon Gekko, the prosecutor." Same snarl and voice that I so admired in his father, Kirk Douglas. I thought Douglas was much more Gekko in this movie than in "Money Never Sleeps" even as he lacks the greasy combed-back hairstyle and fancy suspenders.(2) A real interesting thriller, with a surprise ending that caught me off guard. I did not like the car chase, it seems totally disruptive. The garage scene was even more disruptive. Both unnecessary for the plot. The court scenes seemed plausible for only one reason, Michael "Gekko" Douglas. But altogether, quite an entertaining movie....if you like suspense movies I presume the movie ran over budget, for he ending seemed rushed, with poor audio and video. It made me think of one thing, could you really get away with murder by manufacturing duplicate evidence collected after the murder, claiming a hoax in court??? Hmmm.

Jesse Metcalfe plays C.J. Nicholas, a young and hungry-for-excitement journalist who frames himself for murder in order to expose the evidence-tampering and phony convictions by the corrupt D.A.of Shreveport, LA. Amber Tamblyn plays Ella Crystal, the pretty young Assistant D.A. who suddenly and rather unconvincingly falls in love with Nicholas and enters into a fall-on-her-sword relationship with him. While I'm not personally a huge fan of Michael Douglas's too-cool-for-words acting style, his fans will probably enjoy his performance as the D.A.BEYOND a REASONABLE DOUBT is, of course, a remake of a somewhat better 1956 film by the same title. This version is probably worth seeing if you're a not-too-picky legal thriller fan. It's generally well-filmed and keeps your attention with some nice courtroom drama: Sharon London is a standout here as Judge Sheppard. On further scrutiny, however, it's all quite contrived, and the supposedly big twist at the end is awful sudden and tacked-on.SEMI-SPOILER ALERT! In the end, BRD is a poor rip-off of a much, much better film from 1996, PRIMAL FEAR.

Not having seen the 50s original, I didn't know what to expect from this film—but being a fan of Michael Douglas and court thrillers, I gave it a go.The film is entertaining, with a likable cast of young actors in Jesse Metcalfe and Amber Tambyln. It is also, in places, predictable and implausible.To suspend our disbelief that a journalist would willingly implicate themselves in a crime would involve a highly personal reason—that he does have a connection to the crime is only revealed in th closing moments. It can be as over the top as you like, but we must believe it as an audience.The film also has some clumsy sequencing and poor music/sound that destroys a lot of the tension. By the midpoint, the lead has made so many poor decisions as a seemingly intelligent character, that we may not care whether he wins or not.The twist ending was as contrived as the rest of the plot and, while effective, did not have the chilling resonance it might have had if we were more emotionally connected to the characters.Finally, if as a film maker you have access to a talent as extraordinary as Michael Douglas, even if he not the lead, make sure that you every scene with him in it lifts the tension and advances the plot. The final confrontation between Mark Hunter (Douglas), as antagonist, and CJ (Metcalfe) in prison was flat.

i'm straddling the fence on this movie.yes - it is poorly acted. yes - the dialog is wanting. even some of the clothes Ella wears obviously do not fit correctly. but i became hooked on this film and everything i thought would happen - happened. until the last 5 or 10 minutes and then - BANG - my first thought was - 'what a cool movie'.it's bad acting especially by the 3 main characters C.J, Ella, & Corey. the plot is like watching a ball roll down hill, you can see exactly where it's going. BUT then the ball hits something and flies up into the air.so, i'm going to say i actually enjoyed the movie but didn't come to that decision until it was over! a good flic for those seeking an easy mystery thriller and some not so impressive action scenes.Douglas & Jones are bright spots in the blighted acting by the others!