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Double Jeopardy
Movie Stats & Links |
| Starring: |
Ashley Judd, Tommy Lee Jones |
| MPAA Rated: |
R |
| Released By: |
www.paramount.com |
| Kiddie Movie: |
Violence, blood, and sex. I don't think so. |
| Date Movie: |
Sure.
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| Gratuitous Sex: |
Ashely gets naked and romps in the sack before
waking up in blood. |
| Gratuitous
Violence: |
Blood and some shooting. |
| Action: |
There's supposed to be some, but it's pretty
predictable. |
| Laughs: |
Quite a few lines. |
| Memorable
Scene: |
Libby in jail.
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| Memorable
Quote: |
Too many to write down. |
| Directed By: |
Bruce Beresford
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| Produced By: |
Leonard Goldberg
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Double Jeopardy
A Movie Review |
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"Double Jeopardy," whether planned or
not, contains as many movie clichés as I've seen all
summer. There is the proverbial being covered in blood and
holding the possible murder weapon as the cops, or in this
case the Coast Guard, show up. There is the being trapped in
a mausoleum with the door locked and then realizing, after
everyone in the audience already figured out, that there is
a window to break your way out of. There is the
way-predictable ending of mom ending up with her son, and
yea, her son recognizing her voice like the one inmate said
he would. There is the walking chase scene through the
packed streets of New Orleans, with our heroin carrying a
red umbrella, and she loses the cops for just a second, and
then low and behold they go after the wrong lady who is also
carrying a red umbrella. There is the bachelor auction where
the wife, who the husband thinks is still in prison, bids on
him. And there is the best friend sleeping with the husband
who is supposed to be dead. There are more clichés,
oh, there are more, but I suppose I've given away plenty
already. But you know what? All of these things are so
telegraphed that they aren't really a surprise, and even
though you know these things are going to happen, well,
"Double Jeopardy" was still a pretty entertaining movie.
Ashley Judd is Libby, our heroin, who gets sent to prison
for murdering her husband. She sends her son off with her
friend, Angie (Annabeth Gish), and proceeds to do her time
in prison. Well, low and behold, one day she figures out
that Angie has run off to San Francisco with, surprise,
surprise, her "dead" husband. One of the inmates explains to
her that when she gets out of prison she can feel free to
find her "husband" and shoot him in the head, in the middle
of Times Square even, and she can't be tried for his murder
due to the double jeopardy clause in the US Constitution.
True, but probably not, this leaves Libby open for her drive
to find her husband, but all she ends up really wanting is
to get her son back.
She ends up getting out of prison and finds her parole
officer Travis (Tommy Lee Jones), who really just wants her
to be good. Well, she's not, in fact doing a little breaking
and entering, resisting arrest, breaking parole, and sending
Travis on a cross-country chase while she tracks down her
"husband" and her son. Travis is getting torn because he is
starting to believe her story that her husband isn't dead,
but he knows he still has a job to do. In keeping with
Hollywood happiness, and I'll spoil it for you, Libby ends
up getting her son and is cleared of all charges. Yippee!!
And that's enough plot summary.
"Alright, Dude, if the movie was so predictable and the
plot pretty stupid, how come 4 ½ stars?" Well, internet
reader, I'll tell you.
First off there were a lot of scenes that brought some
good laughs. The time Libby spent in jail was enjoyable on
the screen. The inmates that befriend her are full of funny
advice and the advice just before the parole hearing was
humorous. Secondly there is a scene where this dude in the
library starts helping Libby do some internet searching
while trying to pick her up. She likes his assistance buts
needs nothing of his advances. What better way to get rid of
an annoying dude than to explain that you've been in jail
for the last six years for killing your husband. And not
finally, but also, there are plenty of funny exchanges from
both Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd that, well, just made
me laugh. So even though a supposed action/thriller, I found
myself laughing more than in suspense, but enjoying it
nonetheless.
"Alright, Dude, the movie made you laugh, and that sounds
like maybe a 3 ½ star movie. Where'd the other star
come from?"
Well, you're right on that one, in terms of a movie it
was about 3 ½ stars, but in being the male that I am,
the pleasure of seeing Ashley Judd in assorted tight
outfits, acting well, and also getting naked, hmm, call me a
pig, but that earns another star. Yea, I know it's petty and
maybe even blows credibility out of a review rating, but it
made "Double Jeopardy" just a little bit better for me.
Could this movie have been a great movie even without
Ashley getting naked? Not in its present form, but maybe
with a different twist to the story. I'm thinking what might
have been a better film would have been something like this:
The beginning is the same, but when Libby gets out of jail
they would have her find her husband in Times Square, lets
say on New Year's Eve, and she blows his brains out. Let's
shift the movie from an action/suspense to a drama by having
a court battle challenging this supposed hole in the "Double
Jeopardy" clause. I'm pretty sure she'd end up back in jail,
but at least there wouldn't have been so many opportunities
for the movie clichés. Just my two cents.
Anyway, I stand behind my 4 ½ stars. I was
entertained and the folks in the theater I was in seemed to
come out entertained. Oh well!
That's it for this one!! I'm The Dude on the Right!!!
L8R!! |
