Double Jeopardy (1999)

fantastic movie with Tommy Lee Jones as we know him

Great movie, maybe a little bit OVERRATED by me, because it was the last movie I saw before my severe car crash in September 2000.
Great plot, predictable but still great, maybe because I adore the "big easy".
Tommy Lee Jones at his best: CHASING & TRACING CRIMINALS. Some movies:
- the fugitive
- us marshals
- double jeopardy
- the hunted
4 movies where he is at his best = going to find criminals. Don't ask me why he is able, as a drunk, to follow every trace that Judd followed, but movies are movies, and this one is absolutely my favorite, I watched him 5 x and still I find surprises June 19, 2008

Double Jeopardy

This highly suspenseful thriller showcases Ashley Judd's tremendous talent. Not only is she a phenomenal actress, but also her physical abilities in this movie were impressive. Tommy Lee Jones is as good as he always is. His performances always look so effortless, but never less than stellar. The decision to pair Judd and Jones was genius. They played well off of each other, and had a commanding on screen presence. What a great movie that leaves you guessing on the outcome until the very end!
April 6, 2008

I'll Take "Ashley Judd Thrillers" For $400, Alex

I was visiting a senior citizen friend who asked me if I had ever seen this movie. To tell the truth, I couldn't be sure just which Ashley Judd thrillers I had seen and which I hadn't, but since my friend seemed so fond of the movie, I couldn't really object to watching it with him. Two minutes into the darn thing, however, I realized this was indeed the one Judd potboiler I HAD seen, and the basic premise about a woman framed for her husband's murder came back to me, but the specifics of the plot had been lost in the haze of memory, I figured, why the heck not re-watch it?

As it turned out, however, this was not the kind of movie I would usually watch a second time. It is, as many reviewers are quick to point out, entertaining enough, despite its many plot holes and apparent legal incongruities (thank you to the many commentators who have maintained that legally you CAN be tried for the same murder twice, if it's proven that the first "murder" did not actually take place). But, OK, we'll suspend legal disbelief and go along with the conceit. And we'll also go along with the conceit that hatred and a passionate desire for vengeance could turn a fairly conventional soccer mom into a lean, mean fighting machine--who also happens to be diabolically clever and resourceful. Well, "diabolically clever" when she isn't doing something extremely dumb and ultimately self-destructive, that is.

(SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING) I would have to agree with those reviewers (including the Amazon reviewer above) who maintain that the movie is weakened considerably by making Ashley Judd's character more traditionally maternal than bitterly vengeful. Had she been so consumed by hatred that she was ready, willing and eager to take advantage of the (specious) double jeopardy clause, the movie would have been more suspenseful. (Will she be driven to the edge? Will she pull back into something like sanity at the nick of time?) But really, all she seems to want is her kid back--and she'll let criminal bygones be bygones. And, aww shucks, isn't THAT understandable?

Which is not to say that Ashley Judd isn't as elegant as ever or that Tommy Lee Jones doesn't give his usual solid performance. The movie is fast-paced enough to keep the viewer's attention. And there are plenty of unforeseen plot turns, lots of changes of scenery and some interesting supporting roles (that I also wished had been fleshed out a little more).

One striking aspect was the change in the physical appearance of the young actress, Annabeth Gish. The cute, pert young girl from ST. ELSEWHERE and MYSTIC PIZZA seems suddenly almost Amazonian here. Not unattractive, but certainly no longer the sweetly innocent young thing she played so handily as a teen/young adult. Ten years later, she's got enough of that sinister thing going on that no one would ever call her miscast here.

We all demand different things from movies: that's a given. I could see that my senior citizen friend was drawn to the movie, in part, because of the striking opening shots of the Washington State coast--a part of the country where he had spent a good deal of time as a young man. That and the fact that he seems to like thrillers in general. I do too, but I like to see my characters just a tad more developed. It helps me to care about their fates.



January 26, 2008

*Enjoyable Movie To Watch*

I really liked this movie.Ashley Judd was great in the movie.A must see for anyone.A movie I will watch again. November 10, 2007

Action packed

Very good story and done well. Tommy Lee in top form and Ashley Judd in fine form also. August 9, 2007

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