Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

An ambitious reporter takes an extraordinary risk to bring down a corrupt district attorney in Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, director Peter Hyams' unnecessary if entertaining remake of Fritz Lang's identically titled final 1956 film. Shreveport newsman C.J. (Jesse Metcalfe) occasionally receives confidential tips from assistant district attorney Ella (Amber Tamblyn), although she initially won't go out with him due to the conflict of interest. It doesn't help that he considers her boss, gubernatorial candidate Mark Hunter (Michael Douglas), “too smooth,” adding, “I'm not sure he's honest”—but she eventually yields to C.J.'s charms. Little does Ella realize, however, that C.J. plans to expose Hunter as a fraud—by framing himself for an unsolved murder. C.J. figures if he teams up with cameraman Corey Finley (Joel Moore) he can't lose, but he never stops to consider the consequences if something happens to Finley or the video that proves his innocence. The trial proceeds, but once Hunter gets wind of the scheme, he goes after C.J. with everything he's got. Ella is the only one who can help, but doing so means putting her career—maybe even her life—on the line. There's a nasty twist at the end of this courtroom drama, which sprinkles the suspense with some tension-relieving zingers from Moore as Finley and Orlando Jones as a cop who suspects foul play. Recommended, overall. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary with filmmaker Peter Hyams and costar Jesse Metcalfe, a “making-of” featurette (3 min.), a “Criminal Forensics: The Burden of Proof” featurette on police procedure (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a solid thriller.] (K. Fennessy)