Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Blu-ray Movie Review

Even the title screams 'generic.'

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 5, 2009

How far would you go for the story of your life?

The first rule of a Thriller is: don't copycat every other Thriller ever made. Unfortunately, it's a rule that seems made to be broken, and with the remake craze still in full swing, it's inevitable that some of the better classics of the genre are in the crosshairs of hungry producers eager to get another movie with a big star onto screens, regardless of its faithfulness to the original or even whether or not it delivers even a hint of novelty within the context of its own genre. A remake of a 1956 film of the same name directed by the legendary Fritz Lang (Metropolis, M), 2009's Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is the very definition of a formula motion picture, crossing every "t" and dotting every "i" in its script that's taken entirely from the "Generic Thriller" playbook. Despite a reasonably talented cast and a Director with a couple of passable efforts under his belt, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt never excels past the doldrums of genre regularity, and worst of all, it doesn't really try.

I'm making a stack of money this big for being in this movie!

Investigative reporter C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe, "Desperate Housewives") has recently moved from snowy Buffalo, New York to Shreveport, Louisiana to take a new job after the success of an award-winning piece on the life of a single teenage mother. Nevertheless, he's covering bland stories and wants to do more with his career. Nicholas thinks he's found his big break when he convinces Ella Crystal (Amber Tamblyn, Spiral) to allow him to examine some of the evidence in District Attorney Mark Hunter's (Michael Douglas, Romancing the Stone) latest courtroom victory. Nicholas believes foul play to be afoot: he feels the prosecution is planting evidence to pad Hunter's record in hopes of propelling him to victory in the next gubernatorial election. When the newsroom dissuades Nicholas from pursuing the story, his new girlfriend Ella encourages him to move forward. Unbeknownst to anyone but good friend and co-worker Corey Finley (Joel Moore), Nicholas begins assembling evidence that points to him as the murderer of a recently discovered corpse, hoping to trap Hunter into planting false evidence and unveiling the truth before he can be found guilty of a crime he didn't commit.

Actor Michael Douglas now has the distinction of appearing in one of the best Thrillers of all time (Basic Instinct) and one of the genre's most inconsequential efforts. Certainly, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is no fault of the longtime and popular actor; Douglas turns in an above-average performance (at least, above average in the context of the entirety of the Beyond a Reasonable Doubt production), injecting some much-needed professionalism and verve into the mix, but his screen time is detrimentally limited, his presence hardly enough to make more than a superficial dent in an otherwise heavily fortified shell of a Thriller. Actors Jesse Metcalfe and Amber Tamblyn do little more than go through the motions in this one, but then again, it's hard to fault them when they're simply acting out the blandness of the script for the camera. Helmed by Peter Hyams, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt continues in the director's decade-and-a-half string of cranking out mediocre movies: Timecop, Sudden Death, The Relic, and End of Days. Gone, it seems, are the days of 2010, Capricorn One, and even Narrow Margin, but as is the case with the acting, it's hard to ask of anything more than a mediocre effort when the material falls so deeply into the ethers of irrelevancy.

Indeed, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt leaves little to the imagination; the picture is interesting and even the slightest bit engaging to a point, thanks mostly to a clever idea and the outline of a decent story. The premise is moderately intriguing, but it never dares break from the expected, instead remaining firmly entrenched in a sea of predictability as the plan to out the District Attorney is set into motion, falls apart, and is slowly re-assembled. As such, any attempt to add tension or mystery to the picture is met with more of a snicker or the rolling of the eyes rather than a genuine sense of surprise. The movie features several scenes that attempt to build a false tension where the outcome of the moment is known well in advance, where anyone that's seen at least a handful of genre pictures will see coming the moment the action is set in motion. Adding insult to injury is a tacked-on twist ending that turns a predictable yet passable motion picture into something of a joke; it's almost as if the filmmakers knew the movie was too formulaic and concocted and threw a last-minute hail mary to try and salvage some purpose to the story. The result is a finale that doesn't make much sense and sacrifices the otherwise passable story elements in favor of a supposedly shocking conclusion.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt features a 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer that appears reasonably good at-a-glance, but over the course of 106 minutes, several flaws that are beyond doubt creep up and knock the quality down several notches. Shot digitally, the image offers sound detail but tends to look somewhat artificial and flat. Faces appear pasty, devoid of fine detail and appearing unnaturally smooth. However, several exterior locales -- building façades, paved walkways, tree trunks, and other objects seen during daylight hours -- are nicely, but not thoroughly or emphatically, detailed. Blacks are unconvincing and exhibit crush, with many darker scenes littered with unsightly buzzing noise. Colors are suitably rendered, but flesh tones and many interior shots -- particularly of the courtroom -- take on a sightly unnatural warmth. Unfortunately, banding is a persistent and distracting problem throughout as well. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt delivers a decent 1080p image that's watchable, but it's certainly not one of the better efforts from Starz.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Faring somewhat better than the wishy-washy visuals is Beyond a Reasonable Doubt's PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack. Though a decent effort, this one is not without its share of flaws. Dialogue is often forced to compete with ambient effects -- chirping birds, a gentle breeze, or general city din -- and the two are seemingly at war for listeners' attention in several scenes. In addition, dialogue sometimes sounds boomy and slightly unnatural. Several dialogue scenes are also accompanied by a troubling but subtle electric hiss that distracts from the spoken word and only complicates the already muffled mixture of dialogue and ambient effects. Still, these problems aren't persistent throughout the entirety of the movie. Generally, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt sounds just fine, if not somewhat unremarkable. Music enjoys a fair level of clarity, and some more aggressive ambience -- the cacophony of sounds inside a bustling office, for instance -- is a nice addition when it plays out at a more balanced level. A few sound effects pack a nice bit of bass; slamming jail cell doors in chapter eight seem to roll straight across the front of the soundstage and slam shut with authority. Engines crank out heavy RPMs and tires squeal during the movie's first major car chase to deliver some much needed heft to the track, and a later car chase in chapter 14 again delivers a decent, seat-rattling low end. All said, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt's uncompressed soundtrack is the highlight of this Blu-ray package, though in and of itself it ranks as only "fair" in the grand scheme of things.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt serves up a few extras for this Blu-ray release. First is a commentary track with Writer/Director/Cinematographer Peter Hyams and Actor Jesse Metcalfe. Like the film itself, the track is unremarkable but listenable; topics covered include Hyams' efforts to give the movie a noir tone, the score, the challenge of Metcalfe's character, Hyams' direction and thoughts on the film's themes and style, anecdotes from the set, and more. The Whole Truth -- The Making of 'Beyond a Reasonable Doubt' (1080p, 3:12) delivers a superficial several-minute piece that's cobbled together from clips from the movie and interview snippets with the cast and crew. Criminal Forensics -- The Burden of Proof (1080p, 3:39) is a brief introduction to the importance of forensic evidence to a case. Also included is the Beyond a Reasonable Doubt theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:02); additional 1080p trailers for Spread, The Open Road, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," and Righteous Kill; and a Windows-only digital copy of Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are certainly far worse ways to spend a couple of hours, but Beyond a Reasonable Doubt delivers, at best, only a moderately entertaining and never at all suspenseful movie-watching experience that's bathed in clichés, hindered by a generic script, thwarted by stiff performances, and directed with an exceptionally dull and straightforward approach. The story's concept isn't above reproach, but it deserves better than this, and the movie might have been better given a couple of re-writes, a more interested cast, and additional enthusiasm all around. All said, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt delivers 106 minutes of tediousness and makes for a fine example of a movie that might have been more given a different set of circumstances. Unfortunately, this Blu-ray release from Starz doesn't do the picture any favors. Saddled with a subpar 1080p transfer and a few throwaway extras, the lone selling point is a problematic but ultimately passable uncompressed soundtrack. Worth a rental when most other options at the video store have been exhausted.