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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Play trailer Poster for Beyond a Reasonable Doubt PG-13 Released Sep 11, 2009 1h 45m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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7% Tomatometer 28 Reviews 36% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
District Attorney Mark Hunter (Michael Douglas) has an impressive record in securing convictions and is contemplating a run for governor. Local reporter C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe) is suspicious, however, and starts investigating Hunter's caseload with the help of Assistant D.A. Ella Crystal (Amber Tamblyn). Nicholas decides to frame himself for an unsolved murder to expose Hunter's unscrupulous tactics. But things spin out of his control, and he ends up facing the death penalty.
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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

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Critics Consensus

Hackneyed and over dramatic, this undercooked courtroom drama suffers from bad dialogue and a twist ending you'll see from a distance.

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Critics Reviews

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Empire Magazine Comes across as more 1980s TV movie than 1950s period piece. Rated: 2/5 Oct 2, 2009 Full Review Joe Neumaier New York Daily News A good rule to follow for wannabe gritty thrillers: Lead actors shouldn't remind you of late-night informercial pitchmen. Rated: 1/5 Sep 14, 2009 Full Review Ella Taylor NPR There's little in this pointless rehash to distract audiences from the pleasure of watching Tamblyn, a fine young actress whose direct, grownup stare belies her baby features. Sep 14, 2009 Full Review Matt McAllister Future Movies UK Rated: 5/10 Jul 2, 2011 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...an entertainingly absurd thriller that boasts several genuinely exciting interludes and an expectedly riveting performance from Michael Douglas. Rated: 3/4 May 18, 2011 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid Hyams takes a perfectly good story and kills it with logic loopholes, inconsistent character behavior, horrendous, headache-inducing cutting, and a number of brainless chase scenes. Jan 7, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Claudio C Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) The Almost Perfect Crime (11,730 – 30 May 2025 – by Claudio Carvalho) The ambitious investigative journalist C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe) works with his best friend Corey Finley (David Moore) in a newspaper in Louisianna. He suspects that the DA Mark Hunter (Michael Douglas), who is the favorite to be the next governor, is corrupt and plants evidence to win the cases. He flirts with Hunter’s assistant Ella Crystal (Amber Tamblyn), and one night she sees the award he won in Buffalo, New York. He explains that his documentary about a pregnant hooker projected his name, reason why he is now in Louisianna, and gives a copy to Ella. Nicholas plots a scheme to prove that Hunter tampers with the evidence, and Finley agrees to work with him. When a prostitute is murdered in a park, he learns from his friend, Detective Ben Nickerson (Orlando Jones), the evidence the police have. Three days later, he buys the same items and Finley films the shopping with the newspaper of the day. During the trial, Hunter forges the evidence, and Finley goes home to bring the DVD he made to show in the court. However, his house was invaded and the DVD stolen by Hunter’s accomplice, Lieutenant Merchant (Lawrence P. Beron). Finley heads to the safety box in a bank to bring the backup copy, but Merchant hits his car and kills him. Without the proof, Nicholas is sentenced to death. Now his only chance is Ella investigation of the case while he is in the death row. “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” (2009) is remake of Fritz Lang’s film-noir from 1956. Many viewers, including me, do not like remakes but this one is not bad. It is an update of the plot, with a great performance from Michael Douglas. The performances of Jesse Metcalfe, Amber Tamblyn and David Moore are also good, despite some bad reviews from haters. In the end, “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” (2009) is worthwhile watching. My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): “Acima de Qualquer Suspeita” (“Ábove Any Suspect”) My Blog: https://maniacosporfilme.wordpress.com/ Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/31/25 Full Review Alain E For whatever reason this movie has been victim of mob violence. If you read the professional reviews you end up wondering if we all watched the same movie. In reality this is an expertly constructed whodunnit, but only in the very last scene it is revealed what exactly was going on. Some reviewers claim that they could see it far in advance. Their foresight is being wasted in their present occupation. Expertly photographed and edited this is a very enjoyable movie. The only weak point I found is the unnecessarily long car chase scene in the middle. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/17/24 Full Review A.L.Jude P Feel much better than the original and it deserves accolade. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/18/24 Full Review w Scott c Definitely a long version of a law and order episode. The court decorum is atrocious. They had to stick some romance in to relate to the female audience. A made for tv movie. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/18/24 Full Review Robert R In the beginning I would consider it an excellent TV movie. Then the writer and director had for some reason had include a spoiler plot twist at the end. ‘This was completely amateurish and this movie should only be watched by students first learning about film creation. And not what to do. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 05/17/24 Full Review HarrisonWHB24 Kinda cheese acting and dialog at times, but was a decent movie until the extremely stupid plot twist at the end ruins the whole thing Rated 1 out of 5 stars 04/15/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

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Movie Info

Synopsis District Attorney Mark Hunter (Michael Douglas) has an impressive record in securing convictions and is contemplating a run for governor. Local reporter C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe) is suspicious, however, and starts investigating Hunter's caseload with the help of Assistant D.A. Ella Crystal (Amber Tamblyn). Nicholas decides to frame himself for an unsolved murder to expose Hunter's unscrupulous tactics. But things spin out of his control, and he ends up facing the death penalty.
Director
Peter Hyams
Producer
Moshe Diamant, Mark Damon, Ted Hartley, Michael P. Flannigan
Screenwriter
Peter Hyams
Distributor
Anchor Bay
Production Co
Autonomous Films
Rating
PG-13 (Violence|Brief Strong Language|A Sex Scene)
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 11, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$32.4K
Runtime
1h 45m
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