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Released by: Lionsgate
Released on: March 18th, 2014.
Director: Peter Howitt
Cast: Dominic Cooper, Samuel L. Jackson
Year: 2014
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The Movie:
“I have never seen it, but by all accounts it is terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific.â€
Maybe Samuel L. Jackson had a house payment? And while I'm sure he didn't bank the kind of cash that Michael Caine (provider of the above quote) did for JAWS: THE REVENGE I'm hoping at least he got some some decent money for this nonsense.
REASONABLE DOUBT is one of those utterly forgettable and preposterously plotted thrill less "thrillers" that used to dot the landscape of late night TV in the 80's and early 90's (usually on the USA network or some other second division outlet). When DTV and streaming took over, these sometimes decent but oftentimes awful films migrated to the newer platforms. And now these things clutter of the aisles of your average Best Buy - luring you in with one actual "star" like a Bruce Willis or a Samuel L Jackson usually utilized in a supporting role.
This particular dog is a legal thriller about a lawyer named Mitch Brockden (Dominic Cooper) who gets drunk one night out with a friend. Driving home, he hits and grievously wounds a stumbling pedestrian who jumps in front of his car. You know where this is headed, right? After the obligatory flee part of the hit and run equation and anonymous phone call to 911 (this is to establish that Mitch is basically decent so we can sympathize with him later when the #2 hits the proverbial fan) we get to the real plot. Mitch's victim mysteriously disappears from the scene before the paramedics arrive. He's later found - now dead - in the company of disturbed individual Clinton Davis (Samuel L. Jackson). Davis has a troubled history with the law. He is also being tracked by a zealous female cop (Gloria Reuben) with a hard-on for him because she believes he's a serial killer that has cleverly been covering his tracks. Once Davis is arrested Mitch feels guilty and goes out of his way to get assigned to the case so he can hopefully get Davis off.
Up to this point REASONABLE DOUBT is just a very predictable time waster. Once the obvious twist lands, it turns into a game of dumb and dumber. Utilizing the stale structure of mid level thrillers like COPYCAT it tries to cook up a cat-and-mouse narrative with plenty of moral ambiguity but fails miserably. This is one of those films where you end up yelling at the screen as your intelligence is routinely assaulted with idiotic plotting and wildly uneven acting. Jackson turns in his usual autopilot that's become a hallmark of his work when he isn't challenged with a decent script. He glowers, he has the mini-monologue where he tells you his intense backstory and then he spends the rest of the movie being threatening. At least he's intermittently entertaining. Cooper, on the other hand has all the dramatic depth of a finger bowl at a French restaurant. Earnest and deadly dull can't help sell these under heated leftovers. When it all comes to a welcome end simply be thankful.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Let us dispense with this quickly, shall we? REASONABLE DOUBT looks about like what you'd expect of a decently budgeted new DTV film. Lionsgate deliver a 1080p AVC encoded transfer at a 2.40:1 aspect ratio that looks fine. Colors tend to the muted and even drab but that's just the way this thing was shot. Detail is perfectly acceptable. Color gradation and contrast may be a tiny bit less than optimal but it's truly something you are highly unlikely to notice.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio track is well-centered and rendered. Most if this film is dialog oriented and the moments where the score really comes into play are handled well. Levels are balanced and overall sound field presentation strong.
Extras consist of two featurettes where the actors provide a reasonable facsimile of giving a damn about the film and a more location shooting oriented piece that is actually more interesting (about effectively subbing Winnipeg Canada for Chicago). A trailer is included as well.
The Final Word:
Have two. Skip it.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
