Beyond a Reasonable Doubt Blu-ray features mediocre video and solid audio in this mediocre Blu-ray release
High profile District Attorney Mark Hunter (Michael Douglas) has an impeccable record
putting criminals behind bars and is a shoo-in for governor in the upcoming election. But
when ambitious rookie journalist, C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe) begins investigating Hunter
for tampering with evidence to secure his convictions, the district attorney’s perfect record is
up for scrutiny. Commencing a risky game of cat and mouse with Hunter, C.J. frames
himself as a murder suspect to catch the corrupt D.A. in the act. Romantically involved with
C.J. but unaware of his assignment, Assistant D.A. Ella Crystal (Amber Tamblyn) becomes
caught between her boss’s political ambitions and C.J.’s dangerous exposé. As mounting
evidence stacks up against both men, Ella’s own life becomes threatened when she discovers
incriminating proof that puts the fate of both Nicholas’s innocence and Hunter’s reputation in
her hands.
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 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.
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 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.
There are certainly farworse 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.
Anchor Bay Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring the Michael Douglas film 'Beyond a Reasonable Doubt' to Blu-ray on December 22nd, day-and-date with the DVD release. For the release, video will be presented in 1.85:1 1080p video accompanied by a ...
All countries
