Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

So what does happen when you take a bunch of relatively unknown actors, a somewhat has-been, a good director and a catchy plot? A damn good film, that's what. Give me the benefit of the doubt here, please, and let me explain.

There were a lot of dragging scenes, the film really never got going until the second half, the acting... wait, I'm gonna come back to that. Well, it just didn't do it for me. I was bored and just wanted to finish it for the sake of it. The actors did their job as if nothing really was falling for them: the alarm went off just a bit too late that morning, the water in the shower was a bit too cold and the breakfast was a bit cold. But I will give them all the credit they deserve, maybe we are all too brainwashed by the over exaggeration of human behavior by most Hollywood films. There was always a sense of subtlety in Jesse Metcalfe and others' acting. Or was it simply the fact that it was a remake of a 1956 film and not all of the "oldness" was shrugged off.

Michael Douglas was good, not that one could really expect anything less of an actor of his caliber. Only two scenes in the film gave me the impression of excitement and even that in a quirky, old-fashioned way.

So if you are looking for a nail-biter, don't bother, but if you don't mind spending an hour and 40 minutes watching something that will make you go "well that was pretty damn decent" at the end (which has a splendid twist as a matter of fact), Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is a good choice for you. I definitely would recommend this film.