Movie Review: Reasonable Doubt
Casting: Samuel L Jackson, Dominic Cooper, Erin Karpluk, Gloria Reuben and Ryan Robbins.
Genre: Thriller
Samuel L Jackson is legendary. He is up there among the best actors of all time; actors who hold such unmatched talent to keep afloat. He has kept afloat. Indeed, he has, and here, he comes with yet again another blockbuster that will linger in your head for longer than you expected. He stars in Reasonable Doubt; a 2014 Canadian crime thriller directed by Peter Howitt that tells a story of up-and-coming District Attorney Mitch Brockden (Cooper) that commits a fatal hit-and-run, and later feels compelled to manipulate the case to acquit the accused criminal (Jackson) who was found with the body and blamed the crime.
Reasonable Doubt mirrors a legal drama, but what is surprising with it, is how desperately it refuses cerebral pursuits, dropping elements of mystery and legalese to sprint ahead as an offering of suspense, and a poor one at that. Riddled with unanswered questions and problematic motivations, the picture is series of feeble performances and dreadful scenes trying to pass itself off as excitement, hoping to appeal to base sensibilities instead of teasing the viewer with provocative questions of guilt.
Following the trial, Mitch’s worst fears come true when he realizes that his actions freed a guilty man, and he soon finds himself on the hunt for the killer before more victims pile up. Cooper is greatly miscast as a Midwestern legal eagle, having trouble swallowing his natural Brit accent as he works through a limited arsenal of bewildered looks. It’s not an inspired performance, but least he’s awake, unlike Jackson, who sleepwalks through the picture, perhaps fully aware of the career misstep he’s found himself in.
Spotlighting the cast only amounts to a small portion of the creative woes that plague “Reasonable Doubt”, and while the actors stumble, they’re facing a mindfield of idiocy and neglect in this fairly executed thriller.
But then again, the story line is catchy. Peter A. Dowling, the writer of the movie, has a way of making you etched at the edge of your seat with Peter Howitt’s unrivaled directing that doesn’t give you a chance to predict the next step as is the norm with many movies. The acting, even though laboriously trying to be relevant, comes off as superb. Samuel A. Jackson yet again proves his flexibility and he fits in the character of a bad guy and, without a shadow of doubt, nails it perfectly well. By the time the movie reaches its predictable violent conclusion, there’s little doubt, reasonable too, that it is worth the salt.
Reviewed by BigEye Staff