Mini Review - Reasonable Doubt

It’s time for an entry I didn’t have time to put into Samuel L Jackson month last year, this is reasonable doubt.

This movie largely went straight to DVD and has not met critical praise, but because it was straight to DVD, there isn’t a lot of word out there to make this seem conclusive. Here’s my take on it.

Hotshot Lawyer Mitch Brockden (Dominic Cooper) is out one night celebrating with his friends and has had a bit too much to drink, because he’s a moron and fearing the safety of his car in bad neighbourhood (great place to be drinking) he decides to drive home and almost immediately hits someone. He phones the ambulance on a payphone and drives away. The next day it’s revealed the man died, but was found in the back of a van owned and driven by Clinton Davis (Samuel L Jackson)

Clinton is put on trial for his murder and Mitch is presenting the prosecution whilst his guilty conscience tries to sabotage the process. Some late evidence results in Clinton being found innocent but as more bodies begin to fall, it soon becomes clear to Mitch that Clinton is more dangerous than he had originally anticipated.

The quote on the DVD box I find amusing “Grabs your attention and holds onto the final verdict” the verdict of Clinton being innocent happens around a third of the way into the movie. And yeah, that premise could’ve and probably should’ve been the basis of the movie. Having a lawyer trying to save face by prosecuting someone he knows isn’t guilty might’ve been interesting, and the twist that he really was responsible might’ve come as a bit more of a surprise.

As it is, this movie is entirely predictable. You know he’s going to turn out to be really responsible because they’ve marketed it to sh*t. The idea that he’s picking his victims because they’re paroled offenders because his family was murdered by one makes some degree of sense but it’s clichéd as all hell. As soon as Mitch’s ex-offender brother is brought into the mix, you know he’s going to be a target because why else would you be there? 

And, of course, the liar revealed trope is the main premise of the movie, you know he’s going to end up arrested for his connections because of doing detective work whilst not being a detective and does something very f*cking stupid in not reporting that his tools were stolen.

And when you make a movie predictable, it’s hard for it to be scary because you know exactly what’s going to happen. And for a thriller that’s not a good thing at all.

This movie unfortunately reminds me of Meeting Evil, one of the worst movies from Samuel L Jackson month. Fortunately, there are some positives that make it better, first of all, the wife and kids, whilst minor characters at least aren’t responsible for anything, secondly the brother arc helps us like Mitch more even if he still is a guy who performed a hit-and-run.

Predictability and the occasional moment of stupidity prevent this movie from hitting any heights, but it doesn’t stoop to the unbelievable lows I’ve seen in other movies starring Jackson, the performances are solid(ish) but that’s not enough to negate its flaws.

Rating 40/100