Double Jeopardy (1999)

Better Late Then Never

Absolutely Fantastic

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Excellent movie. Acting superb. Directed beautifully. No spoilers here. But I think this was the 6th time I've seen it.

Why not make that the title? After all, Libby Parsons kills her kid's dad at the end and I suppose she's going to have to tell him at some point; I wonder what Matty think of mommy then? Libby: 'Do you know know who I am? I'm your mom but btw I shot and killed your dad the other night; sorry about that'. Sometimes ******** even love their kids. This film's two dimensional in that it's from Libby Parsons perspective but it doesn't show the husband's side of the story; she's right and he's wrong. This is where Hollywood typically fails. And why does everything have to be solved by violence? Judd looks too good to have been in prison for six years (but then again this is Hollywood). Tommy Lee Jones and Bruce Greenwood are well cast though.

Nick Parsons (Bruce Greenwood) is a successful investment dealer with loving wife Libby (Ashley Judd) and son. He takes her out on their new boat but he goes missing with signs of struggle. She is convicted for his murder. She asks her friend Angela Green (Annabeth Gish) to adopt her son instead of leaving him a ward of the state. Angela goes away with her son. Libby tracks them down and her son let slip that Nick is still alive. Prison lawyer Margaret tells her about double jeopardy that she can't be convicted again even if she kills her husband. After 6 years in prison, she is paroled under the supervision of hard-nosed Travis (Tommy Lee Jones) at the halfway house.The basic concept is questionable at best. On top of that, it forces the movie to be a slow grind for the trial. The movie is better off skipping much of that section. The murder trial feels very rushed. It's where a montage could really help or at least something to drive a more exciting opening. Once it gets to Tommy Lee Jones, this movie moves well. Judd and Jones have a good Fugitive feel. It's got good tension, but one must always overlook the questionable basic concept.

Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd team up in a story where happily married Libby Parsons (Judd) finds her financial-troubled husband Nick (Bruce Greenwood) missing. An investigation leads to the conviction of Libby for murdering Nick to obtain the insurance policy he had. While in prison, Libby learns Nick is still alive and had framed her. Therefore, after being paroled she escapes probation officer Travis (Tommy Lee Jones) to look for Nick, with Travis hot on her trail.This movie combines the tension of Judd's "Kiss The Girls" and Jones' "The Fugitive" to provide a movie that is double the mystery and suspense, captivating an audience and keeping the movie's momentum strong. The tension builds in one scene after the other to its action-packed climax, from the moment Libby finds her husband missing to her struggling to cope in prison, and to her avoiding her probation officer to her attempting to track down her husband.Movie may be a little predictable, and some of the plot elements are the same as the TV movie "Bitter Vengeance," which stars Bruce Greenwood playing a character that also escapes, fakes his murder, and frames his wife. But overall, this is another nice popcorn movie for a night.Grade B-