fredtee This movie is worth watching for two reasons:(1) Michael Douglas reappears as "Gordon Gekko, the prosecutor." Same snarl and voice that I so admired in his father, Kirk Douglas. I thought Douglas was much more Gekko in this movie than in "Money Never Sleeps" even as he lacks the greasy combed-back hairstyle and fancy suspenders.(2) A real interesting thriller, with a surprise ending that caught me off guard. I did not like the car chase, it seems totally disruptive. The garage scene was even more disruptive. Both unnecessary for the plot. The court scenes seemed plausible for only one reason, Michael "Gekko" Douglas. But altogether, quite an entertaining movie....if you like suspense movies I presume the movie ran over budget, for he ending seemed rushed, with poor audio and video. It made me think of one thing, could you really get away with murder by manufacturing duplicate evidence collected after the murder, claiming a hoax in court??? Hmmm.

vincentlynch-moonoi When I somewhat recently watched "Beyond A Reasonable Doubt" -- the 1956 version -- I liked the film, particularly its leading actors Dana Andrews and Joan Fontaine. But I had a problem with the premise of the film -- that a reporter would intentionally scheme to have himself arrested for murder in a state with the death penalty in order to expose a crooked district attorney. But, in films, to varying degrees, we have to suspend belief. So, okay.Now when I watch this remake, which though modernized fairly faithfully follows the original plot, I have exactly the same feelings. I'm not saying that Jesse Metcalfe is a great actor, but he's pleasant enough in films. I'm not saying that Amber Tamblyn is a great actress, but here she is good enough to play Metcalfe's loyal and later suspicious girlfriend. Michael Douglas, of course, is a fine actor, but here he just sort of gets by, not being quite sinister enough. Two supporting actors here -- Joel Moore as a news cameraman and Orlando Jones as a police detective -- do quite nicely, and it reminded me that nowadays I don't see as much of Orlando Jones as I would like to; he's quite talented.If you didn't watch the original film, I won't spoil the major plot twist which, I think, will surprise you...although there are a number of plot twists here that are quite good.But to summarize the quality of this film, notice several phrases I have already used: "he's pleasant enough", "she is good enough", "sort of gets by", "quite good". The problem is that there is nothing great about this film. It's "pretty good". In fact, the highest compliment I can give the producers/directors is that they resisted the temptation to show Jesse Metcalfe's torso until the last few minutes of the film.Is this film worth watching. Yeah. It's okay.

ferkrodriguez98 I don't know what i just watched. It was so great and so bad at the same time. This movie was approached to me by my law professor after I recommended him to watch Primal Fear (Brilliant movie, also see that one, it's from Richard Gere and Ed Norton) and when I searched this movie here on IMDb I thought it was not going to be great, I mean, less than 6/10, it was a remake from a 50's movie, not a single famous actor, not even one remarkable award... I was SO wrong.Let's see. Brilliant plot, i don't know if it sticks to the original movie but still, brilliant; the acting is fine, it is not worthy of an Oscar but it is right for the movie.This is a movie that will keep you guessing all the time, a movie that makes YOU a prosecutor, THIS, is a movie that is underestimated. I don't think this movie should have less than a 6, yes, the sound and photography is awful, but come on, the ending is a complete plot twist and will make you jump in your seat, just like I did.Seriously, watch this movie, it's only an hour and a half long and will make you go nuts right after you finish it.

Anthony Ehlers Not having seen the 50s original, I didn't know what to expect from this film—but being a fan of Michael Douglas and court thrillers, I gave it a go.The film is entertaining, with a likable cast of young actors in Jesse Metcalfe and Amber Tambyln. It is also, in places, predictable and implausible.To suspend our disbelief that a journalist would willingly implicate themselves in a crime would involve a highly personal reason—that he does have a connection to the crime is only revealed in th closing moments. It can be as over the top as you like, but we must believe it as an audience.The film also has some clumsy sequencing and poor music/sound that destroys a lot of the tension. By the midpoint, the lead has made so many poor decisions as a seemingly intelligent character, that we may not care whether he wins or not.The twist ending was as contrived as the rest of the plot and, while effective, did not have the chilling resonance it might have had if we were more emotionally connected to the characters.Finally, if as a film maker you have access to a talent as extraordinary as Michael Douglas, even if he not the lead, make sure that you every scene with him in it lifts the tension and advances the plot. The final confrontation between Mark Hunter (Douglas), as antagonist, and CJ (Metcalfe) in prison was flat.