
High profile lawyer Mark Hunter has an impeccable record putting criminals behind bars and is a shoe-in for governor in the upcoming election. But when ambitious rookie journalist, C.J. Nicholas begins investigating Hunter for tampering with evidence to secure his convictions, the district attorney's perfect record is up for scrutiny. Commencing a risky game of cat and mouse with Hunter, C.J. frames himself as a murder suspect to catch the corrupt D.A. in the act. Romanticall... (Full plot summary below)
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High profile lawyer Mark Hunter has an impeccable record putting criminals behind bars and is a shoe-in for governor in the upcoming election. But when ambitious rookie journalist, C.J. Nicholas begins investigating Hunter for tampering with evidence to secure his convictions, the district attorney's perfect record is up for scrutiny. Commencing a risky game of cat and mouse with Hunter, C.J. frames himself as a murder suspect to catch the corrupt D.A. in the act. Romantically involved with C.J. but unaware of his assignment, assistant D.A. Ella Crystal becomes caught between her boss's political ambitions and C.J.'s dangerous expose. As mounting evidence stacks up against both men, Ella's own life becomes threatened when she discovers incriminating proof that puts the fate of both C.J's innocence and Hunter's reputation in her hands.
Leave your thoughts about Beyond a Reasonable Doubt.
| Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)John BeifussSays a prosecutor, during the trial: 'Beneath his intellectual and cultured exterior, he was moved by brutal impulses.' Is this also Lang's self-indictment? Or an indictment of any artist who trucks in sexual titillation and murder-as-entertainment? |
| Radio TimesDavid ParkinsonWhile perhaps overdependent on coincidence and contrivance, this deft thriller guards its secret right to the end and proved a fitting swan song to Fritz Lang's Hollywood career. |
| GuardianDerek MalcolmIt is a film of great economy and precision (it lasts only 80 minutes), with the terrifying inevitability of Greek tragedy and a pervading sense that man is his own worst enemy. |
| Chicago ReaderDave KehrOnce he's raised the standard social issues, Lang destroys them all with a shatteringly nihilistic conclusion. |
| NPRElla TaylorLike the decent B-movie director that he is, Hyams tosses in two gripping car chases and blows up a few more vehicles for good measure. But otherwise, there's little in this pointless rehash to distract audiences from the pleasure of watching Tamblyn. |
| USA TodayClaudia PuigLacks tension or mystery. Even the courtroom scenes feel artificial. |
| Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanHe squeezes a bit of suspenseful juice out of the old plot, and Douglas makes smarm a chewy pleasure, but this is a noir in search of a hero we can root for because we actually buy what he’s doing. |
| Village VoiceMelissa AndersonLang's film, the last he made in the U.S., exposed the immorality of the death penalty; Hyams's retread offers only more plot and longer, louder car chases. |
| Future Movies UKMatt McAllisterThere's little denying that this one of Lang's lesser films, perhaps not helped by the impoverished budget. |
| The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisDespite excellent stunt work and a too-brief appearance by Orlando Jones as an unflappable cop, the movie -- unlike Mr. Douglas’s hairdo -- never rises above mediocrity. |