SNMR 2.8: "Double Jeopardy"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "Double Jeopardy" (1999, R, 105 minutes), starring Ashley Judd, Tommy Lee Jones, Bruce Greenwood and Annabeth Gish. The film was directed by Bruce Beresford.

I had never even heard of this movie until I walked into a Wal-Mart a few years ago. I was looking through the bargain DVD bin when I found this movie. I had always liked Tommy Lee Jones since "The Fugitive" and "Men In Black", and I've always been a fan of Ashley Judd since she was a guest star on my favorite episode of Star Trek: TNG.

From the DVD's dust case:

The chase is on! Ashley Judd shines in this unstoppable, untoppable box office smash that co-stars Tommy Lee Jones in his "best performance since The Fugitive."
Judd plays Libby Parsons, who discovers that the husband she's convicted of murdering staged his own "death" and framed her for the crime. Released on parole, she skips town to find him - and that puts parole officer Travis Lehman (Jones) on her trail. Packed with more crowd-pleasing excitement than several movies put together, Double Jeopardy delivers "lots of action and spine-tingling suspense from start to finish.

From Martin & Porter's DVD & Video Guide 2006, p. 320:

Framed for a murder she didn't commit, Ashley Judd eludes her determined parole officer (Tommy Lee Jones) as she hunts down her rotten husband. To really enjoy this film, reality must be suspended and the improbable accepted as possible. The worst thing a viewer can do, in terms of enjoying this flick, is to wage a debate over the double jeopardy statute. Some tense moments lead to a satisfying confrontation.

Is this film perfect? No. But the story of a mother separated from her child is very compelling. The story is well written and directed. Judd and Jones do a credible job with their charachters. It's a given that in most movies, "reality is suspended and the improbable becomes possible," otherwise why even have movies? I like this film. It has enough action and tension to keep you watching and a satisfying ending. I'll give this film three and a half out of five stars.