A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Double Jeopardy

Date Viewed: 9/25/99

Details:

Tommy Lee Jones

Ashley Judd

Bruce Greenwood

Director: Bruce Beresford

Score: +

The Review: Ashley Judd is convicted of the murder of her husband (Greenwood) -- the situation is exceedingly strange, and there is no corpus delicti, but he is declared dead nonetheless. The care of her young son becomes paramount, and he is placed with a family friend. During Judd's incarceration, her contact with her son and his caretaker is broken, again under odd circumstances. She becomes obsessed with explaining these oddities, and begins to suspect that her husband is not really dead. Finally out on conditional parole after six years, she begins tracking down her son, but first must deal with her parole officer (Jones) and an onerous curfew.

Tommy Lee Jones has this role down pat -- persistence and tenacity personified -- a cranky but endearing bulldog in the mold of The Fugitive and U.S. Marshalls. To say he is type-cast is too negative; out of many successful roles, however, this one fits like a glove. His affinities with Judd are clear to the audience almost from the beginning, if not necessarily to his character.

Part crime drama, part chase, part puzzle, with occasional flashes of humor. Some good supporting roles, both in prison and in New Orleans. Some attractive northwest backgrounds.

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