Double Jeopardy

Double Jeopardy follows Ashley Judd’s Libby as she’s convicted of murdering her husband (Bruce Greenwood’s Nick) during a routine sailing trip, with the movie detailing the complications that ensue after Libby discovers that Nick might not be quite as dead as she thought. (Tommy Lee Jones takes on the role of the tenacious parole officer in hot pursuit of Judd’s crafty character.) Filmmaker Bruce Beresford, working from David Weisberg and Douglas Cook’s screenplay, delivers a slightly overlong yet mostly engrossing thriller that benefits substantially from its above-average performances, with Judd turning in an expectedly solid turn and Greenwood effortlessly slipping into the shoes of a seriously smarmy antagonist – although it remains clear, certainly, that Jones’ engaging, scene-stealing work here remains an ongoing highlight within the proceedings. The somewhat deliberate pace is alleviated by a smattering of impressively captivating suspense-and-action-oriented sequences, while the climactic confrontation is exactly as gripping and satisfying as one might’ve hoped – which ultimately confirms Double Jeopardy‘s place as a solid thriller that’s perhaps a slight cut above its similarly-themed brethren.

*** out of ****