Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Michael Douglas is the only life in this dull party playing a politically motivated prosecutor who may be tampering with evidence to boost his conviction record. At least that’s the thinking of Jesse Metcalf (right, the shirtless stud from Desperate Housewives) as a reporter trying to make his case with the unwitting help of the DA’s hottie assistant (Amber Tamblyn). How to nail the smooth old rascal? The reporter gets himself arrested for murder, having his cameraman colleague (Joel David Moore) record the phony setup, and then waits for the DA to implicate himself by planting phony DNA samples. What happens next? If you can’t figure that out you’ve never seen a movie. What I can’t figure out is how director Peter Hyams can remake a 1956 movie from the great Fritz Lang and not learn anything about suspense, pacing and storytelling in the process. This movie is beyond boring. You could stay warm for two hours by striking a match to the wooden acting.

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