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List Price: $9.98 | | Label: Paramount
Salesrank: 3186
Released: February 22, 2000 |
| Our Price: $4.35 |
| Used Price: $1.75 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
FRAMED FOR MURDERING HER HUSBAND, A WOMAN ESCAPES FROM PRISON AND PLUNGES INTO A DESPERATE FIGHT FOR JUSTICE, SURVIVAL AND REVENGE. FEATURES: BEHIND-THE-SCENES FEATURETTE, THEATRICAL TRAILER, ENGLISH SUBTITLES FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING, SCENE SELECTION AND MUCH MORE.
Description of Double Jeopardy:
Young Libby Parsons (Ashley Judd) is happy as a clam, and why not? She's got a loving, successful husband (Bruce Greenwood), an adorable son, and an island home to die for. One morning, after a romantic sailing expedition with her husband, Libby finds herself covered in blood. Her husband's missing, the boat resembles a murder scene, and there's a knife on the deck. One might stop right there and call for help; Libby, however, takes matters--or, more specifically, the knife--into her own hands, and the moment she does, there's the Coast Guard. Faster than you can say frame-up, Libby's been charged with murder and jailed, with her young son stripped from her custody. It's all cut-and-dried, except for one thing: Libby's husband isn't dead, and she's about to track him down. And thanks to the Fifth Amendment's double jeopardy rule, she can't be charged twice for his murder.
Double Jeopardy has a singularly seductive revenge premise and, in Judd, one of the most seductive leading ladies to grace the silver screen in recent years. So then why does this thriller feel like it came from the bottom of the Lifetime television movie barrel? Instead of taking a gritty, hard-boiled approach, the film plays up all of Libby's mushy emotions--tellingly, the director here is Bruce Beresford, whose best film, Driving Miss Daisy, is as far from thriller territory as you can get. No matter how stoically or deviously Judd plays her, Libby comes across as a soccer mom with a slight taste for blood. Only in a few scenes, specifically when she tracks her wily husband to his new identity in New Orleans, does Judd get to strut her stuff, stealing an evening gown and crashing his charity auction. Most of the time, though, this thriller offers only a smattering of suspense. Well, at least like Libby, the filmmakers can't be condemned twice for the same crime. With Tommy Lee Jones duplicating his Fugitive role, as Libby's conscientious parole officer. --Mark Englehart
Double Jeopardy Reviews:
Riveting Revenge! 
2009-08-25 - Tommy Lee Jones, Ashley Judd, Bruce Greenwood are well fit for the roles. The movie starts with Nick Parsons (Bruce Greenwood) and his wife, Libby, (Ashley Judd), who are well-to-do residents of a beautiful home on a island off shore from Seattle, Washington. Nick arranges for a romantic outing on a friend's sail boat. Sailing is something Libby loves and they laugh and celebrate with love and liquor. Libby falls to sleep drunk and wakes up with her husband out of the bed and blood trailing to the deck where a knife is laying. All of a sudden the Coast Guard shows up. She is the last to see her husband alive, and although no body is found, she is arrested and convicted for the murder of her husband.
Libby's best friend, Angela Green (Annabeth Gish), looks after her son Matty (Benjamin Weir) during her 6 year prison term. When she calls on the phone to hear Matty's voice, he yells "Daddy" - and the line is disconnected. Libby realizes through this and other investigation that Nick is still alive. She had also learned during the trial Nick was deeply in debt and the $2 million life insurance policy is now in a trust for Matty.
An inmate, who has legal training, counsels Libby that she could track down Nick and kill him with no consequences, due to the law of double jeopardy (you can't be acquitted or convicted of the same offense).
Libby keeps strong and exercises for she is determined to find Matty and Nick. She is paroled after six years in prison.
Travis Lehman (Tommy Lee Jones), a parole officer, supervises the halfway house that Libby is assigned to. She starts her search for Nick and learns he has changed his name again. She also learns that Angela died in a freak accident.
Libby is street smart and strong in mind and body. She finds Nick in New Orleans, a rich man, at a Bachelor Auction - she bids on him and wins. He promises to bring Matty to her and meet at the cemetery. Much action and drama follow but very satisfying and exciting ending. The movie is a terrific thriller, and kept my attention.
A Solid Thriller 
2009-08-08 - Double Jeopardy is a fun thriller starring Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones. The plot is interesting. Judd is convicted of murdering her husband and is sent to prison. However, the husband faked his death and has run off with Judd's child and her former friend. Judd eventually gets out of prison and starts tracking her husband down; under the law, she cannot be convicted of killing him twice.
There are many things to like about Double Jeopardy. Judd does well as the heroine. There is some beautiful cinematography. There is also several good action scenes. Double Jeopardy will keep you interested throughout its 105 minutes.
I thought that the movie had a few flaws. Jones is an excellent actor, but he is largely wasted in this film; the script simply doesn't do enough to develop his character. Also, the ending of the film is very predictable; I wish the screenwriter had come up with something more original.
Double Jeopardy is a good, solid thriller.
Very Good Movie
2009-06-26 - Tommy Lee Jones and Ashly Judd both were great in this movie. I've seen the movie so many times I just had to buy it for my personal collection. Now I can watch it any time I want to. I highly recommend this movie, it's very good.
Double Jeopardy
2009-02-09 - I was impressed by everything. The case was as discribed and disk as described very good
Some Credibility Gaps But A Fun Fugitive-Type Tale
2009-02-07 - *** This comment may contain spoilers ***
With two really good lead actors and people I like to watch (Tommy Lee Jones and Ashley Judd) plus an on-the-run-"Fugitive"-type story, I expected a lot. I wasn't disappointed, either, although it's a bit hokey.
This is a very intense, involving story, a la the above-mentioned "The Fugitive," except this time it's a woman chasing down her ex-husband who set her up for murder. Once again, we see Jones in his familiar role of chasing down the supposed-criminal.
As interesting as the story is, there are some credibility gaps such as why Jones didn't have a picture of the ex-husband in the first place or the always-annoying hesitation-before-shooting at the end which saves the "good guy"...and a few other things like that which are unrealistic.
However, clichés aside, overall it's very entertaining and always fun to watch no matter how many times I see it. Both Judd and Jones are excellent in these kind of roles.
