3478. Double Jeopardy (1999)

Starring: Ashley Judd, Bruce Greenwood, Tommy Lee Jones

Director: Bruce Beresford

Running Time: 105 mins

Double Jeopardy is an American film about a woman whose husband fakes his death and frames her for his murder, but who plans to murder him on her release from jail under the rule of ‘double jeopardy’, that you can’t be charged for the same crime twice.

I really enjoyed this film. Starting off in enthralling fashion, Double Jeopardy takes a brilliant quirk of the US legal system and turns it into an immensely entertaining blockbuster, with a fantastic hero’s performance from Ashley Judd, and strong supporting turns from Tommy Lee Jones and Bruce Greenwood too.

As ridiculous as it may seem, it appears to me that the legal basis on which the premise of this movie works is pretty sound. As a result, Double Jeopardy manages to offer a story that’s really quite different from your typical revenge thriller, grounded a little bit in reality, while still having fun with all the usual Hollywood blockbuster conventions.

Fast-paced from the start, Double Jeopardy really hits the ground running as it goes through what feels like an entire film’s worth of action in just its few opening minutes. With our main character locked up in prison within just a few moments of the film starting, the story already has you firmly on side, as you will her on to climb up from rock bottom.

In that lead role, Ashley Judd is absolutely fantastic, with a real likability factor from the start that makes her a hero you want to succeed, along with a hard-as-nails attitude that makes her action-packed road to revenge a surprisingly convincing one.

That doesn’t mean that Double Jeopardy is a fully grounded, realistic affair, with the odd mad car chase, crossed allegiances and an enjoyably high-octane final act, but it’s a film that’s full of thrilling blockbuster energy, and as such, it’s really difficult not to enjoy.

Overall, then, I had a whale of a time with Double Jeopardy. A properly entertaining Hollywood blockbuster that blends a surprisingly captivating legal concept with fast-paced and action-packed thrills, the movie is a great watch throughout, bolstered by excellent performances right across the board. So, that’s why I’m giving it a 7.7.