Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Libby Parsons, wrongly convicted of her husband Nick's murder, thinks he is still alive. She survives the long years in prison with two burning desires sustaining her -- finding her son and solving the mystery that destroyed her once-happy life. Standing between her and her quest, however, is her parole officer, Travis Lehman. Libby poses a challenge to the cynical officer, one that forces him to face up to his own failings while pitting him against his superior and law enforcement colleagues, as she plunges into a desperate fight for justice, survival, and revenge.
Double Jeopardy is a solid but formulaic late-90s thriller. The central legal hook — that Libby can't be tried twice for the same murder — is clever and gives the film a memorable premise, earning it a passable Plot score. Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones deliver competent, watchable performances, though Jones coasts on his gruff-charmer persona from The Fugitive. The cinematography is serviceable but unremarkable network-TV-level work. Novelty suffers because the film borrows heavily from The Fugitive's wrongly-accused-on-the-run template without meaningfully distinguishing itself. The ending is predictable and rushed, failing to capitalize on the tension built earlier.