Double Jeopardy (1999)


Will the 5th Amendment let her get away with murder?

Double Jeopardy, a mystery/crime thriller film shows Ashley Judd at her best. This under-used actress demonstrates what she can really do when given the right part. Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive and Men in Black) in the role of Judd’s parole officer is at his best as well. Those familiar with legal jargon know that the title Double Jeopardy gives a hint to the context of crime thriller.

Libby Parsons (Ashely Judd) lives a good life. She has a young son who is the light of her life and, a loving and wealthy husband (Bruce Greenwood). Her life changes over night when she and her husband go sailing and she awakens covered in blood and her husband is missing. Libby cannot remember anything and cannot explain how or why there is blood on her on her hands. Unable to produce her husband or a witness, Libby is convicted of murder and sent to prison. Soon after, she accidentally learns that her husband is not dead. Libby is determined to find her husband and regain custody of her son. While in prison, she is a model prisoner, she only thinks of one thing, to get out--to find her son. One of inmates, a former lawyer, gives Libby advice that makes Libby more determined than ever to come face-to-face with her husband one more time.

The story really begins to move forward when Libby gets out of prison and is turned over to her gruff Parole Officer Travis Lehman (Tommy Lee Jones). Lehman listens to Libby’s story and at some point, begins to believe that she is telling the truth. In prison Libby exercised, buffed up and added strength and resilience to her body and her mind. Both are now razor-sharp and nothing will stop her from her reaching goal.

However, finding her husband Nick is not so easy, he has money, rich friends and the means to keep himself hidden and secure within the confines of the elite. Libby’s husband is charming and affable, but there is something dislikable that comes through his polished veneer. He is very much like Ingrid Bergman’s husband in the 1944 film Gaslight.

Ashely Judd gives a tight and believable performance as a desperate woman on the edge, searching for her son and seeking revenge. The action heats up for Libby, when her husband’s lukewarm trail leads her to Louisiana.

This is a good crime film with a little humor tossed in. The Double Jeopardy angle always makes good drama when done well. Others in the cast are: Benjamin Weir, Jay Brazeau and Annabeth Gish.

Rated R

This film is available from Amazon Double Jeopardy