Shadow of Doubt

Not every actor was meant to play every role. Richard Gere, for example, was ideal as a high-profile, hotshot lawyer in "Primal Fear"; Melanie Griffith plays the female version of more or less the exact same role here, and she makes a valiant try, but the result is just posing, not acting. The film is watchable, thanks mostly to good direction by Randal Kleiser, who gives it the look and feel of a picture destined for theatrical release, even though it barely got any. But it is weakly plotted, and relies on all sorts of contrivances to move along (criminals who are carelessly spilling their guts out about crimes they committed, etc.). And what's worse, it doesn't play fair with the audience; the resolution is based on clues we had no way of knowing about. At least Tom Berenger proves that he is still a dependable actor. (**)

I only watched it because it was on HBO in the middle of the night and nothing else was on. I cannot believe that Melaine was capable of such poor acting. Even Tom Berenger was weak. The script was poorly developed. Nothing at all good to say about this one

Or, more precise, result of good intentions. because it is a proof of decent try from director, actors and scriptwriter to give a reasonable thriller. but the web is too large and too obscure. and the resemblance with many others films, better films, is not a virtue in this case. but , the different pieces from puzzle are enough for a not bad result. Melanie Griffith knows use an old recipe for a conventional character, Tom Berger is a not real bad choice for his role and Nina Foch is an inspired choice for Sylvia Saxon. the only obvious mistake remains Craig Sheffer, in a role who seems be only a poor ornament for a too rich Christmas tree.

A surprisingly good thriller. This mystery with conspiracy theory overtones starring Melanie Griffith and Tom Berenger is well constructed. The clues to the killer could have been a touch stronger but it's basically a "play fair" mystery with lots of red herrings to keep you guessing. Berenger, as usual, is very good as the DA opposing defense attorney Griffith, whom he used to date. Griffith is very believable as the sharp attorney often underestimated due to her looks and little girl voice. Singer Huey Lewis is a very pleasant surprise as Griffith's investigator and tech expert.

Huey Lewis caught my attention in this movie. His high-tech detective was fun. The rest was fairly predictable. The production values kept it from sinking too low into obscurity. The houses were certainly a large part of the film and should have gotten credits.