MovieChat Forums > Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (2009) Discussion > * spoiler * Very very predictable

* spoiler * Very very predictable

posted 15 years ago by roneikolesny
13 replies | jump to latest

Come on, was this meant as a "WOW big twist at the end" movie?

This was too obvious, who didn't see this coming?

When you see his award winning interview, they are zooming in on those stars on her hand. You just know this will be "important" later on in the movie. The black womens face is hidden, later a black prostitute was found dead, and the misterious women calling in the beginning of the movie is not mentioned anymore later during the movie...

Everything smelled like a set-up for a twist in the end movie, very poorly directed this movie...

[–] carmen78 15 years ago

I agree with you. When they zoomed to the star tattoed in her fingers, then when is friend wakes him up and him having a bad leg, then the dog bitting him off screen...

[–] roneikolesny 15 years ago

The dog this as well yes, forgot to mention that one.

I can't see in peoples mind when I was in the cinema, but when the lights went on I really had the sensation that everyone was like "hmm ok, no surprise here..."

[–] valdrick15 15 years ago

I kept a little hope during the film because I thought that Michael Douglas wouldn't involve in something so predictable, but it ended exactly the way I thought the first moment I saw he had his foot injured. And it was a disappointment.

Not only is everything sadly predictable, but also the film is filled with totally unoriginal cliches:

1 - Have you seen "Hot Shots"? Well, his pal Corey who kept the recording should had written "Dead Meat" in his forehead.

2 - The scene where she waits for the progress bar to complete.. OMG how many times have I seen this exatcly scenario?

3 - the "Scary" parking! OMG how many times...

4 - The cigarrete lights the fire and kills the guy.. OGM yadda yadda

5 - The computer nerds... PLEASE!

6 - Tony Bentley, (Douglas Partner), you can see he is the EVIL the second you see him on screen. And by the way, how he tries to kill the girl is ridiculous.

I would only save Douglas and Orlando Jones characters, and only in some scenes.

I'd rate it 4,9 / 10 but hey, my girlfriend loved it and had a GREAT time watching the movie so I guess there are movies for everyone.

Does anyone think I'm awfully wrong?

(P.S. Please save any "first learn how to write or to speak" because I try to do my best with english, my apologies if something sounds silly, as it is not my mother language)

[–] winplaceshow 15 years ago

Valdrick, as to #6, I think you meant Lawrence P Beron http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2445720/

as M Douglas' partner, instead of Tony Bentley.

[–] valdrick15 15 years ago

Yes, true. Detective Anthony Merchant.

What I mean is that this detective.... So you are a cop and actually ENJOY to kill young innocent people? I agree to some point that being a corrupt cop he could kill young innocent people to cover him, but as a human being I doubt he would enjoy it.

[–] arriva 15 years ago

Gosh, if you really want to see all movies through the prism of cliché, you should never ever attend a movie theater again.

Yes, they were there, but that didn't really worsen the movie like you are portraying it.

[–] derirre357 15 years ago

I was also sure his friend (Corey) is gonna die, but that didn't bother me.
The download progress bar... the gasoline/cigarette combo... those are cliches that I take as normal in movies and they don't bother me anymore.
The twist however caught me off guard, in fact when the cop saved Ella and right after this they showed Douglas being arrested I found the ending to be anticlimatic. Only when Ella started looking at the crime-scene photos did I realize that it ain't over yet.
When I am able to predict the twist 2 minutes before it happens I think it is OK. I watch movies to be entertained and to look on purpose for plot holes or to predict a possible twist.

Women are like deer - You can't just charge in, you gotta stalk 'em...

[–] toddp-10 15 years ago

Shame. Its sorta a unique idea. But man, it played out like an 80's TV movie

I knew he was the real killer with the dog bite. After that it was just going through the motions for me....

Twist ends, just for a twist ends sake is just getting old too. And one you see coming is plain lame

Why on earth was Douglas in this?? he does not need a paycheck. The guy can be in anything he wants. This was his choice? Is he being blackmailed?

[–] Iguanatic 15 years ago

For all those asking why Douglas was in it, you must remember that Peter Hyams is a well respected director. The story premise is intriguing, and this could have been a decent thriller in the Negotiator mould.

Unfortunately, the off-camera dog bite will have given the game away to most viewers too early into the story. Once that clicks, you're left with a rather pedestrian hour or so's viewing.

[–] rogercilantro 15 years ago

I didn't get the off camera bite, because i never thought the victim could have been the documentary girl (that i got immediatly). But the photography felt cheap, even the directing sometimes, so i wasn't expecting the Kansas City Shuffle.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] SlickRobie 15 years ago

Peter Hyams is very (extremely) poor director and should kept away from directing a movie ever. I don't understand how he got the gig in the first place. All his previous movies have sucked big-time.

Anyway, what could have a real nail-biting thriller is let down by very poor/amateurish direction and very weak leading man. Surely, they could have done better than him (not saying he was bad but not right for the role) but then it was Peter Hyams directly. If I had known he was the director, I would have kept away from the movie.

2/10 for Michael Douglas - he has still got it after all these years. Only redeeming feature of this movie.

[–] zowkey 15 years ago

[spoiler alert]

Some people are going to like this movie. I have no problem or argument with that at all. However I'm entirely of the same mind as the contributors above. For me this overly long dip into the RKO back catalogue was painfully predictable from the outset. I usually get some satisfaction from guessing what's going to happen next but I got nothing from this movie at all because it was just all too obvious where they were going and what was going to happen. I could go on and on about plot holes and outrageous stupidity like how they didn't have a more robust back up for their DVD (how about a copy of it in his pocket in the courtroom - or online or....) but it's pointless. Let's move on.