''Reasonable Doubt'' (also known as ''The Good Samaritan'') is a 2014 Canadian-German

crime thriller Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...

film directed by

Peter Howitt Peter Howitt (; born 5 May 1957) is a British actor and film director. Biography Early life Howitt was born on 5 May 1957, the son of Frank Howitt, a renowned Fleet Street journalist who, in 1963, broke the infamous Profumo affair, Profumo ...

and written by Peter A. Dowling. The film stars Samuel L. Jackson,

Dominic Cooper Dominic Edward Cooper (born 2 June 1978) is an English actor known for his portrayal of comic book characters Jesse Custer on the AMC show ''Preacher'' (2016–2019) and young Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with appearances in ...

Erin Karpluk Erin Karpluk (born ) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her portrayal of Erica Strange on the CBC Television series ''Being Erica'' from 2009 to 2011. Early life Karpluk was born in Jasper, Alberta to a mother who was a high-school princ ...

Gloria Reuben Gloria Elizabeth Reuben (born June 9, 1964) is a Canadian-American actress, producer, and singer. She is well-known for her role as Jeanie Boulet on the medical drama '' ER'' (1995–1999, 2008), for which she was twice nominated for an Emmy Aw ...

and

Ryan Robbins Ryan John Currier (born November 26, 1972), better known as Ryan Robbins, is a Canadian actor. Early life Robbins was born in Victoria, British Columbia. Career Robbins is known for his roles as Ladon Radim in ''Stargate Atlantis'', Henry Fo ...

. It received generally negative reviews from critics.

Plot

While driving home in a state of intoxication after celebrating winning a court case, ambitious young Chicago District Attorney Mitch Brockden (

) is accidentally involved in a fatal

hit and run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the criminal act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there ma ...

. In an effort to preserve his legal career, he covers it up. Clinton Davis ( Samuel L. Jackson), a 55-year-old car mechanic (whose wife and child had been killed in a home invasion by a parolee) is arrested for the murder, and has reported ties to a series of other unexplained crimes. Brockden becomes the prosecutor for the case and ensures that Davis is acquitted for the crime. After another man is mysteriously murdered in a similar manner as previous unsolved cases soon after Davis' release, Brockden and Det. Blake Kanon (

) suspect that Davis is a serial killer who murders parolees in an attempt to prevent them committing further crimes. Brockden searches Davis' house for evidence to prove his suspicions. At the same time, his stepbrother Jimmy Logan (

) tails Davis to a warehouse. While on the phone with Brockden, Logan is attacked by Davis leaving him in a coma. Brockden is arrested by the police and while in custody, Davis threatens to kill Brockden's wife (

). He breaks out of prison to stop him. In a confrontation, Brockden is wounded by Davis, but is saved when Detective Kanon fatally shoots Davis. During the aftermath, Brockden introduces Logan to his wife and infant daughter.

Cast

as Mitch Brockden * Samuel L. Jackson as Clinton Davis *

as Rachel Brockden *

as Det. Blake Kanon *

as Jimmy Logan * Dylan Taylor as Stuart Wilson * Karl Thordarson as Cecil Akerman * Dean Harder as Terry Roberts * Carson Nattrass as Officer Travis * John B. Lowe as Judge G. Mckenna * Philippe Brenninkmeyer as DA Jones * Jessica Burleson as Secretary * Kelly Wolfman as Dr. Brown

Production

The production of the film began on November 19, 2012 and shot in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It was also filmed in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and shot over 27 days. Its production budget was $8 million.

Release

In May 2013,

Lionsgate Films Lionsgate Films (spelled as Lions Gate until 2005, and formerly Cinépix Film Properties until 1998) is a Canadian-American film production and distribution company founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on June 15, 1962. It was owned by Lionsga ...

picked up the rights of distribution in the United States and Voltage Pictures distributed the film internationally.

Reception

''Reasonable Doubt'' received generally negative reviews. As of June 2020,

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, a

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

, surveyed eight reviews and judged one review to be positive. Jeannette Catsoulis of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' commented that the plotting was "indifferent", the direction was "flaccid" and that

's portrayal of a flawed hero failed to capture the audience's sympathy. Gary Goldstein of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' called the film "contrived and predictable". Scott Foundas of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' magazine wrote that the film was made "...with all the enthusiasm of a career middle-manager dutifully punching a clock." Frank Scheck of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' felt the film wasted the time of the audience and commented that Cooper never elicited the audience's sympathy for his character.

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{Peter Howitt English-language Canadian films Films shot in Manitoba Films shot in Chicago Films directed by Peter Howitt Lionsgate films Mandate Pictures films 2014 crime thriller films Canadian crime thriller films English-language German films Lionsgate Canada films 2014 films Voltage Pictures films 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films English-language crime thriller films