Evidentiary Issues in the Movie Double Jeopardy (Movie Review Sample)

Student’s Name Professor’s Name Subject DD MM YYYY Evidentiary Issues in the Movie Double Jeopardy Evidence is the standard measure upon which cases are decided in modern judicial systems. A case is allowed to proceed only when there is a substantial amount of evidence. This emphasis on evidence has necessitated the presence of guidelines that deal with issues relating to evidence. These evidentiary issues specify things such as how to quantify whether evidence is sufficient or not. The question of evidentiary issues is an important debate in the 1999 movie Double Jeopardy. This movie was directed by Bruce Beresford, and the main character was Ashley Judd. This paper looks at three issues in the movie that are connected to evidence. The first issue has to do with material evidence. Libby Parson is convicted of the murder of her husband because there is a knife and blood at the crime scene. The knife is the murder weapon that is presumed to have been used to murder Nick. This murder weapon is tied to Libby because he is holding it at the time of arrest. Additionally, the presence of blood that tests positive for Nick’s blood group confirms that Libby is guilty (0:35). The fact that a mayday alert was sent at the supposed time of crime confirms that there was a struggle. Further cementing the material evidence is the presence of a large insurance policy that Nick had taken for his family. The prosecutor proved that Libby would directly benefit from the insurance policy, hence the motive for the murder. The issue of material evidence is well handled in the movie. When deciding a case emphasis should always be on the tangible evidence. This is because it is often easy to demonstrate to the court. Cases are therefore decided more accurately. The other issue in the movie Double Jeopardy has to do with the lack of a key piece of evidence. Libby is arrested for holding a knife, by officers who respond to a mayday call. The assumption was that Libby Killed Nick and threw the body into the sea. The problem is that the body was never found by investigators who visited the scene (0:45). Finding the body would have proved that nick was truly dead. The absence of the body, therefore, casts doubt on the claims that Libby is a killer. This issue was not handled properly as the court went ahead to find Libby guilty. The body of nick is a cornerstone piece of evidence. The body would have been analyzed by a pathologist and the exact cause of death identified. The report on the cause of death is usually an indispensable piece of evidence. In light of the fact that the body was not found, this case should have been dismissed. It is not possible to ascertain that Libby actually killed her husband. The other evidentiary issue pertains to the use of recorded material as court evidence. Libby later finds out that Nick is alive and well. He is, in fact, living in Texas with their son Matty. Libby realizes that he could kill Nick without being imprisoned again (1:15). This was because he had already killed hi...