Reasonable Doubt

Synopsis: Up-and-coming District Attorney, Mitch Brockton is involved in a fatal hit-and-run, but Clinton Davis, is found with the body and charged with murder. Believing that Davis is innocent, Brockton is compelled to throw the trial. Soon after, Brocton's perfect life begins to unravel as he realizes that the man he set free is hiding a secret that will destroy him.
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Director(s): Peter Howitt
Production: Lionsgate Films
 
IMDB:
5.7
Metacritic:
19
Rotten Tomatoes:
13%
R
Year:
2014
91 min
238 Views


Where's Emma? Emma?!

Emma! Emma!

Emma, where are you, honey? Emma?

Emma?

Oh God. Oh my God.

Are you okay?

Oh God.

Okay. Okay.

Oh, thank God.

I saw a scary man.

Neither fate nor society put

Francis Mulligan in the house

of Gloria Mitchell

on the night of the 15th.

Neither fate nor society

told him to tie her up,

shove a gun in her face

and steal her belongings.

That was his choice.

The defense would have you

walk in his client's shoes.

Well, I have.

I'm from Riverdale.

It's a craphole.

Nobody's saying it's not, but...

that's where I'm from.

It's not who I am.

He is not the victim here.

So if you are gonna put

yourself in anyone's shoes...

put yourself...

in Gloria Mitchell's.

Thank you.

The jury will now adjourn

to deliberate a verdict.

Nice close.

Straight to your top five.

- You like that?

- Yeah, I did.

"Not who I am. " That was very cute.

- I gotta go.

- Mitch, the jury only just left.

Guilty, five years,

parole after two.

- How do you know that?

- One, the judge is soft

on the educationally-challenged

and nobody got shot.

And two?

I don't lose.

Well, that part's true.

- That's why I hate you.

- See you tonight.

Look up. Look up.

Please.

- One more.

- No. Absolutely not.

- Look at those tiny little hands.

- I know.

I can't believe her.

Looks so perfect.

She's so peaceful.

Thank you.

We're lucky.

I'm sorry I have to go

to this work thing tonight.

I wish I could stay here with you.

- Help me.

- Careful, it's slippery.

Guys.

Tomorrow, thank you.

Good night, boys.

I f***ing hate Tequila!

Everybody hates Tequila.

That's the idea.

Well, I...

I didn't know what to get

the man who has everything, so...

He's got a career,

a beautiful little baby...

- Oh, my little baby.

- ... a sexy wife.

- Careful.

- And then it hits me...

I'm gonna get the man

a Tequila hangover.

So, Mitch, tomorrow morning, you are

gonna wake up complete, my friend.

That's right.

- Thank you. Thank you.

- I helped.

Complete.

You okay getting home?

Yeah. Gonna get a...

- gonna get a cab.

- All right.

Oh.

- Hello?

- This is a collect call

from an inmate

at Concord penitentiary.

To accept this call, press 1.

- Everything okay?

- Yeah.

Yeah. Ugh. See you tomorrow.

Listen, when you throw up

in the middle of the night,

- aim away from your baby.

- Yeah, I will.

- Aim away from the baby.

- Away from the baby.

I promise.

Don't puke on your child, Mitch.

- I won't puke on my child.

- Until tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Don't be late!

Inner-City taxi.

Hey!

Inner-City taxi. Hello?

Can I help you guys?

What the f***?

Oh, f*** it.

F***.

F***.

What the f***?

Oh no.

Oh f***. Oh f***.

Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

Oh f***. I'm so sorry.

Oh sh*t.

Hey, I'll get an ambulance.

Oh f***.

Oh f***.

Take this.

It's okay. I'm gonna get help.

I'm gonna get an ambulance,

all right? Hold in there.

Okay. Okay.

Hey. Two minutes. I promise.

- Don't leave me.

- Just gonna call an ambulance.

I'll be back in two minutes.

911, what's your emergency?

I need an ambulance.

A guy's been hit by a car.

- What's the location, sir?

- Uh, Keeler.

- Keeler and 26th.

- What's your name, sir?

Please just hurry.

Hurry, he's hurt real bad.

Sir.

The ambulance is coming.

- Don't leave me.

- I have to go. I can't stay.

I can't stay. You'll be fine.

I promise. I promise. I'm sorry.

- Please. No.

- I have to go.

- Please.

- Please. Please.

F***. F***.

An ambulance is coming, okay?

Okay?

Don't leave me, please.

- There's daddy. Hey, lover.

- Hey.

What on earth are you doing up?

- I didn't sleep great.

- Hangover?

Yeah.

How are you?

Well, apparently they wake up every

two hours and they demand food.

- Who knew?

- Can I help?

Yes, you could fix the garage doors.

They're driving me crazy.

Just gonna grab some diapers.

...blamed a ride home

when she got into...

...in the third period,

they mounted...

...remind everybody that no

matter what the weather,

the winter festival is happening...

just be careful out there, folks.

The weather is...

- Mitch.

- Uh-huh.

Something you wanna tell me?

What?

About last night?

- What?

- And the car?

Rach...

uh...

And why it's parked in the garage?

Did you drive home?

Yeah.

- You promised to take a cab.

- I know.

No, I mean... What, are you crazy?

'Cause if you get a D.U.I.,

then you can kiss

the D.A.'s office goodbye.

I know. I know, I'm sorry.

I shouldn't have.

I won't do it again.

Mitch, I am serious.

You're a father now, okay?

You can't afford to take chances.

I know. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

See?

Look, even Ella agrees.

Ella?

Are you sure?

Mm-hmm. Don't change the topic.

I don't know what I'd do

if I lost you guys.

Mmm. Here, let me take her.

You go to bed.

Go get some rest.

There you go. Thanks.

Just an hour.

Shh shh shh.

- Hey.

- You okay?

Yeah.

Could you call around

the local hospitals and clinics?

I'm trying to track down

a young man who was involved

in a hit-and-run accident

last night around midnight.

- What case is it connected to?

- Just let me know what you find.

- Yeah.

- Over there.

Thanks.

- Morning, officers.

- Good morning.

- Good. This way.

- Thanks.

I'm down here in front

of the police department

with the story of the tragic

death of this local young man.

What started out as a routine

traffic stop last night

has turned into a gruesome

murder investigation

when police officers

stopped this van

parked behind me

in the police impound

for nothing more than

a burnt-out taillight.

When they saw blood dripping

from the rear door,

they demanded

the driver open the van

and it was then they discovered

the body of Cecil Ackerman,

a 24-year-old parolee

from Naperville.

Please don't.

The driver claims he found Ackerman

dying in the road

from an apparent hit-and-run

and was merely trying

to get him to the hospital.

This is Jeff Franklin,

reporting live from the scene.

Hey, counselor.

Thanks.

Yeah?

- Detective Kanon?

- Yeah.

How many "T"s in "committed"?

- Two.

- F***ing paperwork.

You got here fast.

Yeah.

You said you were interested

in the Ackerman murder?

Yes, I am.

D.A. assigned just you?

Well, it's just

a provisional inquiry.

Walk with me.

Suspect's name is Clinton Davis.

55; Car mechanic;

couple of assault charges,

nothing he did time for;

no relatives;

Wife and daughter were murdered

in a home invasion

a few years back.

Priest was in here already,

saying what a good guy he is,

how he'd never hurt a fly,

- et cetera.

- They said on the news

that he found Cecil

Ackerman in the road.

Yeah, we've been there.

No broken car parts,

no blood that we could see.

Yeah, but the snow

thawed overnight, so...

we've got Ackerman's blood and

hair all over Davis's clothes.

We've got the bloody tools and the

plastic sheets in the back of his van.

We've got enough to charge him.

You guys need to decide

if it's enough to convict.

- He looks terrified.

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Peter A. Dowling

Peter Anthony Dowling is a British screenwriter and film director. He was born in Salford, England, in 1969 and started his career in children's animation in both the UK and Germany, working on cartoons such as The Raggy Dolls, Benjamin Bluemchen and Renada. After winning the Fulbright TEB Clarke Fellowship in Screenwriting 1996/7, judged by William Goldman and paid for by John Cleese, Dowling moved to the United States, briefly attending the University of Southern California, and then sold a spec screenplay to Arnold Kopelson (Platoon, Se7en) and 20th Century Fox. His first produced movie was Flightplan starring Jodie Foster which was commercially successful in the U.S. and grossed over $223,000,000 worldwide. Starting in 2007 he began to direct, and his first film was Stag Night. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "Reasonable Doubt" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Dec. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/reasonable_doubt_16649>.

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