Benefit of the Doubt (1993 film)
Benefit of the Doubt | |
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Directed by | Jonathan Heap |
Written by |
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Story by | Michael Lieber |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Johnny E. Jensen |
Edited by | Sharyn L. Ross |
Music by | Hummie Mann |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | CineVox Filmverleih |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | Germany |
Language | English |
Benefit of the Doubt (German: Im Bann des Zweifels) is a 1993 English-language German thriller film directed by Jonathan Heap and starring Donald Sutherland and Amy Irving.[1][2]
It was released on July 16, 1993, in the United States by Miramax Films, marking the first film to be released by Miramax after being acquired by The Walt Disney Company.
Plot
[edit]Karen, a life-weary single-mother and waitress finds her life disrupted when her father, Frank, is finally released after 20 years in the State Pen. It was she who provided the key testimony that had him convicted of uxoricide. She still believes he did it, but is unable to remember the exact details of the traumatic event. This thriller chronicles the events that follow her father's return.
First of all he begins ingratiating himself with her young son and her lover. Angered, she confronts him, but finds him too persuasively charming to stay angry. He then convinces her that her memory is faulty and that her mother died accidentally. She believes him and accepts him back. The tale takes a much darker turn, when her father begins isolating her from her friends and dominating her life. It is soon after she announces her intent to marry Dan that a new string of killings begin. Around that time certain events trigger Karen's dormant memories and she realizes that she knows the truth about her father.
Cast
[edit]- Donald Sutherland as Frank
- Amy Irving as Karen Braswell
- Rider Strong as Pete Braswell
- Christopher McDonald as Dan
- Mario Lopez as Richard Parker
- Graham Greene as Calhoun
- Theodore Bikel as Gideon Lee
- Gisela Kovach as Suzanna
- Ferdy Mayne as Mueller
- Julie Hasel as Young Karen
- Patricia Tallman as Karen's mother
- Ralph McTurk as Trooper
- Shane McCabe as Wayland
Production
[edit]Parts of the film were shot at Glen Canyon in Utah as well as Camp Verde, Clarkdale, Cottonwood and Sedona in Arizona.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Leonard Maltin. Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide. Penguin Group, 1997.
- ^ Emanuel Levy (July 19, 1993). "Review: 'Benefit of the Doubt'". Variety. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ^ D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 978-1-4236-0587-4.
External links
[edit]- 1993 films
- 1993 thriller films
- German thriller films
- English-language German films
- Films about dysfunctional families
- Films shot in Utah
- Films shot in Arizona
- Miramax films
- Films scored by Hummie Mann
- 1990s English-language films
- Films about uxoricide
- CineVox films
- 1990s German films
- English-language thriller films
- 1993 directorial debut films