The new film from Bruce Beresford is Double Jeopardy, a thriller about a woman named Libby Parsons who is wrongfully jailed for the murder of her husband, Nick. As she stoically sets off for prison, she asks her best friend to take care of her six-year-old son. While incarcerated she discovers her husband is not only still alive, but living with the her best friend and son. So when Libby's released on bail, she seeks Nick out to ascertain why he opted to ruin her life. And she's armed with a piece of knowledge she discovered in prison: you can't be tried for the same crime twice. So since she's already done time for killing her husband, she can supposedly kill him with impunity.

That's the plot. The big problem with this film, of course, is that we already know all of this information from the advertisements, which makes it nigh impossible to become emotionally involved in the film at all. The lovely-dovey opening scenes fall flat, since we know that it's all a set up. And the tension of the Libby's desperate search for her husband similarly lacks bite since we know where she's going to find him, and what she's going to say when she does.

So, knowing all, that, I can't really believe I enjoyed the film. Yet I did. Ashley Judd plays the heroine particularly well. And Bruce Greenwood as the husband is such a miserable louse you almost feel you there should be neon "hiss the villain" signs whenever he's on camera.

What the adds don't give away, however, is the relationship between Libby and her parole officer, Lehman, played by Tommy Lee Jones. Tommy Lee is one of those steadfast actors who always plays the same role, whatever the genre. And you get the feeling he's fun to work with. Remember him in "Men in Black"? His sold baseline made Will Smith look good. And in Double Jeopardy he enjoys a similar chemistry with Ashley Judd that makes the whole film worthwhile.

I really recommend you don't see Double Jeopardy in the cinema, but it is a definite must for video viewing when the adds are long forgotten. Then you can enjoy this film for what it is--a fun mystery romp, with strong performances from Judd and Jones.