Dominic Cooper stars as an upcoming district attorney named Mitch Brockden who runs someone over by accident. Because his career would be so effected, since he is soon to be elected as district attorney, he decides not to take responsibility for the accident. Instead he goes to a nearby pay phone and calls in the emergency. Thinking that he is responsible for killing the guy that ran out of an alley in front of his car not leaving him any time to stop, he is overcome with guilt especially when another man Clinton Davis (played by Samuel L. Jackson) is accused of the crime. Clinton was stopped by the police and the injured man was found in the back of his van. Clinton's story, that he tells police, is that he saw the injured man lying in the street and was rushing him to the hospital. But the man dies before he can tell anyone what actually happened.
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Because Clinton has a criminal record, he is immediately accused of murder. It appears to be an open and shut case because he was found with the man in his van. But Mitch, the district attorney, knows more about the circumstances. When Mitch is assigned to prosecute the case, he feels so guilty but he is not able to come forward with what he knows. Instead he manipulates the evidence to get the case dismissed. In this he makes a big error, because Clinton is really a serial killer and he was killing the man who tried to run away when he was hit by Mitch's car.
This becomes very clear to Mitch as the time goes forward because his manipulation of the evidence not only frees a guilty man but enrages Clinton who wants revenge for his killing spree being interrupted. So the next victim Clinton wants is Mitch who becomes a target. They fight to the death, all the time with Mitch wondering why he did not let the killer go to jail as he should just because there was a reasonable doubt.
Best part of story, including ending:
This is a modern version of the genre of film noir, which Hitchcock did much better, but the film is satisfying with the twists and turns even though they are expected.
Best scene in story:
The best scene is when Mitch suddenly realizes that Clinton actually is a murderer and the reason the guy, who he hit by accident, ran in front of his car was to escape being murdered.
Opinion about the main character:
The guy is trapped in a lack of having a strong moral compass and does things to save his skin which are really bad.
