Double Jeopardy is a movie that could've been much superior, with less contrivances and better acting. The premise, based on the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, is an interesting one, but is executed with too much sentimentality and not enough substance.
Libby (Ashley Judd) and Nick Parsons (Bruce Greenwood) take a cruise together, alone, and one night Libby finds herself following a trail of blood and missing a husband. She is charged for the crime and convicted, where she spends time in prison insisting she is innocent. A miraculous turn of events alert her to the fact that her husband is still alive, and convinced by one of her prison-mates, she decides to go after him and kill him (after all, according to the Constitution, you cannot be convicted of the same crime twice). The point however remains: why kill when you can expose the fraud and be pardoned?
So she gets parole and runs into Travis Lehman (Tommy Lee Jones), a parole officer who has seen better days. In her quest to find her husband, Libby violates parole and is pursued by Travis who slowly realises the fraud that is occurring and works with Libby to bring Nick to justice.
So what's good about the film? I thought Double Jeopardy was surprisingly fast-paced. Perhaps it was the company, but the time seemed to just fly by after the initial events leading to Libby's imprisonment. The acting is generally mediocre though Tommy Lee Jones has a few redeeming moments. The script/dialogue isn't great either. However, because of the premise, the pacing, and make the film worth renting someday.