Defending Jacob

This role puts all of Evans’ acting acumen on full display. Sensitive, thoughtful, yet oddly contradictory, Evans says just as much with Andy’s subtle facial movements than he does with any line of dialogue. It’s a masterful performance.

An addictive murder mystery with terrific performances, some chilling twists and turns — and a shocking finale that veers close to flying off the rails but is kinda great given everything that has already transpired.

It’s a well-done drama that will keep you guessing and entertained and thinking about it even when you’re not watching it.

“Defending Jacob” is gripping enough in its own way, despite some of the familiar moves, and the acting is consistently fine.

“Defending Jacob” is fairly straightforward. It has a murder. It has a suspect. It has a trial. And then it starts sprinkling in reasonable doubt. If there’s a greater lesson to be learned, we missed it. ... Thanks to a great score and lingering cinematography, “Defending Jacob” is good. It just seems supersized to justify a film star showing up on television.

It is thanks to its narrow, altogether gripping—if also frequently suffocating—clinical focus on the inner lives of its subjects that we come to know the Barber family of Massachusetts. ... The portrayal of this devoted couple is far from convincing. It’s a peculiarly weak aspect of this otherwise strong production.