Where was Benefit of the Doubt filmed?

Frank has filed an appeal, hoping for an early release from prison after spending 20 years incarcerated for murdering his wife. In a voiceover, a judge and several lawyers conduct a trial to determine whether or not Frank has learned his lesson and will pose a safety risk if allowed a release after an abbreviated sentence. Frank is asked to testify on his own behalf. He shares the following words with the judge, lawyers, and jury in one of the best scenes in Benefit of the Doubt.

“I believe the strength of this nation lies in the strength of its families. {Laughing to himself} I sound like I’m making a political election speech instead of asking you to let me out of prison. But it’s why I think I should be freed from incarceration. The event that placed me here 22 years ago deprived my daughter of her family. She’s grown up now. She’s a 34-year-old single parent; she’s struggling. And whatever happened before, I hold none of that against her. I think I can provide she and her son with the stability, and the support, the moral rectitude, and the guidance that families nowadays need today to survive.”

To get to this Benefit of the Doubt location, you will need to travel just under an hour and a half from Phoenix, following I-17 N to exit 285 for Gen Crook Trail. Make a right-hand turn onto S Access Road then a left onto Highway 260. Just up the road from this final turn, you will find Camp Verde, the site where this scene was shot in a film set constructed on the grounds.

Karen arrives home and begins calling for Pete. She peers through the house, walking through the halls and calling his name. He suddenly appears through the side door, and he’s visibly upset. He and Karen begin discussing Frank in this dialogue.

Pete: You don’t have to yell.

Karen: Where’ve you been? I was worried.

Pete: Why didn’t you tell me Frank was out of jail?

Karen: How did you know? I just found out!

Pete: I saw him today.

Karen: You saw him? A-a-a-re you okay? What did he say? What did he do?

Pete: Nothing…he showed me how to skip a rock.

Karen: Listen to me. This is serious. The man is a murderer.

Pete: Ah, come on, Mom.

Karen: No, no, no. What the h*ll do you know about it? You’re 11 years old!

Pete: He just wants to see us.

Karen: Is that what he told you? Baby, you got to listen to me on this. You have to stay away from him. You see him coming, you run the other way. Promise me you’ll stay away from him.

Pete: Okay, okay!

To visit this former Benefit of the Doubt film set from Phoenix, travel by passenger car, taking I-17 N. You can take a taxi, use a rideshare app, or rent a vehicle and drive yourself.

Calhoun pulls up outside Karen’s home in his police truck. Frank saunters out from the side of the house and calls Calhoun by name. The two share this conversation in one of the most well-known action scenes in Benefit of the Doubt.

Frank: Bob-by Calhoun, long time no see.

Calhoun: It has been a long time, hasn’t it? How ya doing, Frank?

Frank: Thought you’d come by to say, ‘Welcome home, Frank?’

Calhoun: No, it’s Karen. She’s a little nervous about seeing you again.

Frank: I’ve been watching her. Trying to figure out the best time to speak to her. She’s a real pretty girl, isn’t she?

Calhoun: She CAN get a restraining order if she wants to.

Frank: But you said you’d come and talk to me.

Calhoun: I’m not worried about you Frank. I never thought you should have been convicted in the first place. But you can’t just go and shoehorn your way back into her life if she doesn’t want you there. I’m gonna have to recommend you keep your distance.

Frank: You never thought I should have been convinced in the first place. Bobby, I spent 22 years in prison, and I did not hear a word from you. It would have been really nice to know you believed me.

Just 198 miles from Cottonwood, you can get to this former Benefit of the Doubt production location by taking US-89 and then following the signs that lead into the heart of town. Though the house that was part of this film shoot location is no longer there, you will certainly encounter the familiar desert landscape that features prominently in this classic film.

Frank goes to visit Dan’s work site to discuss Karen with him. Frank interrupts Dan while he is working on the basement level of a construction project. The two men go above ground to talk, and on their way up the stairs to the open air, Dan hands Frank a helmet to put on for safety. The following conversation takes place between the two.

Frank: Wow, I couldn’t hear at all down there (referring to the basement area where the men first met.)

Dan: So, what’s going on, Frank? You looking for work?

Frank: Yeah (laughing). No, I need to talk to you about Karen.

Dan: Everything alright?

Frank: With Karen, no. As her father, I can’t allow you to marry her, Dan.

Dan: What are you saying, Frank?

Frank: No, no, I understand you’re part of a financial relocation. You gotta get out of town, you can’t marry her.

Dan: With all due respect, Mr. Braswell, fck you. Fck you.

Frank: Wait a sec. Wait, wait. You don’t understand. You’re not a part of this family.

Dan: I’m a bigger part of it than you ever were, Frank.

Frank punches Dan in the face, and Dan swerves backward hitting his head on the building behind him. Dan crumples to the ground, and Frank is horrified to discover that he has killed him.

The trip to Sedona from Page takes only 21 minutes. You can reach this former Benefit of the Doubt filming location by traveling along W Arizona 89 by car. You could also use a rideshare app or call a taxi.

This film scene is one of the most shocking in the entire movie. In an act replicating something Frank attempted during Karen’s childhood, Karen is awakened from a deep sleep by her father Frank who is looming so closely over her face that their lips almost touch.

Frank: Sweet, sweet Karen.

Karen: What the f*ck?

Frank continues to stroke her head as Karen appears to be powerless to move to stop him. In a flashback to Karen’s childhood memories, Karen’s mother opens the door on a similar scene and yells, “You son of a btch, you fckng pervert. I’m going to call the cops.

Karen: Please, please.

Frank: For Christ’s sake, look what you’ve done to my arm. You know what, Maddy? F*ck you. I’ll kill you.

Karen slaps her father and calls him a sick bastard. She locks him inside her bedroom, grabs Pete, and the two flee the house while Frank fights to free himself.

To access this former production location, continue along W Arizona 89-A from Sedona. It is easy to get to using a rideshare service or getting a taxi.

Pete and Frank are inside a houseboat, and Frank is scaring Pete. He has shot and killed a police officer and commends himself on his shooting prowess. He tells Pete he used to practice shooting rattlesnakes and asks him if he thinks he is a snake.

Karen approaches the door, calling for Pete, and Frank grabs her by the arm and pulls her inside, telling her to, “Get your *ss in here!” The following conversation takes place.

Frank: Shut the gddmn door. Are you nuts or something dragging that boy over that mountain?

Karen: What?

Karen hugs Pete to her, and both are visibly afraid of Frank who is completely out of control.

Frank: Sit down, Pete. I want to talk to your mother.

Pete: He shot the guard.

Frank: What are you trying to do to this family?

Karen: Daddy, this is just between you and me.

Frank: No, this is between you, and me, and Pete. It’s our family. It’s the most valuable thing we have. You’re wrecking it just like your mother did for no good reason at all.

Karen: You know why I left.

Frank: I don’t know why you left.

Karen: You wanted me. Just like before.

Frank: You little sht. (Frank raises his hand to hit Karen). Gddmnit. I laid down beside you, I laid down. And you turned around and opened your mouth, you, ccktease.

Karen: What are you talking about? You’re my father.

Frank: I’m a man. You put your arms around me and started moaning, “Dad, Dad, oh, Dad in my ear!”

Karen: I was saying, “Dan!”

Frank: You said, “Dad!”

Karen: I was asleep. I thought you were Dan!

To visit this former film set, follow US-89 from Page, Arizona.