Criminal Passion

Beth Knowlton is an Arizona college student who aspires to be a photographer. Unbeknownst to Beth, she has caught the eye of Stephen Primes, a much older teacher at the college. Primes begins to insinuate himself into Beth's life and mistakenly believes they are forming a relationship. Soon, Beth is living in fear, never knowing what Primes will do next. Her mother, a judge, is helpless to protect her. Beth flees to another state, but Primes is relentless; a showdown is inevitable.

I love these.movies made before ca. 1997. The atmosohere and acting is really good. However there was only one thing to criticize is the last 20 minutes of the movie. That could have been much better. But all in all I give it a weak 7 out of 10.

I'm not sure why exactly this is my favorite made-for-TV, Lifetime-esquire movie ever, but it is. I remember watching it for the first time years ago and it always stuck with me. I think the reason that is has stuck with me is, and this is really corny, but I thought the women were very strong and realistic characters. While they seem to exhibit some questionable judgment towards the end, the entire movie I kept thinking how much I could relate to the characters' actions and feelings. I especially liked the advice the mother gave the daughter about boundaries, and I paraphrase: "You have to have boundaries. You have to draw lines and let people know where you stand." Also, the guy that plays the stalker is absolutely effective; he irritates me/creeps me out the moment he steps on screen. Overall, a pretty good film, you know, for TV.

This movie is pretty good with a nice cast.

Brooke Langton performed well as Beth Knowlton, a college girl who is being stalked by an older man. Jere Burns, the older man, has the right qualities and look about him that makes him seem like a...weirdo. That's the only word to describe him. Anyway, Langton plays the second half of the movie good when she finally catches on to Primes' little game. Joanna Cassidy who plays Beth's mom is semi-interesting to watch. And the rest of the cast does fairly good as well.

It's a pretty basic idea but it is still good to watch. The little things that Primes' character does shows us that stalkers will go to any lengths to get what they want. And you never know, but you might be in the eye of a stalker.

When I told my mom I was longing on to comment some movies, she told me to remember this and give and give it a good rating, I gave it a nine, since as much as I usually loathe Lifetime movies, for their country chitlin', and drunken cliches, I found this movie quite chilling, and it makes you think, it could happen at anytime.

(Some Spoilers) Stephen Primes, Jere Burns, a law professor at a local university in Phoenix, who's also a compulsive control-freak, sets his sights on pretty photography student Beth Knowlton, Brooke Langton, and make her, as well as her mom's, life a living hell.

When Stephen first set his eyes on Beth his emotional and hormone levels reached the danger point with him constantly stalking her in and out of school and even at the photo store, Adobe's Photo, that she works at. Getting to know her through a mutual friend Stephen pays Beth $500.00 for a photo shoot she does for him. At first Beth liked Stephen only as a friend but as his obsession for her became more and more apparent she tried to cut off her relationship with Stephen which only made him more crazy and dangerous.

Trying to break up Beth's relationship with her boyfriend Kyle, Michael Woolson, Stephen succeeds in making him think that Beth is running around with another guy thus having Kyle walk out on the hurt and confused young lady. Stephen then takes on Beth's mom Mrs. Knowlton,Joanna Cassidy, who's a widowed state judge feeling that she's the reason that Beth is estranged from him due to her meddling in their love life which exists only in Stephen's disturbed mind. Getting so out of hand that Judge Knowlton gets a restraining order against him Stephen is so hip to the law where he goes so far, but not over, the line from being an annoying pest and borderline criminal that the police can do nothing to stop him.

Breaking into Beth's apartment and hounding her day and night has her mom takes her out of the local college and send her to Denver to get away from the obsessed stalker. Judge Knowlton has the petrified Beth live her uncle Duncan Emerson, John Bennett, and attend college there. Beth even changed her last name to Emerson to keep Stephen from tracking her down.

Getting crazier by the day, with him not being able to get to Beth, Stephen tracks down an other Elizabeth Knowlton, Lucinda Jenney, in the Denver area thinking that she's his beloved Beth. It's there where Stephen makes his mistake that has him fall into the trap that Judge Knowlton and private detective Danny "Mr. Z" Zerbo, Dennis Burkley, and the local police set for him.

The movie "Moment of Truth: Eyes of the Stalker" is a fine drama about the epidemic in America of stalkers and the victims that they pray on. Jere Burnes gives an exceptional performance as the crazed and obsessive stalker Stephen Prims who at first, to Beth, comes off friendly and pleasant, if not a bit overbearing. It's when he gets his foot in the door that Stephen shows his real colors and intentions that drives Beth out of her school her job her home and almost out of her mind.