Torn Apart

The only purpose this piece of fluff serves is filling up TV airtime. Well, that and putting some easy money in the pocket of third-tier actress Tia Carrere.

I came across this while flipping through channels with nothing on (of course) worth watching. Tia Carrere is a Grade A you-know-what in "Torn Apart". She's a doctor, supposedly, but seems much more interested in traipsing around in power suits while snarling at everyone. Anyway, the ludicrous plot involves the fact that one of her prior patients died on the operating table and the deceased happens to have a ticked off relative. Said relative actually kidnaps the doctor's husband and daughter. Dr. Vicki Westin (Carrere) is informed that she has to make a decision: Choose which one gets to live and which one has to die. Ohhhhh! That's a good one that I've never, ever seen before in a film.

This was on the Lifetime Channel and perhaps this type of film plays much better to their target audience. You know, the type of viewer who fantasizes about being a doctor, having a perfect married life and is given the opportunity to kick the ass of some bad guys. Without giving it away, I guarantee you that the ending is both disgustingly predictable and 100% unbelievable. If there isn't anything worth showing then I think some of these TV channels should just close up shop. 1/10

I watched this on lifetime based on the movie pick in TV Guide and really enjoyed it. If you like TV thrillers this is a must see. Tia Carrere stars as a doctor forced to choose between her husband and daughter after they are abducted by a man seeking revenge for how the hospital, doctors and insurance company contributed in the loss of his family. The main reason this movie struck me over most TV fare was the portrayal of the kidnapper.

You can truly empathize with him especially in the scene with his wife in the nursing home. Dale Midkiff is great in the role. I also liked Richard Burgi as the husband. Overall I thought the story was original and compelling and would recommend this movie. 9/10

Dr. Vicki Westin is a surgeon at Jefferson Parish General Hospital. Before she left for work on her birthday, she and her husband Billy were arguing. When she gets home, Billy and daughter Jordan (Zoe Gaber or Zoe Gaffin, depending on the source you go by) are missing. There are no clues as to what may have happened ... until Vicki, getting dressed for bed at 10:00, receives a terrifying phone call. A man with an evil-sounding, apparently disguised voice tells her he has her husband and daughter--and that she has 48 hours to choose which one of them will live. And she is to tell no one, or else both will die.

Vicki went to the police, and just after the call, there are cops at her door. She must make every attempt to convince them that nothing is wrong and that her family members are visiting a relative. The police do not believe her.

Vicki goes to work the next morning, still in the clothes she would have worn to bed if she had been able to sleep. Fortunately, these are not actual pajamas, but people still notice that she looks a mess. She is obviously distraught over something. Worse yet, she has a meeting regarding a disciplinary matter involving Dr. Crenshaw, whose posterior she rescued years ago when he made a mistake--and she's not exactly dressed for it or in the frame of mind to discuss anything intelligently.

Somehow, the kidnapper knows every move Vicki makes, and he constantly harasses her by cell phone and by sending "gifts". And he makes sure the voices of Vicki's family remind her what she must do.

To make matters worse, Vicki soon finds herself on the run from the police for a crime she didn't commit.

It is interesting to watch Vicki solve this mystery while at the same time trying to hide the truth about her situation and keeping the cops from knowing where she is. I started to say the process was exciting, but no, exciting mainly describes the end.

Some other characters in this movie include Scott, a young patient who wants to watch the implosion of the hospital's old building, and the hospital's computer geek Jerry, whose recent upgrades prove valuable in helping Vicki.

The actor playing the kidnapper (no, I can't tell you who he was) did a fine job even when he was talking in his normal voice to Vicki's husband and daughter. He delivered a mostly chilling performance, partly because he tried to seem normal, though he was not quite on the level of, say, Anthony Hopkins.

Tia Carrere did a good job too. I say this mainly because Vicki had to be a good actress as well. And she looked good. I only wish we had seen more of her getting dressed for bed. Only Lara Grice as her friend Cindy got to show off in a bikini, and Cindy had such a nasty attitude I didn't enjoy that.

I enjoyed this.

"Torn Apart" is one of the worse films I have watched in a very long time. Leading parts are played by Tia Carrere ("Relic Hunter") and Richard Burgi ("Desperate Housewives"), but the most focus is on Carrere's character Vicki Westin who's a surgeon and married to Billy Westin (Burgi).

The plot goes like this: a mysterious man kidnaps both husband and daughter, Vicki turns desperate and with no prior build up in the plot (apart of course from being a desperate mom and wife) she becomes some sort of heroic action character with quite a lot determination and of course a rather big gun; the only real surprise in the film is that she actually doesn't get to use it.

The thrills are lagging and the plot is unsupported. The acting is horrific. Carrere was actually putting up a better performance in the "Relic Hunter" series which does tell a lot. But as I said the characters are shallow, feelings of any type is exaggerated and what is worse: Carrere's character lags unity.

While "Torn Apart" by no means is a top notch thriller, then it is still an entertaining enough movie for what it was. It didn't really hold any thrills or surprises, and it was quite predictable.

The story is about doctor Vicki Westin who finds her husband and daughter missing. A strange phone call informs her that she has 48 hours to decide who will live and who will die.

The acting in "Torn Apart" was good, given the script and material the actors and actresses had to work with. Tia Carrere did a nice job in carrying the movie most of the way.

If you enjoy thrillers then there are far better choices available. But if you are a fan of Tia Carrere then you might find some greater enjoyment in "Torn Apart".

I think that "Torn Apart" is the type of movie that you watch once and never again. It just doesn't have enough contents or leverage to support multiple viewings. For a TV movie, then "Torn Apart" is adequate entertainment for what premises it had.