Fatal Desire

I watched this film because Eric Roberts stars in it. He is one of my fave actors. Although Eric is probably approaching 50, he still looks very handsome and sexy, and has obviously kept himself in shape - as evidenced by some shirtless scenes where he looks darn good.

Eric, who is sadly underrated as an actor, in my opinion, does a fine job in this romantic thriller.

Eric plays a character named Joe, a guy who works in a casino in Atlantic City. A newly divorced dad, he's ripe for a new relationship and finds it with a gal named Tanya (Anne Heche), who calls herself sexykitten on-line. That's right, they meet via the Internet.

Joe and Tanya (I noted the characters names evidently were changed since the list of the cast was first given to IMDb), quickly become enamored with one another and he is anxious to meet her in person.

She arrives in Atlantic City and fireworks happen. There are a few little problems for the lovers, however. Tanya confesses to Joe that she is married, and eventually tells Joe her husband, Mark, is physically abusive to her.

Joe has had a few problems himself along the way, and he is sympathetic to Tanya's situation.

They stay in touch after she returns home to Pittsburgh.

Joe wants Tanya to leave her husband, but she is reluctant and fearful.

Things become more intense when threats, and violence occur, followed by some unexpected revelations.

The film was well-paced, entertaining, and held my interest throughout.

8 stars out of 10

Some time back, I read a brief summary of this film in a TV program listing online. For some reason, it sounded better than it's rather "soapish" title would suggest. I recorded it, then all but forgot about it.... until....

Until, in the midst of packing and preparing to move to another state, I got so tired and anxious about the work that I decided to watch some of those old recordings in the hopes that they would get my mind off things. "Fatal Desire" was last of the recorded shows. I couldn't remember why I taped something with a title like that, and counted on it to be worth 15 minutes of watching and put me to sleep.

What a surprise! Within a few minutes minutes I was completely drawn into the story and watched intently. What made the movie so intriguing to me was that all-important aspect of movie-making - character development.

The viewer will know from the first scenes of the film that it will end in a tragedy for the character Joe. Then, a couple of minutes later, we're sent back in time six months. There we meet Tanya, an captivating character who behaves recklessly at bars but seems entirely different at home with a daughter she obviously loves very much.

From there the story turns to her affair with Joe, started over the internet. The viewer can never be quite sure what's going to happen. At times Tanya seems truly sincere. But the film crew has carefully crafted a lead character who just simply gave me "bad vibes." It's like in real life. There's something disturbing about this woman .... but I couldn't quite put your finger on it.

As things move along in the story, it doesn't miss a beat. I spent the entire two hours (counting commercials) taking in every little hint of something wrong in the relationship. They both seem sincere... but the feeling never left that I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

No matter what the ending had been to this film (no spoiler here!), you have two complex very characters in an odd relationship that will keep you in real suspense.

It's an amazing movie - well directed, wonderfully acted, realistic dialogue. I certainly never expected something this gripping!

Ten stars for "Fatal Desire."

This was based on the true story of Tanya Sullivan, and how she set up an acquaintance she met while searching an online dating service.

Anne Heche is very good as the lead, a selfish, bored and somewhat disturbed housewife in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Eric Roberts becomes enraptured, he is a retired New Jersey cop who works as a pit boss in Atlantic City. His life has unraveled, and he sees Tanya as an answer to his depression.

While the locations and facts may have been altered to protect the guilty in this case, the story is intriguing in that we see the initial meeting, infatuation, and story-telling that often exists. Eric Roberts is a sympathetic character, in that he thinks he has found true love.

Overall a good story worth watching. 8/10.

Makes me think about Anne Heche's true self. Given her sordid background and alleged sexual abuse from her pa the film seemed as if this is the true A. H. There's a part in the film of disclosure that is rumored to have actually happened to her as a kid. Sad to think how troubled and emotionally messed up some people are in real life. Sure this was a film about someone else but seemed like this was about Anne. Go ahead and watch it. It's very believable considering online dating is the norm. Besides the profound behind the scenes chit chat i'd say you're peeking into Anne's true unstable character.

Trashy psychopath.

Fatal Desire illustrates just how cunning a person can be in our walk of life. The reality came across very well in this movie. Internet meetings are very common these days. Relationships have been formed over the internet for years, so the plot is realistic. The ending didn't surprise me, but it was interesting nonetheless. It was actually a pretty good movie. I actually chose to watch it to see the ending, rather than watch football this afternoon. Both Anne Heche and Eric Roberts did a whale of a job. I intend to watch it again, and recommend it highly. I'm quite sure you'll enjoy it. If you liked fatal Attraction, you'll like this one.