Casualties

Very exciting film with a bang-up ending. This poor woman couldn't pick the right man with a set of ice tongs. As bad as hubby was, at least he wasn't a total psycho. Although this picture had some gaping holes in it [for instance: why didn't the cop call for backup?], it was still tense and dramatic. If I learned one thing from this movie, it was to always carry a backup modem connection.

It appals me (having worked as a rewrite man at MGM back in the 60's) how some of today's films ever get produced. Poor scripts seem to be the rule, plus in the case of this disaster, poor direction, an unattractive and inept cast, and pacing that rivals a snail's pace. Dear Gussie, is it any wonder that many of us over-50's are staying home and reading a book instead of wasting time watching trashy contemporary attempts at film. There's only one blessing in this film: there are no special effects.

Casualties is about a woman (Caroline Goodall) who is abused by her alcoholic husband (Jon Gries), and comes across a man (Mark Harmon) who, turns out, is just as sadistic as her husband. Sounds good, but it's mediocre. The plus side is Gries delivering a great dramatic performance.

I like the settings and the characters. Its quite the complex part writing a thriller to give it a good "picture". But I can't take if they start punching loopholes into the story to accommodate the writing; I can't stand characters that seem to be three dimensional beings starting to act strangely to "fit" into schematic story development. But when you start to lower the expectations and give "into the flow", the result is quite entertaining. Harmon and the other cast deliver good performances for the "setting" and I have to admit, that the the showdown teared me more than I hoped. If you catch it on TV in the night and like to watch some easy schematic thrill with a little end surprise, you won't be disappointed - I have seen *much* worser. But I wouldn't take this out of a DVD-rental store... 5-6 Stars.

Annie (Caroline Goodall)is a battered wife. "In the end," she says in a voice-over at the beginning of the movie, "(my story) is just a little fairy tale about feeling desperate."

Annie is married to a Bill (Jon Gries), a cop and wife-beating control freak who won't let Annie get a job or a divorce. She has tried to run away, but he always catches her. And she knows that eventually he'll kill her.

He likes to remind her that he saved her from her sexually abusive father. As he slams her head to the floor, he screams something about "that freak called 'Daddy,' that sick old f--- !"

So, the idea of murdering Bill sounds pretty good to Annie.

Meanwhile, Bill's partner, Clark (Michael Beach), a good-hearted man, tries to help her. But he can offer her only the standard legal remedies that don't necessarily guarantee her safety.

Bill allows her to take a cooking class; she loves it, and it's a way to get out of the house. One evening the instructor introduces a new student, Tommy (Mark Harmon), to the class, and immediately he and Annie strike up a friendship.

She asks what he does for a living. "I kill people," he says -- and laughs, after a long pause. Uh, just joking...

Eventually she tells him about her predicament. He listens sympathetically, then mentions another solution, one that is more conclusive than anything Clark can offer.

She agrees to it, her problem is solved -- and then she finds out, to her horror, that when it comes to possessiveness, her husband was an amateur compared to Tommy.

I'm always wishing for better-than-average straight-to-video movies. And I got what I wished for with this film. Great acting (Goodall, Harmon, and Beach are simply perfect in their roles) and a script with frequent flashes of irony and wit make this a very entertaining and satisfying movie indeed.

This wasn't great art, but I liked it.