Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey

So I googled the true story after watching this as I thought for sure they must have dramatised it but its actually all true! I absolutely agree with the other reviews that it does feel like.. a TV movie the way its filmed (for UK people kinda felt like a channel 5 movie) however, that HONESTLY didn't take away from the story at all. Completely gripping, brutal but honest. Really good film.

Parts of this were very harrowing, and the courage displayed by the main character was astounding. The script and concept are great, and the ending had me in tears. Though it would be much better if it were grittier and directed with more flare. It has a strong TV movie feel, is very clinical and the direction is plain. Both sound editing and score are held back way too much. The casting and acting by the protagonist and primary antagonist are spot on though, well done with getting these two for the film. Thanks for teaching us about courage.

I thank my lucky stars to have been brought up by two hard working and loving parents. Although my own childhood and my four (4) siblings were brought up in a loving home with clean clothes and hot meals and much attention, some of our neighborhood friends were not so lucky. I realized at an early age what a neglected child who is continually traumatized can end up living a life much like Lisa McVey must have went through. I found the troubled childhood of Lisa McVey real and disturbing.

I give much credit to the actors who brought much realism to this fact based true life story. Those negative reviewers need to lighten up and realize how difficult it is for both the writer and director to encapsulate a harrowing real life child's drawn out trauma over multiple years into a 90 minute crime/drama made for TV movie.

Not all movies are meant to entertain but instead, to bring awareness to a particular horrible crime(s) such as murder, sexual child abuse, incest, kidnapping and/or rape. As for this film, the perpetrator, Bobby Joe Long, was convinced by his latest young victim Lisa McVey, to release her.

Lisa McVey now an adult, works in law enforcement and Bobby Joe Long was sentenced to death. Real life story. Real life drama. Real life outcomes. I give this made for TV film a highly deserving 7 out of 10 IMDB rating.

An intriguing story to say the least ... a very hard to swallow story to watch. Thankfully the movie does not delve on and does not linger around on the really upsetting scenes that happen. Since this is a true story, it is even more incredible. You may know or guess where this is going, but the way it unfolds and the things we learn ... it's quite something! The movie manages to hold your attention for sure - and the empathy level we have is quite high.

The actors involved are really good ... and I was on the edge of my seat. I have a thing for things that are morally right ... or justice in general. I know this really got to me ... quite the extraordinary story!

Horribly hard to watch in so many ways (almost everybody except Lisa McVey is an absolute a$$hole), but so empowering also. If this movie is even close to accurate compared to the real story then Lisa is a true hero. All of the actors are talented and the characters are intriguing, but by FAR the standout is Katie Douglas who plays Lisa. I'd never heard of her before watching this, but I'm now a huge fan. She was only 19 or 20 when she played this role but already had the rare skill of what I call "silent acting", the ability to relay emotion with nothing but facial expressions, eye movements, body language, and meaningful silence. She's a phenomenal actor. The other standouts are David James Elliott, who plays Sergeant Larry Pinkerton (one of the few good guys), and Rossif Sutherland (Donald's son) as the terrifyingly-disturbed and violent rapist/killer. Impressive cinematography, lighting, scoring, and overall direction add to the power of this movie. If you can make it through the first half of pure evil, you should be as impressed as I with Katie Douglas' portrayal of a truly remarkable young woman.