Puzzle criminel

This movie is loads of fun. Almost everyone in the town of Deer Run has a secret. As the Police Chief (with a past tragedy) and SBI Agent (Valerie Bertinelli) O'Malley investigate the kidnapping of a young boy they turn up the secrets of all the town's denizens. You meet a pedophile, closet homosexuals, a man having an affair with his neighbor, and even an evil chess club with a diabolical gamemaster. Even SBI Agent O'Malley has a secret. She fends off "migraines" with injections of a powerful drug. Every time we think we know who is bad, we learn that -- yes they are bad (and involved somehow in the abduction) -- but there is someone even worse waiting in the wings. This is trash, but high class trash. It may not be for members of the arty or experimental film crowd, but it has the most important element of any film. It's fun! As for a sequel -- bring it on!

As is the trouble with many TV movies, this one was cast with one of the darlings of the small screen regardless of the fact that she doesn't fit in the role. Sweetheart of a romantic comedy or abused wife she can do, but Valerie Bertinelli just doesn't play well here. Neither does Harry Hamlin. This could have been made well as a TV movie using unknowns or lesser-knowns that actually meshed with the book's feel of who the characters are. From the opinions of friends and family, those who didn't read the books thought this TV version was pretty good. Those of us who loved the book wish we would have just re-read it and skipped this movie.

I have seen this film twice and find it an extremely effective and absorbing thriller with a wonderfully creepy feel to it. It reminds me of the uneasy feeling I got watching "Silence of the Lambs." Like that film, "Night Sins" establishes a very sinister mood (in a snowy picturesque town) in the first few minutes and carries it through right to the end. Given a well presented film, I am not averse to an ambiguous ending, so the fact that everything wasn't all neatly tied up in the last few minutes was not a problem for me. Actually, I think it made the film's unsettling feel linger after the closing credits. I think the direction was tight and kept the story moving and engaging. The cast was quite good, especially the supporting players, with Karen Sillas a standout. Although I must admit that, much to my surprise, Bertinelli and Hamlin fared much better that I initially expected.

I just finished reading the book, and unlike many of my fellow critics I was somewhat disappointed. It was a good read, but I think some of the liberties and embellishments taken by the filmmakers actually improved the story and added to the unsettling atmosphere. I think Hoag spent a bit too much ink on the 'romance' between Mitch and Megan for my taste. And a few times the book felt like it was veering off into bodice-ripping territory. Given the brief time span of the book (less than 2 weeks) I found their passion a bit overstated and distracting from the mystery at hand. Every time they were making love or thinking about making love or trying to avoid making love, it broke the mood for me and as a result the suspense lagged. And the oft-seen device of the brooding, troubled cop/detective/investigator is something of a cliché. The abridged coupling in the film was short and sweet, served a good dramatic purpose and was more believable as it offered the side story of two people attracted to each other without disrupting the momentum of the plot. I think the addition of the old 8mm home movie of the killers in their youth and the very creepy voice over worked extremely well. And the Deacon's story was visualized very disturbingly. If only Hoag had written his sections with the same enthusiasm as the passionate Mitch/Megan interludes. In all fairness, I have not yet read Hoag's "Guilty As Sin", the follow-up to "Night Sins", so I might find some more of the film's detail there. Again, I want to say that the book was very good, but my expectation of it being one of those suspenseful books that you just can't put down was never realized.

I'd love to have this on DVD.

Night Sins is a great movie. It draws the audience in and keeps you at the edge of your seat with all the twists and turns. It takes awhile to guess the truth, but eventually you will figure it out!

Tami Hoag's Night Sins does have a follow-up. It's called Guilty as Sin. If you are not familiar with her work, she is an exceptional author and her books are riveting. I definitely recommend reading both books. I also saw the movie before I read the book and the movie drove me to read the books as well. I am glad I did. I am sure you will not regret it either.

Have fun continuing the story!

I just finished watching this on TNT. They ran all four hours from midnight to 4:00 am. I'm tired, but very pleasantly surprised by this movie.

The storyline was suspenseful and kept me guessing for the first three hours. I'm usually very good at figuring things out so it took me a while. The plot in the second half of the movie didn't feel quite as credible as the first half, but perhaps watching it in it's entirety is to blame for that. It might have played better had I seen it over two nights as it originally aired.

Valerie Bertinelli did a more than adequate job and Harry Hamlin handed in a much better performance than I've ever seen him give before. When his character was telling the story of his family tragedy to Bertinelli's character, I was completely engrossed and found him to be totally believable. I was impressed with his range. Pruitt Taylor Vince did an wonderful job. He portrayed just the right amount of creepiness.

I never read the book so I have nothing to compare it to. (I definitely want to read it now, though!) The end of the movie left me feeling somewhat dissatisfied. I don't enjoy stories that leave you with unanswered questions unless there is going to be a sequel. There obviously wasn't a second movie. Since I'm not familiar with Hoag's work, I wonder if there is a second book that addresses this issue. Does anyone know?