Liés par le crime

I was completely captivated by this movie. For what in year's gone by would have constituted a B movie or secondary feature, this film was excellent down the line. The story is crisp, and without slow spots. The acting is uniformly excellent. And to look at Paulina Porizkova is heavenly. Rutger Hauer is always good, and all acting is under control. The children in this are terrific, especially a beautiful performance by Hauer,s daughter. The directing is superlative; even the dog wasn't obviously looking at his handler off-screen. The pace, photography, sets, were of the highest order. You can watch this one over and over and still enjoy it. Bravo.

The film is worth watching primarily because of the beauty of the father (Rutger Hauer) - daughter (Sarah Ashley) relationship. Touching scenes take place between the two characters, showing the true love between a parent who raises his child alone, without a mother. This puts the film in the category of Melodrama. The Crime or Thriller category is a bit softer, well, that's how the script is written. In my humble opinion, an experienced police detective (Hauer) and an equally experienced FBI agent (ex-wife played by the charming Paulina Porizkova), seconded by two more FBI agents, would have realized from the very beginning who the perpetrator could be, more precisely, immediately after the moment when Gene Reardon (Hauer) and Lloyd Dyer (Andrew Dolan) searched, just the two of them, the lockers in the changing rooms. That's how it is in the movies! And, from my own experience, it's not easy to make a perfect film. The important thing is to make one worthy of being watched.

Rutger Hauer solves a chilly murder mystery set in rural Utah in Partners In Crime, a low budget DTV thriller that is, thankfully, a lot better than some of the same type of flicks he's found himself in over the years. He plays county sheriff in a small community where a rich newcomer has been kidnapped and menacing ransom demands are sent that may have ties to a murder years before. An FBI agent (Paulina Porizkova) flies into town who also happens to be his ex girlfriend from a decade back, causing additional friction beyond the investigation itself. Now, the intrigue here is a tad vague and not the most scintillating mystery until the third act drums up an eventual antagonist for Hauer to face off against, but the real fascination here lies in the relationship with his preteen daughter (Sarah Ashley), full of genuine affection and really good chemistry between the two actors. Rutger so often just plays larger than life villains and when he does get to be the hero it's still within very stylized, often sci-fi settings that don't lend themselves to the subtlety of real life human drama. This is an exception though and he's a joy to watch as a kind, compassionate, down to earth small town lawman just trying to keep his community safe and be good dad to his kid. That's enough to make it a great film for me. Streaming now for free on YouTube.

This one plays like a Made-for-TV Movie with an Uninspired Look and So-So Story. The Acting is Fine with an Exceptional and Truly Believable Performance from Sarah Ashley as Rutger Hauer's Daughter.

The Plot Trots along and is not as Interesting as the Character Relationships and things never Accelerate until the final Scenes. There aren't enough Red Herrings to make it Intriguing, and the lack of Suspects is Unforgivable and anyone would be hard pressed to think that the Frame is anything but, and herein lacks the Suspense and Mystery.

Not a Bad Movie but is so Lackadaisical it hardly ever moves Beyond its Mediocrity. For Rutger Hauer Fans or those wanting a Smooth, Bloodless, and Unchallenging Who-Done-It.

This enjoyable film reminds me of a more pedestrian version of Last of the Dog Men, at least in feel. The landscape is compelling and the performances all around are quite good. The director has an easy hand which works well even with the mystery and pseudo-action sequences. Good job by the young girl that plays Hauer's daughter. Too often these child roles fall into the maudlin, but she comes across convincingly here.

The highlight isn't the none-too-convoluted plot, but rather the interaction between the two leads. You need to suspend disbelief for some of the story line elements, but the reward is a fun film that was made with obvious care. And it is quite refreshing to see Hauer with some decent material to work with. He may play a good villain, but is at his finest when exploring the layers of a troubled good guy.