Torso: The Evelyn Dick Story

Saw this movie on cable, and was surprised at how entertaining it was for a made-for-tv flick. The story was interesting - as far as these true crime stories go - and the performances were actually quite good. Which brings me to my real point: after watching Kathleen Robertson's performance, I wonder why she isn't in more high-profile films. This woman is quite a talent and a very unique beauty to boot. You mean to tell me she wouldn't have been better than the boring Elizabeth Banks was in Seabiscuit? Or Liv Tyler in most anything? Or couldn't have handled Carla Gugino's Spy Kids' Mom? This woman deserves to be a star.

Anyway, the movie is a nice little diversion.

This film has all the elements that make up great murder mystery/thriller/docudramas except one: an interesting case at its center. The actors are all excellent, though only Robertson's role rises above the nondescript, for the most part. Fricker and Rennie are oddly cast, as well; while both are very talented and do fine here, their roles don't seem particularly suited to them. They seem unduly constrained by the true origins of the people and situations portrayed. The central weakness, however, is the murder case itself. While all the facts are never made clear (as they have apparently never been in real life), the identity of the murderer or murderers is never really in much doubt. The "shocking" elements of the plot are likewise underwhelming, though this is primarily due to the fact that the audience has grown inured through overexposure to depravity in movie plots, which can't really be held against this film (or this murder case). All in all, this is a well-acted, well-directed, fully-conceived film built around an unworthy story.

This is a riveting tale of a beautiful young woman emotionally crippled by her abusive, controlling parents. The plot has many unexpected twists and as more is revealed about Evelyn Dick's life the story is increasingly compelling. She leaves the film almost as much an enigma as when she enters it. Good performances -- Kathleen Robertson is stunning in the lead role, and Brenda Fricker turns in a wicked performance reminiscent of some of Kathy Bates' characters. I enjoyed the use of high and straight-overhead camera angles and the use of stark lighting in many of the scenes. The costuming was terrific and the director made good use of the details in the closeup work. Visually a feast, all-around very good!

I recently saw Torso: The Evelyn Dick Story this past week. It was supposed to air this past September but did not due to the tragedy of 9/11. I feel the movie was done really well and Kathleen Robertson, a fellow Hamilton resident herself did a wonderful job as Evelyn, the black widow of Hamilton. I also come from Hamilton and noticed that a fair part of the movie was actually shot here. Overall, I would say the movie was great and I would watch it again.

Very good movie. Starts out a little iffy because I think the director goes too much for the old 40's feel, but it picks up quickly and is quite well acted (especially Robertson and Callum Keith Rennie). The ending is very well paced and the revelations about Dick's life are done just right in order to make it believable instead of cheesy. Rennie is gorgeous and stellar as the only man unmoved by Dick's feminine wiles and the supporting cast, most notably the actress who plays Evelyn's mother, are great. I was very pleasantly surprised by the direction and production value, seeing as this was a made-for-TV movie, but it is nearly cinema movie quality. This is well worth the 10 bucks I paid to own it.