Bound by Lies

What is acting? Will you find it here? Is it too harsh judging the people involved in this, because of the script/direction? Are any of the twists worth your while? The answers to those question can only be given by yourself. And while the Baldwin involved in this, has made a name in movies like this, the question is, if you have the time and strength to watch this.

It's not that the characters are despicable from the get go. But while the movie progresses and relationships get established you do wonder, why you're still watching this. Now if you meant to watch this, because it promises sizzling erotic and/or nudity, you can also forget about that. While the main actress might appeal to many (men and women respectively), her character is all over the place and does not help the viewer understand what the other characters are going through because of her ... Not recommendable ...

After a suspension of six months for disrespect to the chain of command in the police force, detective Max Garrett (Stephen Baldwin) is assigned to work with Lieutenant Eddie Fulton (Charles Malik Whitfield) in a murder case in another precinct. Both have the mission of protecting the photographer Laura Cross (Kristy Swanson) from the prime suspect of the crime, the super Gus Boyle (Kevin Chamberlin). Max is having troubles in his marriage with his wife Diana (Gladys Jimenez), who misses him, and the proximity with the gorgeous and seductive Laura is deeply affecting him.

"Betrayed" is a clear rip-off of Ridley Scott's underrated masterpiece "Someone to Watch Over Me" (1987). In both movies, there is a married detective assigned to protect a beautiful woman and falling for her. Even the situation where the wife is kidnapped by the criminal is identical. The character Max Garret is awfully developed by the weak Stephen Baldwin, and in the end worth to watch this movie only because of the beauty of thirty-nine years old Kristy Swanson, the original Buffy and the teenager Samantha of the unforgettable "Deadly Friend" and still extremely beautiful. It also calls the attention the number of different worldwide titles this forgettable movie has ("Betrayed", "Bound by Lies", "The Long Dark Kiss", "Os Mistérios de Laura Cross" ). My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Os Mistérios de Laura Cross" ("The Mysteries of Laura Cross")

There isn't much to say about this C-Grade "thriller" really. Released as "Betrayed" in New Zealand, the DVD cover which is a homage to "Basic Instinct" is somewhat misleading, for while "Basic Instinct" was no masterpiece, it wasn't as terrible as this film. The plot is very weak, the settings plastic, the score terrible and the dialogue cheesy. The leads, Stephen Baldwin and Kristy Swanson are just going through the motions, though they do hold the film together, and Swanson looks very healthy. The rest of the cast are appalling, in particular the actors that play Baldwin's wife and fellow detective. So unless you want to watch C-Grade "thrillers" then don't actively seek out this film.

Absolutely nothing to write home about. Why on earth anyone would hire Stephen Baldwin for anything is a mystery to me. He is obnoxious and he can't even act... Movies like this should use the opportunity and their low budgets to search and try out new faces, young undiscovered talent, and not to finance and sustain a large part of the Baldwin family...

And then Kristy Swanson... How on earth do you cast an actress who is so grossly overweight for a lead role in an erotic thriller? It just doesn't make sense, Hollywood is full of young aspiring actresses who would kill to have such a role and look ten times better... So then why? Is it just ignorance, or did somebody simply owe her a part in a movie...?

In other, there is not very much to say about this movie, it is simply bad, a waste of everybody's time and money. There isn't a single thing that can be saved from this horrible wreck, the screenplay is bad, the acting is bad, the directing is bad, the soundtrack, the cinematography... you name it. Unfortunately, there are many movies out there that are even worse, hence the three stars I awarded this one, otherwise I was tempted to rate it even lower...

Max Garrett (Stephen Baldwin) is a cop on a seriously thin rope. Garrett returns from a six month suspension t0 robbery / homicide only to get involved in a homicide case involving a sexy artist (Kirsty Swanson), who may be more than just an innocent witness. Garrett uncovers kinkiness that may well put his life and family in danger.

"Bound by Lies" is a simple straight-to-video police thriller. Full of clichés and C-list stars. Not to bad, about the equivalent of a film you see on late night cable. Good looking stars sprinkled with a little smut with a better than usual polished look to it. The plot is standard and the acting is fair but at least the original Buffy is in it.