One of the nice things about Lifetime original movies is how reliable they are - reliably direct, in particular. The plot development zips right along; in no time at all we meet the villain, a romantic element is introduced, we meet the major supporting characters, and character history is provided. The same ethos applies to the scene writing and dialogue, which furthermore are sometimes contrived or ham-handed to brusquely establish specific ideas or inculcate specific feelings. With this said: the network's features tend to fall into one of three categories, being either sincere and well-made, gauche but still worthwhile, or a total B-movie romp. For all the idiosyncrasies that define the construction of this title, by and large it carries itself with the airs of that first category, and achieves it much more than not. It would be wrong to say 'Fatal trust' altogether evokes the desired reactions of its thriller genre, but it's earnestly enjoyable and engaging in its TV movie seriousness, and that's something that not even all its major studio kin can claim.
The surest sign of the slant here is how David Haydn-Jones plays the antagonist completely straight. Whereas Lifetime films commonly allow those playing the killer to overact, chew all the scenery they want, and throw themselves about with wild abandon (see 'My killer client' or 'Wheels of beauty,' two personal favorites of mine), to Haydn-Jones' credit, he portrays the murderer with a searing, cold malice that unquestionably aspires to loftier ends. And the same is true of the rest of the cast - even for any kitsch that presents (primarily in the expository first act), they all do a fine job of bringing the dark tableau to life with all the skill and authenticity they can muster. Amy Jo Johnson demonstrates excellent capability as a leading lady; Carol Alt and Paul Popowich make their supporting characters feel meaningfully real, and more significant than their Second Fiddle status. And so on. It helps that screenwriter Andrew Hilton and director Philippe Gagnon clearly put their best feet forward to make the picture as compelling and worthy as it could be, quite exceeding many of its brethren; the straightforward tack belies softly rich, satisfying characters, and scene and narrative writing. Ultimately the touches of inelegance in the writing and execution feel minor; though overall 'Fatal trust' fits within a formula, there's passion and heart in its craft that feels distinctly different.
One can perhaps readily imagine discrete ways in which the picture could have been altered to further elevate it, and make it more impactful. For example, where the ending is concerned, I'd have more heavily emphasized the zoom out in the closing shot and let it linger a moment longer; if the final lines of text were truly necessary, I'd let the screen fade to black before letting the words appear. Such superficially trivial matters can make a big difference. Yet even if some of the small details in this case are imperfect (for example, the minutiae of how the killer facilitates a car wreck raise a skeptical eyebrow), by and large there's a keen sobriety in how the film is put together. The cast, crew, and writer and director all put in genuinely solid work to assemble the grim tale; even composers Vincent Rehel and Martin Roy contribute an original score that seems uncharacteristically grabbing and piercing. In fairness, I don't think this is so singular that it's apt to change the mind of anyone who doesn't already appreciate what Lifetime TV movies broadly represent - there's no mistaking that it comes from the same mold. In my opinion, however, this is an iteration of the same recipe that strikes all the exact right notes to come out just ever so slightly stronger and more flavorful than others of similar form. Don't go out of your way for it, but this is unexpectedly deserving, and I dare say that those who are on the fence about the network might be pleasantly surprised. Recommended above all for established fans of the style, or of those involved, 'Fatal trust' is a second-tier thriller that shows there's more value to its chosen medium than it often gets credit for. Well done!
