Cruel Doubt

ddwriter from Texas said: This movie could have told a better story if it had told the truth....

And he's so right. I live in the town where the murders took place, not two miles from my house. Friends lived across the street from the VonStein's and my husband worked with Leith. The story was intriguing, sad and would have made a REALLY good movie if they'd just followed along with what actually happened.

Too bad it was embellished to the point of ridiculousness.

Don't listen or pay any attention to the negative reviews. I remember watching this mini-series. Blythe Danner is memorable as the mother who comes to terms with her son's horrible crime. Gwyneth Paltrow who is her daughter is memorable playing her daughter. Ed Asner plays one of the lawyers and Kathy Kinney has a small role before she hit it big on the Drew Carey Show as Mimi. I won't say it's my favorite mini-series but I do watch it when it comes on because of Blythe Danner's performance. If you are a fan of her daughter, then you will understand how Blythe Danner has become one of the finest Ameican actresses around whether stage, film or television. She does her job magnificently. I wasn't happy about the ending of the story but it's true so you can't change anything there but if you want to see Gwyneth Paltrow make an impression than you should watch this mini-series. Even as a minor role as Angela, she makes an impression.

Like everyone has said, this is yet another attempt to blame something tragic on something other than the human being that committed it. After Colombine, the great evil was on black trench coats. This movie blames it all on D&D. PLEASE! A coat is a coat as much as a game is a game.

I have another issue here. In this movie it was very clearly implied that only quiet alienated creepy loser-type men played these games. Perhaps this is a (subtle) wink at the idea that only men could be influenced by a work of pure fiction, but I have to think it's further proof that the makers of this movie, and the author of the book it's based on, did not bother to research the game itself or the players of it. Did they talk to players of RPGs that have not killed anyone? I think there are MILLIONS of them out there, both men and women, yet they must focus on the one young man that may have had something to do with a murder. I know, I know, before you say it, I know that a story of a perfectly socialized person who also happens to play role playing games would not be a very interesting movie and could not have been nominated for an Oscar, but it would have been closer to the truth than this *thing*.

All I request is that people THINK before they imply something that alienates a large group of harmless, friendly, NON-angsty people. Is that too much to ask?

I should have just rented the long version of "Dune".

This movie is not that bad, not that good. It is the typical murder of the week, made for TV movie.

However, to all reviewers who are making comments about the Dungeons and Dragons aspect of the movie, I say "Read The Book".

The writers of the movie didn't pick this theme out of thin air. It was an important part of the actual crime. No one picked role playing games as a scapegoat.

Except maybe the actual perpetrator...