Afterburn

Laura Dern is full of surprises. After seeing Dr. T. and the Women I wasn't sure what I wanted to look at, except she was so fascinating in Damaged Care. So here is another great movie, this time not a runaway, schoolteacher, drug addict, Med. doctor, scientist, bad wife, detective, but an Air Force wife. The way she can adapt to so many personalities in such a short space of time, (1992- 2002)is amazing. This was well laid out and a superbly directed true story based on a wife's love. As the dead pilot's wife, she was convinced that he was one of the best and was out to prove the death was not his fault, but a malfunction of a new plane which killed many pilots and was being covered up by the US Government, the USAF, and General Dynamics. For years she fought and searched, and eventually found the proof and sued the system and won. There was even a hint that an AF doctor, a Lt Col., had a "fatal accident" just before he was to testify on the pilot's behalf. It was brought out the real Janet H. had a small part in the movie and I'm still trying to figure out which one she was. The BAD thing here is that this movie was made for HBO and available to probably less than 1% of the viewing population. I've never seen HBO in my life so I rented it. This movie should have been on the Big Screen, and I think it would have been on a blockbuster level like "Sergeant York". It was well done and easy to follow, something I can't say for many movies today. Thanks.

Hollywood has never quenched its thirst with enough anti-U.S. government stories. It just goes on and on. Better yet is to have a woman fight the government, since that gets more politic ally-correct points. Here, we have a mouthy woman who demands to know what was behind her husband's death as a test pilot. He also was Captain in the United States Air Force. Hey, nothing wrong with that because - as we recently discovered with the Pat Tillman case - the government does lie. However, in Hollywood the government ALWAYS lies and that theme can get tiresome.

Actually, in this story we go past the government and find out it is a big corporation that was at fault for producing the pilot's plane to crash. So big business - another frequent target of the film industry even though it qualifies for that status itself - is the real villain.

The main character ultra-profane, chain-smoking "Jane Harduvel," and in portrayed in here by Laura Dern, who has played a number of low-life roles in her career. At least her character in this one mellowed somewhat as the story unraveled, but she was so profane and obnoxious for so long that it turned me off to the film. Having a nice-yet determined woman fight for her husband would have made the story more attractive to more people.

Based on a true story, "Afterburn" is about Janet Harduvel (Laura Dern), whose husband, Captain Theodore Harduvel, flew F-16s. When he is killed, supposedly due to pilot error, Harduvel sets out to clear his name, as her husband was one of the best pilots ever. She wants to prove that there was a malfunction of the new plane that was being covered up by the government, the Air Force, and the manufacturer, General Dynamics - and that it had been the cause of death for other pilots.

She seeks out an attorney (Robert Loggia) who agrees to take her case.

This isn't a typical made-for-TV movie, as it was produced by HBO, and is therefore a cut above. Laura Dern does an excellent job as the widow. Worth seeing.

This is definitely a pretty riveting film, so strong that in fact it's surprising that it was only a TV movie. I say that because the screenplay is great, the directing very assured, and the performances outstanding. Laura Dern has done great TV and film work, and this actually stands as one of the best performances I've seen from her. She grounds this character completely while also delivering some truly dramatic material that her character goes through. It all feels very lived-in and it's particularly impressive when one compares her work here to what she had to do in films like Wild at Heart, and then Rambling Rose where she needs to find a middle ground between both types of extreme acting in her range. So great, she deserves more work, truly recommended film.

Based on a true story, this is a much better-than-average TV movie. Plus points are excellent, sympathetic performances from Laura Dern and Vincent Spano, good photography, and good music. The usual TV-movie faults of excessive sentimentality and a pat ending are there, but the strengths outweigh them. Worth watching. Rating: 7/10.