A Deadly Obsession

A former student in love with a Professor goes on a gun rampage at a school.

This is a made for TV movie and expectations should be set at a lower level when watching the film. There is relatively little violence for the subject matter but still more than in most TV movies.

Grant Harvey does a pretty decent and believable job as the psychotic ex student looking for revenge. The rest of the cast are OK but nothing outstanding.

The film switches between the past meetings between the Professor ( Katee Sackhoff ) and Harvey. This is to tell his back story and work pretty well. The hostage situation is well filmed and at times pretty tense.

You can pick holes in the film and plot but if you watch the film as pure entertainment then this is still entertaining enough. One of the more interesting TV movies which at least isn't as predictable as most.

My main motivation for watching this movie was Katee Sackhoff. I find that she's a strong actress who brings a power and intensity to her roles and she does that here.

Suzanne is a psychologist and tutor who is trying to help Conner resolve his issues; unfortunately, Conner is in love... with Suzanne. When she drops him as a client and recommends him to another psychologist he decides to prove his love for her in a rather violent fashion. However, Suzanne is also under psychiatric observation as her troubled past has her worried that she too might possess violent tendencies similar to her mothers.

This being a TV movie, Weissman writes it as such. This would make a great thriller if it were as dark as the premise suggests, though as a TV movie it's a fair shade lighter, though it still comes off well, though this is down to both the leads, Sackhoff and Harvey.

The direction is pretty standard fare for television, there's nothing new in either the camera work or scene settings. However, Stimpson does a good job with the pace of the film. It's slightly faster and punchier than average which keeps the audience interested and the story flowing. There are some drawbacks though as the students are your stereotypical kind and they are pretty annoying at times, especially when in the boiler room. This is the time you're hoping the killer finds them. Also, John Shea is very two dimensional as the other psychologist, though I've never rated him as a great actor ever since I saw him as Lex Luthor in Lois and Clark. Luckily, Lively's character and her flirtatious interactions with campus security guard Olsen, played by Bates Wilder add a nice warm hearted feeling and a more relatable point of view for the audience.

This is a watchable and an enjoyable thriller which could have been better. Though it is worth at least one viewing and I'd recommend it to anybody who likes psychological thrillers. It's perfect for evening or Sunday afternoon viewings when you just want to relax and chill out.