A Condenada

This film begins with a pregnant woman by the name of "Lucinda Michaels" (Cheryl Ladd) arriving by bus to the small town of Amherst and being greeted by law enforcement official by the name of "Detective Matt Harding" (Nick Mancuso). Since Lucinda is on parole for a previous offense, Detective Harding wants to make sure that she abides by the law and keeps her appointments with her probation counselor. He then drives her to her sister's house nearby and then heads to a nearby nightclub where some friends are waiting for him. When he gets there, he is given a surprise birthday party in which his best friend "Clay Spencer" (Mike Farrall) plays a trick on him by having a stripper pop up out of the birthday cake. A few days later, in an attempt to even the score, he asks Lucinda to appear at a gathering as a blind date for Clay and then surprising him by removing her overcoat. Although the joke isn't that funny, Clay is immediately attracted to Lucinda due to her beauty and charm. Not long afterward, to Matt's horror, his best friend and Lucinda are subsequently married. What Clay doesn't realize, however, is that Lucinda isn't nearly as nice as she looks and he soon gets more trouble than he could ever hope to realize. Now rather than reveal any more, I will just say that I came across this movie by complete accident and after reading a short synopsis I decided to check it out. Although I didn't expect too much initially due to the made-for-television format, I was somewhat surprised by how well it kept my interest pretty much from start-to-finish. I especially liked the acting on the part of Cheryl Ladd who played her part in a solid manner. Likewise, her beauty definitely added to the overall scenery as well. Be that as it may, while certainly not a great crime-drama by any means, I found it to be a decent movie for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

She is young and beautiful and marries an elderly millionaire, who has a very good-looking son who of course turns out to be the ideal of a lover. When her husband finds out his wife has betrayed him he alters his will and she gets into a hurry. The husband is found shot with a bullet in his head, but since there is no murder weapon to be found, there is no case. She tries to make his son a prime suspect, but he has seen her through. Her sister Terry knows all about her case and the complexes of it, and her revelation brings the key to the picture. Nick Mancuso makes the most interesting performance here, the friend of the murdered husband, who refuses to let go of the case. Most of the film is a desperate hunt for the murder weapon. It is all a true story.

Of course, no one ever claimed she was much of an actress. This film proves it. Ladd goes around playing sexy and that's about it. No moments but puckering and prancing about in revealing costumes too tight and too small for her. And what a waste of talented actors such as Nick Mancuso and Mike Farrell. They must have been desperate to take on this project or the money was too good. It's pretty obvious about what will happen in this. Isn't it always when a bimbo marries a rich man? This is no different. Michael Woolson as the son tries to stay far away from the whore wife. But the script makes him succumb to her fancies.

All in all I give this a 2 and a half for the presence of Mancuso and Farrell and the attempt of Woolson. But 0 for the performance by Ladd.

I thought this movie wasn't "exceptionally" good. I did, however, think it was worth watching. The movie centered around an older, sexier female, played by Cheryl Ladd of the "Charlie's Angels" days. She tries to go after the money of a friend of a detective. Overall, the storyline I thought dragged on and needed something else. There also was her sister played by Nancy Cartwright who does the voice for Bart Simpson on the show, "The Simpsons." If you are in to dramas, it's definitely worth watching. I found that I was watching it for a little bit then turning the channels back and forth during commercials. I don't think there could be anymore to the story because of the way it ended.

This movie is a slow burner and, doesn't get straight into the action/drama until way later on in the movie unlike, most films in the drama/thriller genre which, usually send the viewer straight into it. However, if like me and you're wanting to view a film of this genre that offers a change in pace I highly recommend this film.

Granted the film doesn't offer lots of action or dramatic scenes which, may come as disappointment to some and may leave some viewers of the film wishing or wanting that the film had offered more scenes like this. However, I believe this is what helps the film stand out compared to others in this genre and is one of the positives of this film in general. Due to the fact that, as it is a slow burner it allows the viewer to get to know the characters and more specifically the victim in the story which, I think can be lost at times in regard to movies of this genre and similar genres when they're killed off within the first 10 to 15 minutes of the movie.

To finish. If you're looking for something of a different pace to watch but, still want a decent plot with decent acting give this film a try. I'm sure you'll find it's not a disappointing watch.