A Marca da Traição

I thought the first 15 minutes of this mind-numbing psychiatric ward "torture de force" was the worse thing in the film... until the movie continued. By the middle of the film, the writer and the director hit rock bottom. But to my amazement, the crew took out pick-axes and shovels to reach new depths.

The basic plot revolves around an alcoholic psychiatrist obsessed with his first wife's death. The poor soul is soon institutionalized, by his best friend and second wife, in some sort of experimental mental institution run by the medically curious. It is here that our protagonist realizes the hidden truths... or does he?

The movie tries to be an intense psychological thriller with surprising plot twists. Instead, the film is a droning exploration of lackluster montages with as many surprises as your granny's navy bean soup!

Save your four dollar rental fee for a Keanu Reeves movie, at least you know what to expect. And if this gem happens to be on cable... cancel your subscription immediately.

How did they get John Savage and Malcolm McDowell to be a part of this mess?

A poor excuse for a story, lousy editing... well, basically, lousy everything. Usually, when I see a movie, no matter how bad, there's always one or two moments, or one or two elements, that make it worth the while. Not so here. There's absolutely nothing new in this movie, and all those familiar elements are put together badly - or should I say, not put together, rather jumbled into one big soulless mess.

Don't waste your time. It's bad, but not bad enough, I'm afraid, to make even me laugh. No redeeming qualities whatsoever.

After the death of his beloved wife Wendy (Candice Daly), the psychologist Dr. Ian Lazarre (John Savage) becomes alcoholic. His second wife Teresa Lazarre has just left him but together with his lawyer and best friend Joe McNamara (Eric Pierpoint), they convince Ian to go to rehab. They bring him to the Blackhurst Institute, where Dr. Vernon Renquist (Malcolm McDowell) submits Ian to an experimental treatment with the support of the nurses Racquel Chambers (Kim Cattrall) and the strong James (Sam J. Jones). However Ian becomes aggressive and delusional, and believes Dr. Renquist is damaging his brain with the medication and Teresa is cheating him with Joe. Is Ian right or becoming deranged?

"Where Truth Lies" is an intriguing film with a promising storyline but poorly executed. Kim Cattrall is lost in the role of a sexy nurse and the screenplay is a total mess and unintentionally ambiguous. In the end, the viewer does not know exactly what happened to Wendy and Teresa. My vote is two.

Title (Brazil): "A Marca da Traição" ("The Mark of the Betrayal")

Found this film a complete spinner with flashbacks almost as soon as the picture begins. John Savage loses his wife in a horrible car accident with a truck and dives off a cliff and explodes. However, for some reason, John Savage begins to have dreams about his wife and this accident plays over and over again in his brain and it drives him crazy. Savage completely looses self control and winds up in a rehabilitation center where the head doctor treats his patients like animals in a cage. John Savage does have a very sexy nurse to take care of him and he has wild dreams about making love with her, so he is not completely nuts. If you like something to spin your own brain, watch this film and you will feel like you are in the SPIN ZONE and I forgot, the ending will blow your mind completely AWAY !

This is an awful film but it does have the outlines of a plot that Hitchcock or someone with talent would have made into an excellent film. No one here seems to have noticed the odd choice made by someone connected with this film to use parts of the magnificent Mozart Mass in C Minor as background to torture scenes in a mental hospital. (It's strange that no one here seems to have noticed the beautiful music.) As it is the film seems almost comic.Kim Cattrall's character is completely ridiculous (although not impossible in a mental hospital setting...)The cast was capable of good work..I wonder how much they knew about the film when they signed their contracts. I wonder why anyone was willing to produce it. It's sad..It could have been a good film.