Second to Die

This would be a watchable Hollywood mediocre if it had a good editing. It relies on the typical American thriller plot - "who is going to outsmart everyone". Acting is below average, but with shining appearance of the detective who is the best actor in the film and he is mostly responsible if the tension in the film rises. Film was completely suffocated by blank video and sound shots and most of it looks like raw film material. All in all, if you don't mind watching a movie that looks like a student film project, this is a film to watch. I guess that would be enough to say on this film, everything else could really spoil the tension that is probably low enough.

I like Second to Die for mindless entertainment, and despite criticism to the opposite, I think Eleniak is a good actress. But mostly, agreeing with other review, I can watch the movie again and again just to see Paul Winfield as a cute, comical detective, always polite while he has everyone's number. Truly, Winfield was an underrated actor. How tragic that he died so soon.

The premise couldn't be so foolish, a unhappy married dumb blonde Sara Bratchett (Erika Eleniak) and his closest friend Raymond Scucello (Jery Kroll) having an affair, suddenly they have a fabulous idea, frame an efficient plan to kill the husband Jim Bratchett (John Wesley Ship) in a explosion in his own airplane to get rid of him for good, it won't raise any kind of mistrust, due him works on demolition, using those plastic explosives and devices to ignite it, after a week or something she get marry with Scudello, however Sara found dead on his swimming pool, the Detective Grady ( Paul Winfield) in charge of the investigation, Sara has a sister Amber (Kimberley Rowe) that appears there, Sara left an diary, through this Amber will slowly figure out all about, anyway a poor screenplay, on weakest acting, apart the veteran actor Paul Winfield who gave some reliability to the movie, the remaining is awful and no make sense!!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 5.5

I have to give Erica Eleniac credit: she really is trying hard to shed her early career as 'eye candy' and take on more challenging and serious roles. Hollywood being what it is, she still spends a lot of time in this movie scantilly clad...but also delivers a performance of real depth as a party girl who married for money only to find herself trapped in a loveless marriage. When she starts to plot to have her husband killed, things start to go terribly wrong. The movie uses an unusual framing devise in having the action related in a series of flashbacks from the dead woman's diary as it is being read by her younger sister (also Eleniak). Paul Winfield also delivers a solid performance as an aging cop, somewhat similar to that of Gene Hackman's aging cop in the movie 'Falling Down'. While not exactly a masterpiece, and utilizing plot devises that have cropped up many times in other movies, the quality of the cast and the dead-on solid performance by Eleniak combine to lift this film over its B-movie cliches!Recomended

An interesting thriller that has Paul Winfield as a detective on the case of a murder. Paul Winfield was an underrated actor who pulled off all his roles with such ease, it was hard to tell the man was even acting. Maybe most known by younger viewers as the voice/narrator of "City Confidential", Winfield ends his career with a so-so movie; but as always, Winfield shines. A treat to watch.

Erika Eliniak is well, Erika Eliniak, nice to look at but leaves a lot to be desired in the acting department. Though, to be fair, this is one of her better efforts.

Bottom line: a watchable thriller that shouldn't be missed by any Paul Winfield fan. A decent telefilm to help send Paul Winfield off to celluloid heaven. What an actor. He will be missed.