Lua de Mel Fatal

Just watched this movie & as an Australian a few things popped up as I viewed. As the couple head down under for their fateful honeymoon, the opening shot of them frolicking on the sand & sea, is the Gold Coast Queensland. This is approx 1,441 kilometers from the GBR. The following scene sees them in Sydney on a boat complete with view of the famous Sydney harbor Bridge. Tina seen holding Koala later. Sydney is even further away from the Great Barrier Reef @ just under 2,100 kilometers away.

It was not mentioned,why the couple did visit these 2 places before heading North. I guess in the whole scheme of things, it matters the least.

In a confusing opening, we switch settings without understanding what on Earth is happening. Australia 2003, Alabama two years earlier, and Miami four years later pass quickly. Stay tuned, because it does make sense. The basic story begins when attractive students Billy Miller (as David Gabriel "Gabe" Watson) and Amber Clayton (as Christina "Tina" Thomas) meet at a university in Alabama. They are mutually attracted and hook up. Their foremost characteristics, early on, are that he's a bit of a jerk and she's afraid of water. Eventually, there is a proposal. Her father, Harvey Keitel (as Thomas "Tommy" Thomas) reluctantly gives the couple his blessing. As you can guess by the title, a "Fatal Honeymoon" occurs...

This was very likely based on a true story. It aired near the end of an era when this type of story was very popular on US television. Usually, a good-looking young man took a pretty blonde girl out to some exotic location for nefarious activities. Sensationalist TV commentators like Greta Van Susteren and Nancy Grace would breathlessly report any information or misinformation on the incidents. TV movie adaptations followed. Probably, these stories continue, but they are presently not in vogue. Having Mr. Keitel play a major role lifts the performances; in this case, a rising tide lifts all boats. The production is not below average for a TV drama, but the story is far too subjective and its characters lack substance.

**** Fatal Honeymoon (2012-08-25) Nadia Tass ~ Billy Miller, Harvey Keitel, Amber Clayton, Gary Sweet

I'm a big fan of Billy's, loved him on All my children, even tried to watch The Young and the restless for him. He had a short lived roll on Ringer, and was fantastic. I'm looking forward to him becoming a big movie or television star, because he deserves it. He can play intense like so few can, almost as good as James Scott (EJ DiMera) on Days of our lives. Don't let the soap opera star title fool you, these guys are better than A-list movie stars. Billy doesn't let me down here. He plays Gabe in such a horridly good way. You hate Gabe so much and you feel like beating your fist against something hard while watching, but you can't stop watching.

The story of the Honeymoon killer an Alabama man who brought his wife to the Great Barrier Reef to dive on their honeymoon and she drowned. Did he murder her?

There are some only could be true life twists and turns and ambiguity in the story which makes it compelling.

The main leads are believable not too famous or glamorous but pleasant looking. The big name cast member is Harvey Keitel who looks a lot older than of late but acts movingly.

The story is quite well filmed but jumps back and forth a bit too much - a more chronological telling would have made things more tense and clearer.

Worth a watch.

Fatal Honeymoon (TV movie 2012) 6 out of 10 stars

BASIC PLOT: Christina "Tina" Thomas (Amber Clayton) has fallen for the wrong man. David Gabriel "Gabe" Watson (Billy Miller) is an arrogant, manipulative man child, everyone can see it EXCEPT Tina. Her father, Tommy Thomas (Harvey Keitel) tries desperately to warn her about Gabe, but to no avail. After much turmoil, Gabe & Tina get married. Gabe believes Tina has changed a sizable life insurance policy over to him, when they head to Australia to scuba dive on their honeymoon.

After many protestations by Tina about her lack of skill at scuba diving, and her unease at doing such a skilled dive while still a novice, Gabe at best doesn't listen to Tina, and at worst bullies her into doing something she's not comfortable with. Either way, her distress goes unheard and unheeded by her new husband. Tina dies due to Gabe's negligence. What's unknown is whether it was intentional, or not. Her father believes it was intentional, and fights for justice for his slain daughter.

WHAT WORKS: *BILLY MILLER (RIP) PLAYS HIS ROLE TO PERFECTION. Billy Miller fully captures a sociopath, trapped in his glory days, plotting & scheming his way out of a murder charge.

*FOR A MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE, THIS GETS A LOT RIGHT They even found a matching wedding dress, to the one the real Tina wore. Someone took the time to get the details right, and it adds to the overall believability of the movie.

*HARVEY KEITEL DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB AS "TOMMY THOMAS" I know we would all expect him to do a good job, but he doesn't just phone in his role. Grieving is the hardest things for an actor to get right, and the scene where "Tommy" (Harvey Keitel) gets the news his daughter is dead, brought tears to my eyes.

*BEAUTIFULLY DEMONSTRATES HOW SMART WOMEN CAN BE LED ASTRAY BY CONNIVING MEN This movie could be a cautionary tale for women, who think they can change men for the better, or that they'll one day grow up.

*CINEMATOGRAPHY & DIRECTING IS TOP NOTCH Movies should be a series of descriptive stills, that unfold the story. You should be able to break down any shot into a still photo, and understand what's happening, without audio. This movie accomplishes this, and more. There are also some captivating shots of Australia. Kudos to Nadia Tass (director) & David Parker (cinematographer).

*BRILLIANTLY SHOWS HOW A SOCIOPATH THINKS Gabe (Billy Miller) sees Tina (Amber Clayton) as property, therefore, her leaving him is not an option. Instead, when she tries, he feels the need to punish her, and reward himself. This movie shows these steps, and we (the omnipotent viewer) see Tina hurtling towards disaster.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *WHERE ARE THE SOUTHERN ACCENTS? The only person who even attempts one (maybe because he's the only one who could pull it off) is Harvey Keitel.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *I would definitely recommend "Fatal Honeymoon" to fans of movies based on true events. This movie goes out of it's way to get the details right. Even if you're not interested in the real case (I had never heard about it the first time I watched this movie), the movie is still sincere and impactful. The script (written by Mac Gudgeon & Teena Booth) adds a layer of veracity, not seen in most made-for-tv films. The performances are compelling and sincere, making this a heartfelt retelling of actual events.

CLOSING NOTES: *This is a made-for-tv movie, please keep that in mind before you watch/rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.