Instincts criminels

Decided to view this 2001 film on Lifetime and hoped to view a film that would hold my interest as it was suppose to be a murder mystery. Wendy Crewson,(Joanne Kilbourn),"Perfect Pie",'2002, lost her husband and the story went in all kinds of different directions involving all kinds of characters and everyone was investigated by Victor Garber(Insp.Philip Millard),"External Affairs",'99, who was a friend of Wendy Crewson and a partner on the police department. The plot of the story went in so many directions, I found myself getting lost until the film finally ended. Everyone involved in this story had some very deep dark secrets and all had good reason to be a suspect. Wendy Crewson and Philip Millard finally put some brief romance into the story and I was very glad the film came to and END.

We have come to expect an enjoyable ride in this series,and this film is no exception. The path the movie leads us down takes many twists and turns before arriving at the long awaited answer to the question of who killed Joanne Kilborn's husband, Ian. Again, the audience embraces the character of Joanne because of the incredible acting skills of Wendy Crewson, who conveys all the mixed emotions of a widow who is desperate for answers, but afraid of what she will find in her search. Ms. Crewson just keeps getting better and better, as she continues to "flesh out" this fictional character, making us all believe she could exist as the "neighbor next door".

There are a lot of pokers in the fire in this story of political corruption, which makes for an interesting film.

Six years ago, Peter Kilbourn was murdered by the side of the road. Finally, the case is reopened when an alibi recants his statement and admits that the main suspect in the case had committed the crime. Kevin Tarpley is arrested. All throughout the interrogation he apologises but never revokes his innocence in the murder. However, when he is being transferred Tarpley is shot and killed by a sniper, making Joanne Kilbourn (Crewson) suspect ulterior motives, so she sets about tracking down Tarpley's murder in the hopes of resolving her husband's. This is the beginning of a complicated, though well structured and nicely interwoven, story where everyone could be a suspect and possible murderer.

For the most part, Turner does an okay job with the direction. Opting for a standard style so as to let the story speak for itself. It would have been nice to have a few interesting camera pans instead of the usual kind. The pace is steady as well. Once again this is okay for this type of story, but a few peaks of tension wouldn't have gone amiss.

All of the actors and actresses did well in their portrayals of their characters, though a couple did stand out for me. Kari Matchett makes a really good bad girl - I'd love to see her in more tough girl roles. Robin Dunne, who would've been put to good use in a few more scenes, had a presence and his slightly comedic character helped to lift the mood of the film and stop it feeling stale. When these two were on screen the film skipped up a notch. That said, none of the other actors and actresses was anywhere near bad; even the smaller parts were interesting. I particularly liked the Hair Dresser and the School Principal.

However, it is the story that carries the film and as such makes the reveal hard to solve. This is why, I would recommend this to all Mystery & Thriller Lovers, Armchair Detectives, and Whodunnit Pundits. This is a political conspiracy I challenge you to solve.