Torn Apart

"Torn Apart" is one of the worse films I have watched in a very long time. Leading parts are played by Tia Carrere ("Relic Hunter") and Richard Burgi ("Desperate Housewives"), but the most focus is on Carrere's character Vicki Westin who's a surgeon and married to Billy Westin (Burgi).

The plot goes like this: a mysterious man kidnaps both husband and daughter, Vicki turns desperate and with no prior build up in the plot (apart of course from being a desperate mom and wife) she becomes some sort of heroic action character with quite a lot determination and of course a rather big gun; the only real surprise in the film is that she actually doesn't get to use it.

The thrills are lagging and the plot is unsupported. The acting is horrific. Carrere was actually putting up a better performance in the "Relic Hunter" series which does tell a lot. But as I said the characters are shallow, feelings of any type is exaggerated and what is worse: Carrere's character lags unity.

Tia Carrere is still so hot that I could watch her reading the phone book for two hours. "Torn Apart", while far from a great thriller, is at least a little more interesting than the above option. The film follows the race-against-the-clock formula pretty faithfully, but makes the choice (arguably a mistake) of revealing the identity of the killer/kidnapper far too soon, putting the audience ahead of the heroine. Actually, the way SHE eventually discovers his identity is pretty straightforward, and based on easily found records, which makes you wonder why the police couldn't have made the appropriate connections earlier. Tia's role here - a doctor - doesn't give her many chances for "Relic Hunter"-type action, but still, when she finally confronts the kidnapper, she is pretty ferocious. Speaking of the kidnapper, the guy is at his most threatening when he speaks on the phone; his outbursts of anger are ineffective. ** out of 4.

While "Torn Apart" by no means is a top notch thriller, then it is still an entertaining enough movie for what it was. It didn't really hold any thrills or surprises, and it was quite predictable.

The story is about doctor Vicki Westin who finds her husband and daughter missing. A strange phone call informs her that she has 48 hours to decide who will live and who will die.

The acting in "Torn Apart" was good, given the script and material the actors and actresses had to work with. Tia Carrere did a nice job in carrying the movie most of the way.

If you enjoy thrillers then there are far better choices available. But if you are a fan of Tia Carrere then you might find some greater enjoyment in "Torn Apart".

I think that "Torn Apart" is the type of movie that you watch once and never again. It just doesn't have enough contents or leverage to support multiple viewings. For a TV movie, then "Torn Apart" is adequate entertainment for what premises it had.

I just sent my wife to rent a movie, since it has been me renting the movies lately. Unfortunately, she picked up this movie for us to enjoy this evening.

It's not hard to say that I regret that decision. This is one of the bottom 5 films I have EVER seen.

Lousy cast, lousy script, lousy filming. My biggest mistake was watching the whole movie. 1,5 hour lost of my life, that could be used for something more useful...

Nothing, Nothing, Absolutely nothing is good in this movie. Do not rent it! Do not buy it!

Don't do the same mistake as I did, pick the movies yourself, don't let your wife do it....

The only purpose this piece of fluff serves is filling up TV airtime. Well, that and putting some easy money in the pocket of third-tier actress Tia Carrere.

I came across this while flipping through channels with nothing on (of course) worth watching. Tia Carrere is a Grade A you-know-what in "Torn Apart". She's a doctor, supposedly, but seems much more interested in traipsing around in power suits while snarling at everyone. Anyway, the ludicrous plot involves the fact that one of her prior patients died on the operating table and the deceased happens to have a ticked off relative. Said relative actually kidnaps the doctor's husband and daughter. Dr. Vicki Westin (Carrere) is informed that she has to make a decision: Choose which one gets to live and which one has to die. Ohhhhh! That's a good one that I've never, ever seen before in a film.

This was on the Lifetime Channel and perhaps this type of film plays much better to their target audience. You know, the type of viewer who fantasizes about being a doctor, having a perfect married life and is given the opportunity to kick the ass of some bad guys. Without giving it away, I guarantee you that the ending is both disgustingly predictable and 100% unbelievable. If there isn't anything worth showing then I think some of these TV channels should just close up shop. 1/10