Marché de dupes

Being a fan of Victoria Pratt, a solid but underrated Canadian actress, I had been waiting for some time to see this one and wasn't sure what to expect. I had not watched many Lifetime movies, and was used to seeing Vicky in things like Mutant X, which seems miles away from a TV legal thriller.

Although I expected Pratt to be strong, I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by this film. It kept my interest throughout and had some decent performances besides Vicky's conflicted defense attorney. Vince Spano was solid and William B. Davis did not disappoint, bringing his "Cigarette Smoking Man" vibe to several scenes.

In addition, the story was fun, fairly taut and kept me guessing until the end, although a few of the kissy-kissy moments were a tad sticky sweet, but I suppose that was to be expected given the network. Overall, there are certainly worse ways to spend two hours. I give it a 6 which, for me, is a pretty good grade.

I hope this serves as a nice springboard for Vicky into her new TV series "Daybreak" which debuts on ABC in November.

Victoria Pratt delivers a stunningly true performance in this thriller which demonstrates that she is a first class actress to be reckoned with. Was she wasted doing all those sci fi series? Was her latent talent prevoiusly unexploited? Perhaps it doesn't matter if she continues to get the dramatic material that this project offers. In "Fatal Flaw" she reveals that she gets better with age like fine wine. Hopefully "Day Break" her new series on ABC will show case her talent like this movie. Performances from Bill Davis and Chris Kramer also shine in this intelligent and well directed picture. Well worth watching.

The movie begins with a look at the Chicago skyline, in particular the Wrigley Building, along with some really nice jazz music. Not smooth jazz, which is used a few times in the movie, but real jazz. With a couple of exceptions, such as in a club that plays what I guess would be called blues-rock, the music in this movie is quite good--either jazz, generic smooth jazz background music, or the standard classical-style movie background music.

Then we see a couple in bed together. The woman is beautiful, blonde and apparently tied to the bed. She seems happy, though. Then there is a murder. We see the man who did it.

Laney Hennessy is shown in court, winning yet another case. She used to work in the state's attorney's office prosecuting cases, and Richard O'Brien would like her back. As a defense attorney, Laney makes his job harder.

Later, Laney and her law partner Brooke wear Mariah Carey awards show dresses to a formal event. Brooke's dress at least has sleeves, but fortunately (for some of us; I need to remember mostly women watch these movies), Laney's does not. Later, it's a shame Chicago is so cold this time of year, because Laney and Brooke go running together.

Robert, a successful businessman, asks Lacey to marry him. But then he is arrested, the prime suspect in the murder of Alderman Adam Sutton. Naturally, Laney wants to defend him. She believes he is innocent, but as the movie progresses she finds out details about his business activities that suggest she may be wrong. O'Brien is quite convinced he has the right man and makes Laney's life very difficult. Even Brooke has her doubts, because this affects her too. Will Laney drop the case and let another attorney represent Robert? Will she plead? If not, will she get him off?

It's all quite exciting, and the lead actors do a very good job. So many obstacles are thrown in Laney's path. The press act like vultures. So many people are lying, and there are other murders. But she's quite determined.

This movie is really worth seeing. I wouldn't have minded seeing this character get a series.