User reviews

The story has been done repeatedly. Innocent young girl who is homeless and hungry is suddenly befriended by a good looking and generous man who blindly brings the young girl home for initial grooming and then turns her in to a prostitute. The pimp gets arrested and jailed and when he gets out he seeks vengeance on the undercover cop and his "ho".

I would say this adaptation of the prostitute who turns her life around is a pretty good story mainly because of the good performances by the three (3) lead actors Emmanuelle Vaugier, Bruce Ramsay, and George Newbern.

I would recommend this film as a decent drama/thriller with good acting and a decent story line.

Prostitute Carolyn 'Angie' Owens is recruited by undercover cop Kimberly in a sting against her pimps, Jake and Duane. Duane is killed and Jake is arrested. Eleven years later, Carolyn (Emmanuelle Vaugier) is married to politician Andy in Spokane, Washington. Jake is released from prison and blackmails her.

This is all rather Lifetimey. The production is second tier. The story needs more tension and the pacing has too much filler. While Vaugier is top shelf, nobody else is at that level. It needs to be stylistically darker but it is only a TV movie.

Carolyn is the best caterer in Spokane, Washington (or one of its suburbs; we never really are told). Her husband Andy is running for Senate (but is it U.S. or state?), and judging from how nice his office is, he must be doing well in his job. Another sign the couple is doing well: 12-year-old Josh and his younger sister Amanda go to Gilmore Academy. They're not doing all this on Carolyn's salary, judging from comments made about how new her business is.

Jake is out of prison after 12 years. He was Angie's boyfriend and pimp in New York City, and he has tracked Angie down even though her name is now Carolyn. He wants enough money to go straight, plus revenge because Angie got her brother Dwayne killed. If he doesn't get what he wants, Jake will tell Andy about her secret past as a prostitute ... or worse.

Also, Angie's former best friend Kim is dead, and while police think it was a suicide, there is evidence she was murdered. The murder was, in fact, the first thing we saw.

Flashbacks to Angie's past life are shown. Angie was somehow reduced to begging on the street, and that's how Nick found her and rescued her.

Bruce Ramsay does a very good job as the man who is blackmailing Carolyn. And Nick Mancuso does very well as a major crime figure who Jake owes in a big way. He seems suave, sophisticated and even kind, but when he doesn't get what he wants, watch out.

But Emmanuelle Vaugier gives the best performance of all. I say that because Carolyn clearly doesn't want to do what Jake demands, and yet Carolyn totally convinces us that she is happy and even enthusiastic in her actions as she works hard and suffers through indignities to protect her family.

The kids are quite good too, but kids shouldn't watch just because of them.

It's really worth seeing.