AMISH STUD: THE ELI WEAVER STORY
6 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 2min
BASIC PLOT:
Eli Weaver (
Luke Macfarlane) is a narcissistic Amish man, who thinks the world owes him a good time. He doesn't abide by Amish law, and often uses vehicles, cell phones, and other forbidden items. He also fancies himself a ladies man, cheating on his wife Barbara (
Miranda MacDougall) and even using and online dating site, where his handle is "The Amish Stud".
Eventually, he grows tired of his wife and children, and begins soliciting murder from his many girlfriends. Only one is amenable, a
taxi driver named, Barb Raber (
Kirsten Vangsness). Eli wants her to kill his whole family, but Barb only agrees to murder his wife.
Detective Bruce London (
Brent Stait) and Detective Michael Maxwell (
Mark Krysko) are assigned to Barbara Weaver's case. Can they uncover the dark underbelly of the Amish community in time to get justice for Barbara's sister (
Clare Filipow), and children (
Ryder Miller,
Lilliana Rose Nekrash)?
WHAT WORKS:
*BEAUTIFUL CINEMATOGRAPHY AND DIRECTION This movie uses the lovely Amish countryside as a backdrop, and it does it well. All the shots are well framed, and set the mood. Excellent job by
Stacey N. Harding (director) and
Jimmy Wu (cinematographer).
*LOVELY COVER ART
That's a rarity for TV movies these days, and deserves a mention. I wish I could give credit to the artist, but it's impossible to find.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*PACING IS A BIT SLOW AROUND THE HOUR MARK
It's not a huge mistake, but a minor hitch.
*BARB ASKS FOR A LAWYER, BUT THE DETECTIVES QUESTION HER ANYWAY This is a clear violation of her constitutional rights. Anything she did say, would be thrown out, since they did not get her a lawyer when she requested one.
*ELI TESTIFIES "BARB SHOT MY WIFE." This would be objected to by Barb's lawyer. Eli had left the house by the time his wife was shot. He could testify to the planning of the murder, to his leaving the door open for Barb, but not to the actual shooting. He had no direct knowledge, and therefore it would just be his supposition.
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:
*I would definitely recommend this film to fans of made-for-tv movies, movies based on true events, and fans of Luke Macfarlane and Kirsten Vangsness. It's a great time waster, and a beautiful piece of filmmaking.
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.
