An Amish Murder

Don't believe the naysayers. Definitely worth the time watching. Even recommended it to a friend. Definitely enough plot twists to keep you guessing who dunnit. The last 30 minutes was pretty intense.

Another Lifetime Television movie, one out of a dozen, with the same kind of set-up you always get with these kind of movies. I'm just not a fan of these kind of movies, saw too late it was Lifetime production otherwise I would probably not even start watching it. Neve Campbell was the reason I thought it could be good, but the story is just not good enough. The first second I saw the by then unknown killer I knew it was him, it was all too predictable, it's just a cheesy yawny story. The acting is just okay, nothing special or wowing. The background music adds nothing to the suspense, it's that typical mellow piano music you always have with Lifetime Television, I honestly don't get why they do that, it just brings down the quality of any movie they make. It's one of those tv-movies you watch with one eye, when you do your chores, or put on as background sound.

I really enjoyed this one. Not only was it a very good and engaging story, but what I really appreciated most was the excellent direction.

You could tell by the fantastic acting that this director was very sharp and knew exactly how to elicit perfect performances from everyone concerned. The scenes between two of the principles were done so well, especially very sensitive, delicate moments that are usually sledge hammered home with their performances, but in this case were handled beautifully. I know that doesn't really sound like it is that important, but that shows me how talented the director is to bring out the perfect interactions during very touching and tender scenes and with the perfect touch of humour. Which would also be the result of brilliant writing. I cannot emphasize enough how rare that is, particularly in low budget Telefilms.

In addition to all that, the story is a great Crime/Mystery/Thriller which is paced beautifully, completely engaging the audience and keeping them involved in the story and the very realistic and believable characters.

Of course the Amish setting is handled very well too. I really respected the fact that they didn't portray them as some caricatures or superficial extremists, but I felt they did a great job in having them come across as very real, and devoted people which was also done very well.

This reminds me of another great Murder Mystery also set in the Amish community called, 'A Stranger Among Us' (1992) starring Melanie Griffith in a similar role. That film had a much higher budget and was more elaborate, being a full on theatre film. But, this one truly holds its own, in the involving story and execution.

And, if that weren't enough, the cinematography and scenery are absolutely beautiful, also extremely well done.

So, as you can likely tell by now, yes, I really did indeed like and enjoy this movie very much... : ) Because of all the snow, kind of slightly reminded me of Fargo too, just a bit.

An excellent film, extremely well put together, written, acted, and directed. A story that really engages and keeps your interest all the way through. Very highly recommended! I gave it a very solid '7', almost gave it an '8'...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a note as to how I do my reviews... I usually don't repeat the basic plot since almost everyone else does that (Claudio Carvalho is an excellent example of this. He writes about 6 paragraphs of a synopsis, and then adds maybe 2 sentences as an actual review... :/ ) and you can get the basic synopsis from a bunch of other places, to me that is just a waste of time, and I feel honestly doesn't really tell you anything that helpful. So, what I concentrate on in my reviews is hopefully putting across whether I think it is a Good film, or if I think that it is an Entertaining movie and what I feel it's strengths and weaknesses are in the way it is made.

That way, Hopefully it will be of more benefit and actual help to others as to whether I feel it is worth watching (and also perhaps what 'Type' of film it is and what type of people may enjoy it)

My Particular Way of Rating:

5 - Flawed, but perhaps with a little entertainment value here and there for some.

6. A decently passable story maybe worth a watch.

7. A solid film, well made, effective, and entertaining.

And, obviously, you can probably figure out what above and below these would mean... : )

An Amish Murder (2013)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Incredibly good made-for-TV thriller about former Amish woman Kate Kurkholder (Neve Campbell) who left her people only to return years later as a cop in the small town. Her people have turned their back on her but she needs their help when a serial killer appears to have returned to the town killing young girls and a secret from her past might reveal who it is. AN AMISH MURDER actually turned out to be one of the best thrillers I've seen in several years, which is somewhat shocking because a lot of TV movies just don't really do much except try to keep someone entertained for a short time. This film here clearly wanted to do so much more because it gave us a terrific mystery that keeps you guessing, a lot of character development and it also builds up some wonderful tension as everything plays out. I must admit that I thought I had figured out who the killer was by the ten-minute mark but I was completely wrong and all the twists and turns are just so good that one can't help but really be on the edge of their seat as everything plays out. I also thought the film did a good job with the main character's development because we get to see her in her new life but also see what haunts her from her Amish years. I thought the way the film showed the Amish people was quite good and it also managed to make you understand why the family would turn their back on her. There's a second subplot dealing with the woman's relationship with a profiler (Noam Jenkins) who is suffering from his own haunted past. Campbell really turns in one of the best performances of her career because she just adds so much depth to the character. She does a remarkable job showing the various emotions with this character and she's completely believable in the role. Jenkins is also terrific in his role as is C. Thomas Howell who plays the sheriff. Director Stephen Gyllenhaal does a very good job at keeping the film moving at a fast pace and thankfully he really brings a terrific atmosphere as well as some very tense moments. AN AMISH MURDER might have worked even better as a theatrical film since the dark subject matter could have shown more but there's still no question that it's one of the better thrillers in recent years.

Only LMN could take a great concept like an Amish murder investigated by a shunned Amish cop and film it like a romantic LMN Christmas special. I guess they only have one way of treating cinematography and only know one style of background music. I kept waiting for a wounded lost war hero to show up. He would then reclaim his lost love. Next scene the marriage in front of the Christmas tree.

There are famous actors. There are fine performances. Interesting culture clashes.There is such potential for a riveting mystery. In my opinion LMN turned a great concept and story line into romantically filmed pap.