Inganno diabolico

The Maddening is a trashy, low-budget flick with a "big" star. I couldn't figure out why Burt Reynolds would appear in something like this, especially since he's always seemed so vain, I didn't think he'd have it in him to play a "bad guy." Looking back, this was made around the time of his divorce from Loni Anderson and the cancellation of his TV Show, so his star was definitely on the decline at the time. Maybe he needed the money to pay for lawyers? That being said, Burt is one of the few really good things in this film. His understated performance and on-screen charisma kept me watching even when the story and terribly pacing made me want to turn it off.

Unfortunately there's only so much that actors can do with material. This film is paced so poorly, and the story is so one-dimensional (just waiting for all of the characters to converge for the final show-down) that there's little the actors can do to help.