I decided to rent this only because I figured it would be a mildly-exciting venture into direct-to-video land, which I have ventured to many times and found some real gems.
This wasn't one of them.
Theresa Russell plays Emily Russo, an art expert who is restoring some paintings at a church in LA. On her way home one night with her son Sam, carjackers posing as cops attack them, injuring Emily and killing Sam. Distraught, Emily soon finds that she is being suspected of the act, and who she claims attacked them perhaps never did so at all. From there, she goes on the run and undercover to find the men who attacked her, and to find out the all-important answer to why they did it.
Please, don't think that sounds like a good movie.
There is nothing to commend about this movie. All the characters besides Emily are come and go sort of people who you lose track of too easily. Not to say Emily is a great character. Theresa Russell is, well, annoying. (Is it just me, or does her voice sound like she's got a stuffy nose?) There are definitely unintentional laughs in her undercover scenes, with those wigs and clothes. I think when she was pretending to be Mexican may have been the worst scenes in the movie. She has this long dark red wig on, too much makeup, and this tight green slip dress, and once in a while, she breaks into street lingo and an attempted accent. It's painful. The kid who plays her son was mentally retarded, I think, with this permanent stupid look on his face, mostly seen when Emily imagines her son standing across the street, in the next room, in a doorway, etc. The best part of this "plot" is the reason for all of this. Don't read the next paragraph if you don't want to know. (Ooh, I'd hate to ruin the shocking plot twists of this blockbuster hit!)
Some corporation is trying to get rid of the Mexicans in LA, and a sample Emily took from one painting has something to do with that whole plot, I think there was a chemical in it that was involved. I can't remember, but it was something stupid that connected her carjacking to this painfully bad hidden "shock."
Okay, it's safe to read on, but all I really have left to say is that this movie is terrible, from beginning to end, and you won't be missing much if you just keep walking when you see it at the video store. I only wish I did that, but since I didn't, learn from my mistake and move on. You could do so much better....
