'Willed to Kill', is a suspenseful thriller, that is well acted, & scripted for a TV movie of the week.
This movie was engaging, & thanks to the previous reviewer *alannasser*, I did not figure out who the killer was, until the last 15 minutes.
This movie follows Detective Karyn Mitchell, & her pursuit of killers. My one main problem regarding this movie is the main character Karyn has shot 3 serial killers, on her own. This is a bit improbable, but I went with it. I was able to suspend my disbelief about this, because Karyn is well played by Sarah Jane Morris, & so I am able to forgive this improbable bit of scripting.
Karyn is a savvy detective, who chooses to do things on her own, probably stemming from the fact that when she was a teenager, she discovered her father was a serial killer. She eventually turned him in, he went to prison, and was executed. But Karyn never forgave herself, because during her delay in reporting her father, he killed 3 more innocent people.
Now her past motivates her to become the best cop she can be, sometimes even sacrificing her own happiness, so that she can try to protect the innocent from the evil in the world.
Karyn arrives at her latest murder investigation, and it has the calling card of the infamous Hades serial killer from the '90's, who was never caught. Along with her partner, Detective Gavin McNabb, they try to determine if this is the same killer from the past, or just a copycat.
The killer seems to take a special interest in Karyn. He begins calling her, & seems to have access to privileged information, that he has no business knowing. The killer is also sending letters to the local investigative reporter, who also seems to have private knowledge about Karyn. Everywhere Karyn looks, she is surrounded by suspects...
Is it her partner-slash-ex-fiancé, whom she broke up with a year ago? He didn't take the ending of their relationship well, and now feels trapped by another woman he impregnated & feels forced to marry.
Is the Hades killer Dr. Aaron Kade, Karyn's psychiatrist? After she was forced to shoot & kill the last murderer she was after, the department required her to seek professional help. The doctor does seem a bit too inquisitive for her taste, & often says inappropriate things, like comparing her to the serial killers she hunts.
Is it Floyd, the investigative reporter, who always seems to be one step ahead of the police, and shows up at crime scenes before any of the other press? After all, the killer is sending Floyd letters with information that only the killer would know, or is he?
Is it Lieutenant Schneider, who seems to care about Karyn with fatherly concern, but who also removes her from the case, just when she's getting close?
Or is it her new boyfriend, Mark Hanson, who she just conveniently met outside of her gym, even though she's never seen him there before? Mark also installed electronics for 2 of the victims, was captured in a photograph of the crowd outside one of the crime scenes, and shares several of the traits with the Hades Killer. Could it be him?
This movie has good acting, decent writing, nice pacing, and great reveals. It is a SOLID thriller. Even though lots of the plot points are cliché, the acting more than makes up for this. I also wasn't expecting Oscar winning acting/writing from a Lifetime movie of the week. Please, people, stop expecting Oscar/Emmy performances, and you will enjoy these movies so much more.
