Joe Reb Moffly came up with an intriguing idea for "Double Edge," aka "Hit Woman," that of having two lookalikes, one an FBI agent, Maggie Dutton (Susan Lucci), the other a hit woman, Carmen Moore (Lucci), play a cat and mouse game with each other. There is an interesting subplot dealing with the fathers of each woman, one a former police office, Maggie's father (Robert Prosky), who lost his job over police brutality and the hit woman's father, who is in a Catholic home under custodial care as a result of a confrontation with a mob leader. Yet another subplot involves rekindling a romance between Maggie and fellow agent, Harry Carter (Robert Urich), her former husband, both trying to apprehend Carmen.
Unfortunately, Moffly and Otis Jones were unable to transfer the story to film in a satisfactory manner. "Double Edge" becomes a muddled, confusing made-for-TV feature, even if an attempt is made at the very end to tie it all together by clarifying the meaning of "Double Edge." Susan Lucci does her best to carry out a demanding role, playing two characters with diametrically opposed personalities yet linked by a common bond. Robert Urich isn't as wooden as usual but then his role is fairly cut and dried. Veteran actor Robert Prosky fits his part just right, not as crotchety as normal. The standout performance is by Wayne "Newman" Knight in a small part as Tommy White, a gun dealer with a warped sense of values.
"Double Edge" is for the undiscriminating thriller fan who enjoys trying to unravel a ball of confusion. This time the subplots make more sense than the main plot, which is difficult to follow.
