I happened to catch this movie on "Court TV," and the strength of the acting and the script came as a pleasant surprise for me. Often made for television movies leave much to be desired, but this was not the case here.
Although not a big budget picture, the screenwriter and director make good use of flashbacks to build tension for the audience. The scriptwriter and director develop the four lead characters well, and this degree of characterization is another of the assets of the film.
Four college fraternity brothers are involved in an accidental and unintentional killing of a young woman. To cover up the incident, the four bury the woman's body in an isolated area. Years later, one of the friends, Schroder, contacts the others about a proposed land development in the area where the body is buried. By this time, the three of four have gone onto other lives and other careers, hoping that this past incident remains a part of their respective past experiences. One becomes a dentist, while another becomes an assistant district attorney. Schroder's character is an ex-convict, however. The four travel to the isolated area to remove the evidence of the killing. Given the tensions and anxieties of the men, the plotline does not go in a simple, linear fashion.
Since I am faithful viewer of "NYPD Blue," I knew that Rick Schroder would put in an excellent performance. Schroder's character, a menacing villain, is both manipulative and charming.
While watching the film, I kept thinking of Rob Reiner's "Stand by Me," in which a group of boys journey to an isolated, wooded area, to see a dead body of a missing teenager. Both films use the respective journeys and flashbacks to reveal aspects of the main characters (their fears, ambitions, etc.).
Although "What We Did That Night" is a modest film, it is nevertheless very good and deserving of more attention and distribution.
