Detective

not a bad movie. just not a good one. it is tolerable, the kind of movie you will end up watching if you are sick in bed and can't find the remote. it's a "movie of the week" paced like a mini-series event scheduled during sweeps. Tom Berenger is good (as he always is) and Cybill Shepherd is, well, Cybill Shepherd. Annabeth Gish is totally wasted. She seems to actually be absent through most of her performance except for the occasional shrill outburst towards the end. You can't really blame the actors because the real flaw is the story line and script: back-to-back pointless and clichéd conversations that do nothing to move the plot along.

It took many hours to get through this predictable detective story. With a strong heavy weight cast, it still seems endless with many scenes that were just too long. Is this the writing? Directing? Or acting? Tom Berenger in the lead role as the detective out to solve the crimes, seemed to be going around in a daze, not sure what was happening around him. When he is faced with truths, his face doesn't change expression. I usually like this actor, but not in this. Cybill Shepherd wasted in a thankless role as the wife he left behind. Not much for her to do. Too bad. More of her could have made the story at least exciting. Annabeth Gish, just was bad casting. Not much going on there. One expression throughout the movie. No one cared. Veteran Charles Durning also wasted in a nothing role. Don't see much of him. Sean O'Bryan and David Atkinson, to this viewer turned in the most interesting and challenging roles. Good acting and energy sadly lacking from the others. But, please a four hour movie? It has to have something to hold interest. I welcomed the commercials just to get a break.

As usual with many movies, the "Sound Engineers" on this film should never work again. There was "background music and sound effects" where none should be and it was much too loud covering up the actors.

It is amazing the level of actors that stooped to act in this badly written movie. The plot idea has value, but 1. the dialogues were terrible, and 2. the audio production was horrible with background music almost drowning out the actors. Interesting concept, but be prepared to be disappointed.

Being a Tom Berenger fan for many years, I purchased the DVD and enjoyed this "made from TV" movie a lot. Tom can play any role and was excellent as the conflicted man faced with ethical and personal problems. Scenes with Cybill Shepard and the marriage counselor rang true to me, as did those involving the priest-detective dilemma of this man's life. There was more to ponder in the story than just the murder mystery. The supporting cast, overall, was well chosen and the performances satisfying. This was one of those motion picture treatmentsof a novel which caused me to make plans to read Arthur Hailey's book. All in all, my impression of this movie is positive and I hope that you, the reader of this review, will give it a try.