False Pretenses

I caught this on the W network the other night and stuck with it because I was such a huge fan of 'La Femme Nikita' back in the day and Peta Wilson plays the vengeful wife here. She spends the movie seeking revenge against a con artist who finagled her husband out of all of their money, an event that later prompts him to commit suicide.

I'll be honest, this is not a great movie even for Lifetime. The acting is okay but it feels kinda choppy and rushed (Wilson's character didn't appear to mourn her husband at all before she hit the road to revenge) and there's also some with super boring parts involving the "Ponzi scheme". There were a couple twists I didn't see coming towards the end but still a very forgettable movie. 02.14.14

I was so pleasantly pleased to be surprised by this movie. I was browsing through harlequin-type romances, and thought I'd give this one a try. Every time I thought I knew which way the tale was turning, it didn't. Instead of romances, the story ended with some nice friendships - the real people you can trust.

This movie should be shown to people on how scams work particularly the one that the movie is referring to. The movie does an excellent job of how the money is move from one phrase of the operation to another phrase in a well-thought, logical fashion that everyone can follow until it comes to the final end where the victims are finally jig out of their money.

The sad thing about this movie is where the local police told the ex-wife that they were not going to do a thing about it because it did not occurred in their area and they have too much crime in their own area to devote the manpower and resources. I guarantee you if someone pull a stunt like that on a law enforcement agency, the cops would spare no effort, time, and resources to bring the criminal to justice because cops do not like being made fools. Sometimes, it seems that the police need to become victims in order to get their butts moving because then they know what it is like to be a victim of white collar crime.

Randy Ackers is happily married to Dianne (Peta Wilson) and living comfortably. He expects easy money from a safe short-term investment, but it's a scam. He loses it all and commits suicide. Dianne leaves California to start anew. Her car breaks down in a small Texas town and she takes a local waitressing job. One day, the con-man shows up at her diner, but he doesn't recognize her with her new hairdo.

I can buy that he doesn't recognize her, but everything else is way too convenient. The cop needs to be hotter and he has a good twist. I like capers but nothing here is that great. I never got into Peta Wilson although she is a hot lady. The smoky voice gets it done. This is nothing more than TV B-material.

No pun intended - because actually not so wise ... when it comes to money they are. Not Yoda I am - just worked out that way, when I started writing the sentence. Sorry I reckon - a little bit at least. Well that is more sorry than the main villain is here - for misshandling the money of our main characters, which leads to all sorts of ... well mayhem, let's call it mayhem.

And something that starts off the journey of Peta Wilsons character. And as coincidence will have it .. she lands somewhere where she can redeem herself ... or find some peace with things that have happened. Well that doesn't sound right either - because it is about resolving things, about putting an end to something that started - without her knowledge.

It is a decent thriller, that is more than predictable though ... still if you like the genre, you might find something you like here .. predictable (twists) included ...