Criminal Intent (2005)

Sadly Over-hyped

Great Film overall

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Checked the previous seven comments here as this flick was beginning. Frankly, reading them was as interesting as watching the film. Where there are a great number of comments, you expect them to be diverse, and even with a few, usually somebody loves the move, someone else hates it, etc.However, among the few here, comments ranged from those who seemed to feel the story, plot and performances were reminiscent of Hitchcock's best, to those who seemed to place it at the bottom end of the frequently mediocre "Lifetime" fare. Descriptions of the plot seemed to vary from feeling it was completely clever and suspenseful to totally banal.One individual cited that this presentation was filmed in 12 days. I didn't see anything to confirm this, but he seemed certain, and the level of the performances (including that of the usually excellent Linda Purl), seemed to confirm this. With D. A. Purl turning 50 at time of filming, and defense lawyer Vanessa Angel near 40, both were years senior to the male leads, David Palffy at 35, and Sebastian Spence about a year older. At her age, Angel looks as though she may surpass Joan Rivers in terms of Botox applications long before she reaches the latter's advanced age.I've come to believe that a major reason for producing these "Lifetime" presentations is to assist in supporting Canada's economy, since most of them seem to be shot there, usually in either Vancouver (as this flick was) or Toronto. I suppose which site is utilized depends on background needed for the particular story, but primarily whether cast and crew are more West Coast or East.Actually, after viewing the film myself, I feel that just about all the previous ones commenting had it partially correct. I would give it what amounts to an average of these, as well as the overall "ratings" figure shown on this site..The acting was uninspired, with neither the characters nor the performances particularly engaging. There was something of a "twist," and while somewhat interesting, it seemed to be one which could well be seen coming, and the only possible basis for a "twist," given the dull storyline and equally dull interaction among the lead characters. The ending did involve some knife-wielding, inevitable in most "Lifetime" offerings, but tamer than usual.And when the mid-30-ish treasury guy (Palffy) and the 50-ish D.A. (Purl) made a date to have dinner together, I couldn't help but wonder whether they might discuss a possible romantic future, or perhaps, more likely, her adopting him.

As the plot for a film goes, it was good and gripping. However, as others have commented, with the exception of a few, the acting was not exactly master-class. In particular, Vanessa Angel - is she really a professional actress ? or did she do it for a dare, and as for the wig she was wearing ............. Linda Purl certainly held the film together, and did her best with a script that could have been a bit more "meatier". I felt the camera angles were "interesting" at times, and thought the cameraman was attempting to speed things up a bit with his whizzing around the room moments. Overall, the plot made for good watching, but could have been made even better with a superior cast list.

Not a bad film considering the limited budget and the 12 day shoot schedule. However,more attention should have been taken with the script regarding dialogue,scene development and pace. The actors did a fine job with what they were given.The Treasury Agent was good but the scenes between the DA and the Treasury Agent could've been stronger as they were undermined by too much linear exposition. Better dialogue would 've ensured stronger moments with which to develop their case against the Accused. The scenes between the Accused and the Defence lawyer seemed a little contrived and more care was needed to develop their relationship after his release. Again,not a bad film considering the limitations that are apparent with a small budget.

I am biased because I happen to love anything Linda Purl is in, but this movie really is not too bad! Linda Purl has the lead role, she's a strong woman typical to what "Lifetime" tries to portray women as. She was great in her role. This movie had a very unexpected twist which was good. With many movies you can see a twist coming, with this movie it was very surprising. But, after a twist such as this, one expects the movie to end not too long after, and this movie seemed to drag out a little too long after the reveal. I don't think the actors should be blamed for this though. The casting was pretty good, the actors were believable in their roles. The camera shots and fades from one scene to another keep your attention. Overall I think you will enjoy this movie.