Very good suspenseful doomed romance with fatal complications. It starts off as a creepy older guy/younger girl affair, and ends up with a bit of a body count.
Usually films of this type degenerate into stalking simple-minded revenge plots, but here the unfortunate infatuation of the doctor and his friend's daughter, which does reach a brick wall when she's murdered, immediately shifts into noir territory. The romance itself is quite believable because both the girl's amped-up crush and the doctor's vulnerable state-- triggered perhaps his wife's on the verge of giving birth--though stereotypical, play out with sensitivity.
Instead of a lynch mob mentality automatically blaming the ex-boyfriend, he's pretty much exonerated from her murder right away. Interestingly, the doctor has deeply implicated himself even though he's only guilty of not looking out for her.
That's doubly ironic, because his over-attention to her in effect resulted in his backing off just when he should've been there for him. The pool guy is a great red-herring character; he clearly suspects what the doc is up to with the girl, but nothing ever comes of it.
The green jacket (bit of evidence) we think must be the doc's, but, very unexpectedly, it belongs to the ex-boyfriend's dad. That revelation leads to the surprising climax car chase; but it's the scene between the two suspects, which immediately preceeds the vengeful chase, that's a fine bit of high-stakes bargaining with the devil.
Both guys are morally compromised, but the attorney is the murderer; even so, it's clear that he never intended to kill her. I sort of wished that they would indeed reach an agreement, as I had a few shreds of sympathy for him.
But he turns out to be a complete loose-cannon. Another strange element is the newspaper guy's accidental death. The videotape incriminating the doctor seems to be the ultimate bloody red flag; when he burns it, we're left thinking that it's not the end of it, but it is.
The good performances really make this work. All the essentials are there for a Hallmark movie, but this transcends melodrama. Very rewarding viewing experience.
Usually films of this type degenerate into stalking simple-minded revenge plots, but here the unfortunate infatuation of the doctor and his friend's daughter, which does reach a brick wall when she's murdered, immediately shifts into noir territory. The romance itself is quite believable because both the girl's amped-up crush and the doctor's vulnerable state-- triggered perhaps his wife's on the verge of giving birth--though stereotypical, play out with sensitivity.
Instead of a lynch mob mentality automatically blaming the ex-boyfriend, he's pretty much exonerated from her murder right away. Interestingly, the doctor has deeply implicated himself even though he's only guilty of not looking out for her.
That's doubly ironic, because his over-attention to her in effect resulted in his backing off just when he should've been there for him. The pool guy is a great red-herring character; he clearly suspects what the doc is up to with the girl, but nothing ever comes of it.
The green jacket (bit of evidence) we think must be the doc's, but, very unexpectedly, it belongs to the ex-boyfriend's dad. That revelation leads to the surprising climax car chase; but it's the scene between the two suspects, which immediately preceeds the vengeful chase, that's a fine bit of high-stakes bargaining with the devil.
Both guys are morally compromised, but the attorney is the murderer; even so, it's clear that he never intended to kill her. I sort of wished that they would indeed reach an agreement, as I had a few shreds of sympathy for him.
But he turns out to be a complete loose-cannon. Another strange element is the newspaper guy's accidental death. The videotape incriminating the doctor seems to be the ultimate bloody red flag; when he burns it, we're left thinking that it's not the end of it, but it is.
The good performances really make this work. All the essentials are there for a Hallmark movie, but this transcends melodrama. Very rewarding viewing experience.