Interesteg What makes it different from others?

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

medic249a2 I first saw this little gem in 1994 when it came out on TV. After finding it on Amazon under the title 'Stalking Laura', I read about the true story surrounding the events of this movie. Richard Thomas is brilliantly convincing as the psychopathic, unstable Richard Farley (though he looks nothing like the real Richard Farley). His performance as Farley shatters the wholesome image most people remember him for, as 'John-Boy' in 'The Waltons'. Brooke Shields is somewhat effective as his victim Laura Black; she is not a weak-kneed, helpless victim. She fights back against his harassment, first through the company, and then through the courts. For those not familiar with the story, here's a little about it.Richard Farley is a software engineer for KEI, a Silicon Valley technical defense contractor. Laura Black is a new graduate from UC Davis who is starting work there. On her first day she meets Farley innocently while being orientated by Chris, her supervisor. Farley asks her out, and Laura turns him down. But Farley will not take NO for an answer & begins showing up everywhere - at her aerobics classes, while she is filling her car, even taunting her at company softball games. He also employs tricks to get her address, and breaks into her office to see her application for security clearance & finds out the names & locations of her family. When Laura continues to spurn him, he threatens to go after her sisters or mother. Laura goes to the company's HR division, who initially do not take her seriously until Farley threatens Laura while she is out with her girlfriends. Farley subsequently threatens the HR people & is fired. But that does not stop the harassment and Laura is forced to turn to the courts for a restraint order (as it is holding her back at work). Unfortunately, it turns out to be the trigger that sends Farley over the top. He marches into his old workplace carrying an armory of guns & ammunition, and savagely murders 7 former co-workers. Though she is wounded, Laura manages to escape, and Farley eventually surrenders after speaking to a hostage negotiator. He is now on death row in San Quentin.This movie parallels quite closely the events of the actual case. Most of the scenes in the movie are ones that actually occurred, including Farley's threats to the HR people and the horrifying mass-murder at his old firm. Overall, a very well-made TV movie, much better than most of the TV movies popular in the 1990s.

bobobrazil-1 "Stalking Laura" is the feel good romantic comedy of the year that's finally available on DVD. Richard Thomas stars as our shy, misunderstood hero Richard Farley who's determined to win the heart of a cold, career minded co-worker (Laura Black) portrayed with bitchy hilariousness by Brooke Shields. Determined to win her love despite the objections of an overzealous and litigious HR representative, clueless bosses and Laura's wacky best friend, who all try their best to prevent the unlikely interoffice romance, a cute office game of "Cowboys and Indians" shows just how far Richard will go to win Laura's cold heart.I can't think of a better way to spend a chilly Tuesday night, than to curl up on my sofa with a Togo's #23 sandwich (it's the best) and a quart sized diet cola (extra ice, I like to chew on the ice) and my copy of "Stalking Laura". If I could give this movie and 11 I would, but take my word for it, I CAN make you love Stalking Laura.

wrudd Richard Thomas is so good in this part it's scary. The first time I saw this I thought, he can't be that good an actor, he must be a maniac in real life. He does a very effective job, playing a techno geek who becomes obsessed with a coworker. He takes it from being just an annoying pest through the stalker stage, into the full blown maniac stage. Even when he is walking around with a shot gun he is very believable. No Rambo type violence, just a seemingly normal person who happens to be treating life like a video game. It is disturbing and you ask yourself, what would you tell your daughter or friend to do in that type of situation. All the legal avenues seem to make it worse. There are no easy answers. It definitely made me want to look into the case this is based on. Thomas was expected to carry the movie and he did. Brooke Shields was perhaps at her best in this part, but the whole movie hinges on if you buy into Thomas as the stalker and it does it quite well!

shanfloyd This reality-inspired TV thriller was never meant to be too suspenseful. Still the story was carrying itself on the shoulders of Richard Thomas. In several places he did pull off nice earnest expressions. Brooke Shields looks gorgeous but her acting is rather too flat. All the other actors were quite awful, I must say.The story got obstructed once the mass murder started. I found the whole situation rather boring and even hilarious the way the filmmakers portrayed it. All the killer-police conversations and that thing about sandwiches got me just tired. The overall screenplay was not entirely impressive. Sorry, I can't rate it more.