mraculeated
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Nicole
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
darkavenger77
This is a subpar regular movie, and contains enough stupidity to make it an above average Lifetime movie.The formulaic characters are present: Lifetime Heroine™ (LH): Erin, the mobsters wife kinda-sorta-in witness protection.Lifetime Psycho™ (LP): Jimmy/Warren, the mobster.The daughter is almost too young to be a Rebellious Teen™ (RT), but this changes halfway in.It has not one but two Guys Perpetually in Need of a Shave (GPNS): The FBI "Agent" Rolands (who wears a city police badge), who I'll call GPNS1, and Erin's new husband Levon, who could not be troubled to shave for his own wedding. He's GPNS2.As the other review noted, the plot was given away in the first few minutes. His comment aboot the music was spot on as well, and now that I'm watching it since that was pointed out it is twice as bad.The LH gave up the LP to the "DA", a double error in that a federal case would be prosecuted by the US Attorney, and Illinois has State's Attorneys, not District Attorneys.Fast forward to 10 years later and the LH is living in California and newly remarried to the GPNS2. We see early on that the GPNS1 is corrupt. It was clear he was going to be ganked in short order. He asks the LP for $250K, which is far less than he'd have as an FBI agent upon retirement. He like many Lifetime characters is just too dumb to live. He tells the LP he does not trust him and then lets the LP stand behind him while he counts money. The LP ganks him by putting him in a chokehold and then stabbing him in his chest while he was on the ground. Body count: 1.The LH has figured out who the LP really is, in one of many plot holes she had called and spoken to the GPNS1 aboot her suspicions. He had told her years back he would not know where she was, yet she was in contact with him and he was in her "California" town. BTW, this "California" town has a store with a British Columbia area code, eh? Aboot halfway through the movie Becky turns into a RT, arguing with the LH, so another trope character is fulfilled. The LP has been messaging her pretending to be a school kid and then comes out and tells her he is her real dad. I forgot to mention the LP is dating the LH's friend and the GPNS2's sister Katrin, who is the visual high point of the movie and the only likable character.Foreshadowing reveals the GPNS2 has a gun next to their bed. I bet it comes into play when the LH is in jeopardy at the end. Yet another plothole takes place when they allow the LP to wire up a camera system for security.Just before the 30 minute remaining ad break I realized the female in jeopardy moment for the RT cannot come fast enough. She disbelieves her mom when she speaks aboot how bad her "real" dad was, even though she was too young to remember him. She of course now hates the LH. There's also a lot of stress on the new marriage, as the LH spills to the GPNS2 aboot her true identity, eh? In plothole #83 (or so) the detective tells Erin she does not have probable cause to do anything. If she worked anywhere bu the Lifetime PD, she'd know about things like search warrants for DNA- which is the main plothole of the movie- even in 2005 DNA would have been used in a high profile case to ID or exclude the body.The LP gives Detective Incompetent an Illinois driver license marked TVDL and with a signature in a different name. She completely misses both of these. A fingerprint scan convinces her Warren is clean. The LH has had enough.The LP picks up the RT from her school. The LH becomes ultra argumentative. Maybe all three will be ganked at the end, eh? Things are looking up as the LH arms herself with the GPNS2's gun.The LP has the RT at his soon to be winery and goes to get his phone. Detective Incompetent again proves her bra size is larger than her IQ as she arrives and walks right past the open building where the LP is standing. He steps out behind her and knocks her out. That was a laugh out loud moment and a +1 Lifetime point.In the final 8 minutes we get some action. The LH arrives and sends the RT to her car. She then whacks the LP with a convenient piece of wood, knocking him down. Of course, instead of checking to see if he had a gun or knocking him out with a second hit, she runs away and tries to get the RT to go with her. After more arguing the RT leaves, and the LH pulls the gun on the LP. As is customary, lots of talking and no shooting. The LH runs off into the vineyard, and now the LP has pulled as well. After a rather boring vineyard pursuit, the LH gets the drop on the LP, and in a change up ending, he grabs her gun causing it to fire into his abdomen. Body count: 2. In a quasi-sunny day ending (at least as sunny as it gets in BC Candada, eh?) everyone has made up.Real movie score: 1/10 (higher is better). Lifetime movie score: 8/10 (higher is stupider).
Ed-Shullivan
I just cannot stand films that rely on an irritating and constant music score to create suspense when the actual films suspense is non- existent because the plot is so predictable. I have never, and I mean never, seen a film which gives away their own ending and spoils any mystery within the very first five minutes as the Reluctant Witness achieved. The lead actress Mia Kirshner plays Erin Villeneuve but that is only her fake identity name that the FBI gives her since they placed her in their witness protection program. You see Erin is actually Melissa Kirk who provides sufficient evidence to put her real husband Chicago gangster Jimmy Kirk away for good. Within the first five minutes of the film Erin and her brand new husband nice guy and a totally in the dark dummy named Levon Villeneuve (played by Bruce Ramsay) at their wedding are introduced to Levon's sister's Katrin new boyfriend named Warren Cooper who just happens to be a born and bred Chicago boy who immediately asks Erin if she has ever been to Chicago. Duhhhhh?The movie was all downhill from here and as I am a sucker for seeing a film through to the bitter end the film could not have disappointed me any more than by giving away the entire plot within the first five minutes. To add insult to injury Erin has a daughter named Becky who is swayed by the evil-doer dumb dumb of a dad Warren who convinces Becky that they are going to be a family again, even though Erin just got re-married. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree eh?So the music score valiantly tries to add suspense while we the audience are left to imagine who Erin (alias for Melissa) will choose to be with. There is absolutely no value to this film and as such I rate it the minimum 1 out of 10.Plain awful 1/10
