Dead Silence (TV Movie 1991) Poster

(1991 TV Movie)

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6/10
There are no absolutes in Law
sol-kay5 April 2006
**SPOILERS** Driving south to Plam Springs to spend Spring Break the three UPNW, University Pacific North West, collage students Zanna Joanie & Sunnie, Renee Estevez Lisanne Falk & Carrie Mitchum, expect to have nothing but a good time in the Pacific Coast town. With Sunnie a top reporter back at her collage newspaper landing a job at the local TV station KLCA channel 8.

Renting a car and getting a bit drunk the girls later take a ride out in the desert with Sunnie behind the wheel. Taking her eyes of the road for just a second, with Zanna and Joani horsing around, Sunnie hits a homeless hitch-hiker who after going thorough the windshield falls to the ground dead. The three girls panic-stricken at what happened and how it would effect their lives, Sunnie already had a DWI conviction, and their future as law students don't do the right thing and report the accident right away to the state police.

The movie "Dead Silence" shows how trying to hide a crime, hit and run, and live without any feelings or consideration for the person that was killed, treating him as if he were just road kill, in the end catches up with those involved. The accident causes more hurt heartbreak and even, in the case of poor and terrified Jaonie, suicide for the girls then if they just turned themselves in and let the chips, and the law, fall where they may. Not that the girls were insensitive toward the poor homeless man they just felt that their future was far more important, since they were alive, then the hitch-hikers, who's life was dead and buried in the empty and broiling desert.

Joanie feeling a bit queasy about the fate of the hitch-hiker, wondering if his body was discovered , goes to the scene of the accident to see if the hitch-hikers body was still there, it wasn't. With the windshield of the car fixed to hide the proof that the car was in an accident it became obvious that it was since it didn't have an ID number on it, the new windshield, which all rented cars have.

Time passes, three months, and eventually the hitch-hikers remains are found by the state police. As they slowly put all the pieces, and bones, together the clues reach all the way up north to the University of the Pacific North West and Joanie Reducci who's paper trail from renting the car, that killed the unfortunate hitch-hiker, lead straight to her dormitory door.

Only Sunnie who had the most to loose, she was employed as a Plam Beach TV reporter, and the person who was driving the car when it hit and killed the hitch-hiker was willing to turn herself in to the police. Zanna not wanting to end up behind bars and lose her chance to be a member of the state bar,that a criminal record would disqualify her from practicing law, tries to manipulate both her friends Sunnie and Joanie into not turning themselves. This cause Joanie to have a serious emotional breakdown that leads to her killing herself by jumping off the roof, of the hotel that she and Zanna were staying at, and into the hotel swimming pool.

Zanna still trying to make a deal with the police to save her freedom and career implicates her best friend Sunnie in the hitch-hikers death even though Sunnie was just about to turn herself in! By Zanna doing that, ratting out Sunnie before she gave herself up, gave the desperate Zanna immunity from prosecution.

With one friend, Joanie, driven to her death and another, Sunnie, facing prison and nothing to look forward to when she gets out Zanna now has all the time in the world to reflect on what she did. By her doing everything to keep from going to the police that lead to her two friends ending up even worse off then the homeless nameless and dead hitch-hiker, that they left in the lonely and inhospitable Western Desert.
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6/10
Excellent underrated film.
paulclaassen16 June 2018
Not to be confused with James Wan's 2007 'Dead Silence', this is the 1991 TV movie about the consequences of one very wrong decision. Great premise and really good acting. The character development was excellent. It was interesting to see how each one's attitude changed as more evidence about the accident surfaced, and how the authorities got closer and closer to the truth. This is definitely a way underrated film.
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Great movie, have been searching this title for years
butlersolar1 May 2004
I'm writing for my husband. For as long as we've been together, 7 years, I've heard the plot from this movie and at least once a year I've searched for it. Despite being a TV movie the plot and twists were riveting. Carrie Mitchum gave a memorable performance, but Lisanne Falk's choice in handling her conscience was a sticking point in the telling of this story. How each character is forced to deal with the situation in her own way and in her chosen career path was a unique storyline that I've personally not seen before or since this movie. Renee Estevez (Martin Sheen's daughter) gives an outstanding performance, great lead in for her role on West Wing. Hope all who watch enjoy. We're looking forward to purchasing it on DVD.
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1/10
Whoa, can you smell that? What a stinker!
McClusky24 July 2003
Good news, folks. I checked, these two screen writers have no other credits on IMBD. This script flat out sucks. It's the suckiest suck that has ever sucked. Unless you were like me and got tricked into watching this crap consider yourself extremely lucky. This is a movie of the week and is therefore written for drooling morphidites in the country's dirtiest prisons, but this isn't even good enough for death row inmates.
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7/10
Spring break was never more aptly titled
helpless_dancer9 February 2004
When 3 feisty college girls go to Fort Lauderdale for fun in the sun they become involved in the death of a drifter due to their own stupidity. For months after they try to go on as usual but events go against them until they are forced to make a decision in which they lose either way. A very enjoyable film with a satisfying ending.
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9/10
Well-done telefilm depicting horrific tale...
corky-2725 July 1999
This well-acted TV movie really surprised me. I expected a typical "spring-break" pseudo-horror film, but was drawn into a psychological tale of conscience fighting fear. Three young, attractive co-eds are vacationing before college graduation when something horrific happens to them; the mitigating circumstances cause them to make disastrous moral and ethical choices. Mitchum and Estevez (granddaughter of Robert and daughter of Martin Sheen, respectively) are fine but Falk shines as the most conflicted and least culpaple of the protagonists. The minuses: A tv movie is a tv movie is a tv movie- well, you get the picture. Again, all the more to my surprise that this picture acquitted itself nicely, despite the low budget and lack of name stars. The Corkymeter says 3 and a half stars (out of 5).
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Excellent
twisted_sista1 July 2002
This is very good, despite being a TV movie. 3 best friends accidently kill a man whilst on holiday and keep it a secret. Things go from bad-to worse when more and more evidence starts showing up. I think the cast are excellent especially Renee Estevez as the selfish only thinking about myself Zanna. Liseanne Falk shines on screen as the traumatised Joan. This is a well done movie watch it if you can.
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10/10
Awesome
iainsmith-180611 February 2021
Story of 3 girls one of whom is relocating to Palm Springs to work & while on a sunny drive each of their lives changes forever . Really grips you this movie and considering it was made just for tv it's excellent. You'll love it
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8/10
Quality teen TV movie
Gr8Brit20 May 2000
Very good as far as TV movies go, actors put in a good performance to allow some depth to their characters, interesting plot all making an interesting viewing experience. The three girls develop the "teens face awful dilemma" line, when on a spring break they run down a stranger after a drunken party. Expedient decisions are made with the moral dilemmas and inevitable consequential mistakes forming the basis for the rest of the film.
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Good Choice
Nancy-4019 September 1999
3 girls hit a man on a dark road, they don't know what to do, thier scared because they had been drinking so they hide the body and drive away. The movie shows how each of them deal with what they did and eventually the body is found and one girl who is a new reporter has to report on the story and she begins to slightly give away she knows something, and the 3 begin to get scared and trying to deal. Its a very good portrayal, its got a good but sad ending, they eventually turn on each other and it ends with the truth coming out and the movie shows what they do when people find out and 1 does the right thing but winds up hurting everyone by doing the right thing, its a very good sad movie.
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Dead boring
guilfisher-110 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Three bimbos on the loose without a brain between them run away from a hit and run and the rest is downhill, story wise, acting wise, directing wise and definitely interest wise.

It's total trash and performances that match. Renee Extevez as the ugly one being the worst of the three. She is not attractive and who suggested to put her in a bathing suit? Not good. The phony tears didn't impress this viewer. Lisanne Falk as the vacant one just gets on your nerves from day one with all her whimpering and sobbing and you want her to jump. I kept yelling at the screen "jump" "jump". Carrie Mitchum, the foolish one, just walks around in a daze and talk about looks giving you away. She seemed to be saying guilty in every scene. The way she just stared at her TV boss in a blank expression, I'd have fired her on the spot as being a dull and uninspiring news person.

Peter O'Fallon directed this trite movie. Oh, I did like the guy who got hit. Good stunt work, fella. Who ever you are as you don't get credit. I won't even mention the writers as they aren't good.

A car wreck of a flick. Sorry.
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Brian Wild Credit
bec-089963 March 2021
Brian Wild should be added as credit to the song "When the Dam Breaks"...
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