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!
35 Reviews
top notch for t.v
mischam768 January 2005
this was not a bad movie at all and i have to say,having been a fan of Brooke shields for years i think this was her first outing at actually being able to show her acting strength.she has just gotten better and better but i was totally impressed with her performance.the movie itself can slow in parts a little bit the last half hour certainly makes up for it.i did not expect such an entertaining finale from a t.v movie.although Richard Thomas did a great job,this is Brooke's film as her screen time shows and she made the most of it.the only let down with the film are the co-stars .the look of them and their acting abilities are woeful and you wonder how they got their jobs-all except for Laura Blacks flatmate that is,who does a fair job.
Effective Stalking Drama With High Body Count Finale
GSeditor27 February 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Based on a real-life case from the 1980s, this is a pretty well-made TV movie about a disturbed guy stalking a female co-employee, leading up to a murder spree. The first half of the movie chronicles the stalking and the second half the violent hold-up at the work place. In the first half, the attitude of the office superiors in appeasing the stalker whom they regard as a valuable employee for quite a long while and partially blaming the victim whom they regard as a novice is sickening and unfortunately all too real-life-like.
Brooke Shields plays the victim and proves that she can act provided with a decent script and/or solid direction. To me, this movie testifies that her dismal performances in sub-par movies in this era of her career has to be blamed more on sub-par scripts and directors.
Unfortunately, the currently available DVD from a Canadian label called New Star Video under the title Stalking Laura has got horrible image and sound quality despite the box claiming "Digitally Remastered - Enhanced Audio": It actually looks and sounds like a rip from a 2nd gen. VHS dupe.
Originally aired on CBS network under the full title I Can Make You Love Me: The Stalking of Laura Black as a Tuesday movie.
Brooke Shields plays the victim and proves that she can act provided with a decent script and/or solid direction. To me, this movie testifies that her dismal performances in sub-par movies in this era of her career has to be blamed more on sub-par scripts and directors.
Unfortunately, the currently available DVD from a Canadian label called New Star Video under the title Stalking Laura has got horrible image and sound quality despite the box claiming "Digitally Remastered - Enhanced Audio": It actually looks and sounds like a rip from a 2nd gen. VHS dupe.
Originally aired on CBS network under the full title I Can Make You Love Me: The Stalking of Laura Black as a Tuesday movie.
A TRUE THRILLER
sonny-264 September 2001
A factual account of a young man who has gone berserk after failing to garner the attentions of a female co-worker. Richard Thomas is as far off from his "John Boy" image as he get get. What a great performance. Brooke Shields is adequate as the stalked girl. The culmination of Thomas' rampage ends with his entering his former workplace armed to the teeth. Too bad it's not on video. If it ever is, catch it and have a "thrilling" time watching it.
A Terrifying True Story Of Stalking & Violence
funky_cherry862 November 2011
Up until a few months ago I had never seen I Can Make You Love Me or read the story about Laura Black and after watching the film I was left feeling sickened and horrified. This movie tells the story of how a man's four year obsession and stalking of a female employee ended in a tragic conclusion.
I had seen Richard Thomas in Death In Small Doses and he's a brilliant actor with great talent his portrayal of real life killer Richard Farley sent chills down my spine as he played a man with a sick obsession. Brooke Shields delivered an incredible performance as Laura as the film progressed it amazed me how she had the courage and bravery to escape the rampage alive and how she reacted when her boss told her about the real reason why Farley got fired .
At 23 years old Laura Black (Shields) is about to leave her parents home in Virginia after accepting a job at K.E.I. in Sillicon Valley California, on her first day she's introduced to long time employee Richard Farley (Thomas) whose immediately attracted to her beauty after lunch he invites her out she politely turns him down.Over the next few days he is shown waiting for her in her office with fresh baked bread to show how he feels and then watches outside her aerobics class as she removes her sweater to reveal her outfit.
What happens next is a four year nightmare for Laura as Farley continues to follow her repeatedly even going so far as to slash the tires on her car, trick other employees into giving him her address, enrolling in her exercise class,breaking into the office to get more info on her, breaking into the garage at her apartment building. The worst ones were taking pictures outside her home and writing to her parents about their relationship. There was a scene when she goes home to visit her family for Christmas and receives a gift entitled our summer vacation which causes her to break down crying.
What made the situation even more difficult was his threats to go after members of her family if she tried to leave or learn that she was meant for him.
She made many complaints to her boss about what she endured because of him only to be told that they didn't want to jeopardize his security clearance over her right to be safe.It made me feel angry the company should have done more to help keep her protected from harassment.
The final straw comes after she files a restraining order and it pushes him to the edge and the result is a shooting rampage which claims the lives of several employees and injured others including Laura.
After the film California became the first place to enact an anti stalking law and other cities have followed since. This film is an example of how horrifying obsession can be as well as stalking.
I had seen Richard Thomas in Death In Small Doses and he's a brilliant actor with great talent his portrayal of real life killer Richard Farley sent chills down my spine as he played a man with a sick obsession. Brooke Shields delivered an incredible performance as Laura as the film progressed it amazed me how she had the courage and bravery to escape the rampage alive and how she reacted when her boss told her about the real reason why Farley got fired .
At 23 years old Laura Black (Shields) is about to leave her parents home in Virginia after accepting a job at K.E.I. in Sillicon Valley California, on her first day she's introduced to long time employee Richard Farley (Thomas) whose immediately attracted to her beauty after lunch he invites her out she politely turns him down.Over the next few days he is shown waiting for her in her office with fresh baked bread to show how he feels and then watches outside her aerobics class as she removes her sweater to reveal her outfit.
What happens next is a four year nightmare for Laura as Farley continues to follow her repeatedly even going so far as to slash the tires on her car, trick other employees into giving him her address, enrolling in her exercise class,breaking into the office to get more info on her, breaking into the garage at her apartment building. The worst ones were taking pictures outside her home and writing to her parents about their relationship. There was a scene when she goes home to visit her family for Christmas and receives a gift entitled our summer vacation which causes her to break down crying.
What made the situation even more difficult was his threats to go after members of her family if she tried to leave or learn that she was meant for him.
She made many complaints to her boss about what she endured because of him only to be told that they didn't want to jeopardize his security clearance over her right to be safe.It made me feel angry the company should have done more to help keep her protected from harassment.
The final straw comes after she files a restraining order and it pushes him to the edge and the result is a shooting rampage which claims the lives of several employees and injured others including Laura.
After the film California became the first place to enact an anti stalking law and other cities have followed since. This film is an example of how horrifying obsession can be as well as stalking.
Poignant
blissey_s13 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This movie raises several questions about how to treat people who are mentally ill, an increasing problem in society right now.
A dilemma is raised: should Laura have indulged Richard and acquiesced the date after the several attempts he made or was she in the right for refusing outright?
On the surface it may seem obvious that she is completely innocent and Richard's mental issues were entirely his own problem.
However, on closer inspection Laura could have been more accommodating to Richard after understanding that she was dealing with a mentally unhinged person.
Of course it's impossible to say who is right or wrong here because it's a controversial situation that resulted in many deaths and the bottom line is that everyone's intentions were pure.
We can only hope to avoid such disasters by improving our own consciousness and awareness of other people. By doing so we have equipped ourselves with the ability to distinguish between someone of sound mind and someone who is fragile and can come up with appropriate responses so that we can mitigate any tensions that may arise.
The major glaring plot hole in this movie is the scene where Richard is interrogated by his boss and is threatened with dismissal. He openly states that he will kill his boss and many others if he is fired, and then they proceed to fire him anyway and ignore his threat. It makes no sense.
Other than that this is well produced, especially for a TV movie. Brooke Shields is captivating and radiant. Richard Thomas is more than believable as the deranged sociopath. I was fully engaged from start to finish.
A dilemma is raised: should Laura have indulged Richard and acquiesced the date after the several attempts he made or was she in the right for refusing outright?
On the surface it may seem obvious that she is completely innocent and Richard's mental issues were entirely his own problem.
However, on closer inspection Laura could have been more accommodating to Richard after understanding that she was dealing with a mentally unhinged person.
Of course it's impossible to say who is right or wrong here because it's a controversial situation that resulted in many deaths and the bottom line is that everyone's intentions were pure.
We can only hope to avoid such disasters by improving our own consciousness and awareness of other people. By doing so we have equipped ourselves with the ability to distinguish between someone of sound mind and someone who is fragile and can come up with appropriate responses so that we can mitigate any tensions that may arise.
The major glaring plot hole in this movie is the scene where Richard is interrogated by his boss and is threatened with dismissal. He openly states that he will kill his boss and many others if he is fired, and then they proceed to fire him anyway and ignore his threat. It makes no sense.
Other than that this is well produced, especially for a TV movie. Brooke Shields is captivating and radiant. Richard Thomas is more than believable as the deranged sociopath. I was fully engaged from start to finish.
Not your typical stalker thriller - it's more substantial than that
Quinoa198420 October 2019
Why this? Well, sometimes you scroll Amazon Prime for movies and come across this, and sometimes, well, it scrolls across you. Or... Nah, I'm just a sucker for watching seemingly crappy things with my wife, and once she saw this was there (REMASTERED IN 4K), that was it.
Seriously, in all actualilty, this turns out to be a much better and interesting discovery than I had any hopes for. While I do credit Thomas and Shields for taking this material seriously, and Thomas in particlar nails that look that says "I will get *you*", it's also that the material is serious enough for it to not be hokey or campy. Matter of fact, this is scary in the truth of what it's showing: that an entitled man (an entitled white man who, of course, has no game so he picks on someone to the point where, rightfully, he is fired) - without any checks and, indeed, he springs back to another job (with stock options!) - is the scariest thing imaginable. And once it gets to the last half hour... Wow.
The greater strength of this is that it implicates/arguably indicts the system that allows and in fact forgives someone like Richard and lets him thrive... Even when he says explicitly he will KILL PEOPLE if he isnt given what he wants(!) One would hope that this s***scape has changed a little for the better, including that someone like this can easily get weapons, but in 30 some odd years it still feels painfully relevant (we now just call these degenerates... Incels or what have you). I n other words, you may come for the camp or sleaze but, while it's not a great film entirely, it's not that in the slightest. I Can Make You Love Me is a real movie, ultimately a tragic and far more violent one (or I should distinguish that it's about violence, and it has to show it) with substance and grit and the makers get one to hink about its darkest mplications.
Seriously, in all actualilty, this turns out to be a much better and interesting discovery than I had any hopes for. While I do credit Thomas and Shields for taking this material seriously, and Thomas in particlar nails that look that says "I will get *you*", it's also that the material is serious enough for it to not be hokey or campy. Matter of fact, this is scary in the truth of what it's showing: that an entitled man (an entitled white man who, of course, has no game so he picks on someone to the point where, rightfully, he is fired) - without any checks and, indeed, he springs back to another job (with stock options!) - is the scariest thing imaginable. And once it gets to the last half hour... Wow.
The greater strength of this is that it implicates/arguably indicts the system that allows and in fact forgives someone like Richard and lets him thrive... Even when he says explicitly he will KILL PEOPLE if he isnt given what he wants(!) One would hope that this s***scape has changed a little for the better, including that someone like this can easily get weapons, but in 30 some odd years it still feels painfully relevant (we now just call these degenerates... Incels or what have you). I n other words, you may come for the camp or sleaze but, while it's not a great film entirely, it's not that in the slightest. I Can Make You Love Me is a real movie, ultimately a tragic and far more violent one (or I should distinguish that it's about violence, and it has to show it) with substance and grit and the makers get one to hink about its darkest mplications.
Got boring in the end.
shanfloyd23 June 2006
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.
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.
Well done...other title "Stalking Laura"
MarieGabrielle17 July 2006
This type of film could seem over-the-top, but thanks to a believable performance by Richard Thomas, and a surprisingly decent performance by Brooke Shields, the viewer is interested in the story, and not distracted by personalities.
You will see some interesting information regarding stalking, as well. For example, when Thomas speaks to Penny (human resources) who divulges Laura's personal information (including her birthday, residence and family information). This film was made in 1993, and I was surprised that the company was not held liable for Laura's problems with this man.
As this is based on a true story, we see Richard Thomas gradually unraveling as he stalks Laura (Shields), he seems initially harmless, then obsessed. The breaking point occurs when he is fired. He has, he says to his friends, nothing to lose, and starts asking if the office is protected with bullet-proof glass. His co-workers laugh, thinking this is a joke.
This is an interesting and true story, which is well-presented. 9/10
You will see some interesting information regarding stalking, as well. For example, when Thomas speaks to Penny (human resources) who divulges Laura's personal information (including her birthday, residence and family information). This film was made in 1993, and I was surprised that the company was not held liable for Laura's problems with this man.
As this is based on a true story, we see Richard Thomas gradually unraveling as he stalks Laura (Shields), he seems initially harmless, then obsessed. The breaking point occurs when he is fired. He has, he says to his friends, nothing to lose, and starts asking if the office is protected with bullet-proof glass. His co-workers laugh, thinking this is a joke.
This is an interesting and true story, which is well-presented. 9/10
Stalking Laura
mystee_reyne21 September 2019
The thing that bothered me about the film, besides how lightly everyone took the crazy guy's stalking, was the scenery. These characters live in Sunnyvale, California. Yet, the trees are bare, the sky is gray all the time, and everyone's wearing a heavy coat. I guess, with regard to how "relaxed" everyone was about Farley's stalking, I guess this was before fatal stalking was a thing.
Excellent, accurate retelling of a frightening true story
medic249a210 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
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.
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.
John-Boy Goes Postal
JamesHitchcock7 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
On February 16, 1988 Richard Wade Farley shot dead seven people at the headquarters of the computer company where he had previously worked in Sunnyvale, California and injured four others. He was subsequently convicted of seven counts of first degree murder and sentenced to death, although the sentence has not yet been carried out and he is currently sitting on death row at San Quentin prison.
The cause of Farley's murderous rampage was his obsession with a young co-worker named Laura Black. (She was one of those wounded in the shooting, but survived). Farley had persistently pressed Black to go on a date with him, and when she refused began stalking her, sending her unwanted letters and gifts. Eventually he was dismissed from the company, but this did not diminish his obsession with Black, whom he continued to stalk for four years between 1984 and 1988, even though she changed address several times during that period. The trigger for the killings appears to have been when she obtained a temporary restraining order against him. Following this case and the murder of actress Rebecca Schaeffer by a deranged fan, California passed the first anti-stalking laws in America.
This film is a dramatisation of those events; it appears to be known by various titles, but I will refer to it as "Stalking Laura", the title by which it is known in Britain. (It was originally made as a TV movie for American television). The real Richard Farley appears to have been an unattractive, unprepossessing figure, considerably older than Laura Black, so it was surprising to see him portrayed by the good-looking Richard Thomas. For anyone of my generation Thomas will always be John-Boy from that impossibly wholesome TV series "The Waltons", so I found it difficult to believe in him as a homicidal maniac.
Brooke Shields rose to prominence in the late seventies after the scandal surrounding her film "Pretty Baby". She was one of several "teenage temptresses" who were being tipped for stardom around this period; others included Jodie Foster ("Taxi Driver") and Nastassia Kinski ("Tess"). Although she remains a reasonably well-known figure, Shields has never really achieved the huge success that was once predicted for her, despite her striking beauty. Part of the reason must be that too many of her early films, like "The Blue Lagoon" and "Endless Love" (another film about romantic obsession), were poor ones, and she was not helped by the contrast between her sexy on-screen image and all those media stories in the eighties suggesting that off-screen she was actually rather prim and virginal. Another part of the problem, however, is that her acting is often characterised by a reticence which makes it difficult for her to convey strong emotions successfully. (She is better in light comedy like her TV series "Suddenly Susan"). Here it seems obvious that Farley's actions would have caused Laura to feel strong emotions, chiefly fear and anger, but we never get any strong sense of these.
The British title "Stalking Laura" is perhaps indicative of where the film's main emphasis lies. Although it deals with the crimes of a notorious mass murderer, it tries to play it safe (a common failing with TV movies), concentrating not on the killer but on one of his victims. Moreover, it also concentrates on the years during which Farley was stalking Black more than on the killings; apart from Black herself, those individuals who were actually killed or injured remain for the most part faceless and nameless. A more daring approach might have been to have shown events more from Farley's viewpoint and to have examined the psychological factors which led him to kill; this would have been more risky, but might have yielded a more interesting result. Something like this might have worked in a made-for-cinema feature film, but the producers of this movie went for the safe option, evidently calculating that a TV audience would prefer to watch something where the primary character is an obviously sweet and wholesome girl-next-door type who finds herself in danger though no fault of her own. 5/10
The cause of Farley's murderous rampage was his obsession with a young co-worker named Laura Black. (She was one of those wounded in the shooting, but survived). Farley had persistently pressed Black to go on a date with him, and when she refused began stalking her, sending her unwanted letters and gifts. Eventually he was dismissed from the company, but this did not diminish his obsession with Black, whom he continued to stalk for four years between 1984 and 1988, even though she changed address several times during that period. The trigger for the killings appears to have been when she obtained a temporary restraining order against him. Following this case and the murder of actress Rebecca Schaeffer by a deranged fan, California passed the first anti-stalking laws in America.
This film is a dramatisation of those events; it appears to be known by various titles, but I will refer to it as "Stalking Laura", the title by which it is known in Britain. (It was originally made as a TV movie for American television). The real Richard Farley appears to have been an unattractive, unprepossessing figure, considerably older than Laura Black, so it was surprising to see him portrayed by the good-looking Richard Thomas. For anyone of my generation Thomas will always be John-Boy from that impossibly wholesome TV series "The Waltons", so I found it difficult to believe in him as a homicidal maniac.
Brooke Shields rose to prominence in the late seventies after the scandal surrounding her film "Pretty Baby". She was one of several "teenage temptresses" who were being tipped for stardom around this period; others included Jodie Foster ("Taxi Driver") and Nastassia Kinski ("Tess"). Although she remains a reasonably well-known figure, Shields has never really achieved the huge success that was once predicted for her, despite her striking beauty. Part of the reason must be that too many of her early films, like "The Blue Lagoon" and "Endless Love" (another film about romantic obsession), were poor ones, and she was not helped by the contrast between her sexy on-screen image and all those media stories in the eighties suggesting that off-screen she was actually rather prim and virginal. Another part of the problem, however, is that her acting is often characterised by a reticence which makes it difficult for her to convey strong emotions successfully. (She is better in light comedy like her TV series "Suddenly Susan"). Here it seems obvious that Farley's actions would have caused Laura to feel strong emotions, chiefly fear and anger, but we never get any strong sense of these.
The British title "Stalking Laura" is perhaps indicative of where the film's main emphasis lies. Although it deals with the crimes of a notorious mass murderer, it tries to play it safe (a common failing with TV movies), concentrating not on the killer but on one of his victims. Moreover, it also concentrates on the years during which Farley was stalking Black more than on the killings; apart from Black herself, those individuals who were actually killed or injured remain for the most part faceless and nameless. A more daring approach might have been to have shown events more from Farley's viewpoint and to have examined the psychological factors which led him to kill; this would have been more risky, but might have yielded a more interesting result. Something like this might have worked in a made-for-cinema feature film, but the producers of this movie went for the safe option, evidently calculating that a TV audience would prefer to watch something where the primary character is an obviously sweet and wholesome girl-next-door type who finds herself in danger though no fault of her own. 5/10
Stalking is a real sickness!
glmrtndrthy6 August 2004
Richard Thomas was excellent playing a really sick individual. Brooke Shields was good and too gorgeous for words.
Just a word re: a previous reviewer saying she should have just gone out with him once and that she was a snob.. No, no, no...that just encourages stalkers and can actually make it worse. She did nothing wrong...she was the VICTIM!! It gets kind of blurred sometimes...(Sorry to sound preachy, but, I teach health and healthy relationships in HS and I try so hard to help the kids know the difference).
Anyway, good docudrama and can help give some insight into these potentially dangerous situations.
Just a word re: a previous reviewer saying she should have just gone out with him once and that she was a snob.. No, no, no...that just encourages stalkers and can actually make it worse. She did nothing wrong...she was the VICTIM!! It gets kind of blurred sometimes...(Sorry to sound preachy, but, I teach health and healthy relationships in HS and I try so hard to help the kids know the difference).
Anyway, good docudrama and can help give some insight into these potentially dangerous situations.
Wanna-be-authentic so-so thrill
DomiMMHS29 December 1998
Rather silly wanna-be-authentic made-for-TV movie about sexual harassment. (I think I remember the credits say "based on a true story", so when I say "wanna-be-authentic" I'm referring to the atmosphere the movie creates, OK?!) The plot devices are naive, the dialogue is kind of odd, the characters are rather one-dimensional and act in an exaggerated way.
Richard Thomas however is really convincing as the psycho. Brooke Shields' performance on the other hand is awful, I almost lack the words.
Still, the movie manages to be kind of thrilling. You can watch it AND you can forget it. Very mediocre, I voted "5".
Richard Thomas however is really convincing as the psycho. Brooke Shields' performance on the other hand is awful, I almost lack the words.
Still, the movie manages to be kind of thrilling. You can watch it AND you can forget it. Very mediocre, I voted "5".
More horrifying than most horror films
Leofwine_draca24 September 2013
STALKING LAURA, a true story about one man's increasing obsession with a work colleague which leads to eventual tragedy, is an astonishingly good film and quite possibly one of my favourite made-for-TV movies of all time. On the face of it, it looks like every other TV-movie ever made: matter of fact, routine, bogged down with the 'true story' hook. Indeed, for the first half of the production, all is familiar and safe, rather than gripping.
The film is anchored by Richard Thomas delivering a completely surprising turn as the villain of the piece. Thomas underplays it, selling us his nice-guy John Boy Walton character with a few hidden undertones; a little too insistent here, a gaze lingering too long here. Shields is perfectly adequate as the increasingly frustrated object of his obsession, but the film belongs to Thomas.
Then he flips and the film becomes something else: gripping, gutsy, compelling, harrowing and completely shocking. I wasn't expecting what happened next, but from that point in I was glued to the screen. Few films have the guts to tackle such disturbing – and, indeed, increasingly familiar, at least in the news – subject matter, but this movie handles it with aplomb. Kudos then, to both scriptwriter and director for making an unforgettable movie.
The film is anchored by Richard Thomas delivering a completely surprising turn as the villain of the piece. Thomas underplays it, selling us his nice-guy John Boy Walton character with a few hidden undertones; a little too insistent here, a gaze lingering too long here. Shields is perfectly adequate as the increasingly frustrated object of his obsession, but the film belongs to Thomas.
Then he flips and the film becomes something else: gripping, gutsy, compelling, harrowing and completely shocking. I wasn't expecting what happened next, but from that point in I was glued to the screen. Few films have the guts to tackle such disturbing – and, indeed, increasingly familiar, at least in the news – subject matter, but this movie handles it with aplomb. Kudos then, to both scriptwriter and director for making an unforgettable movie.
A frightening true story, better made than most
docain2 November 2001
Warning: Spoilers
This is a truly frightening story of a real stalking case. In fact, the story this movie revolves around pioneered the anti-stalking law in California and likely inspired other states to do the same.
Richard Farley (played by Richard Thomas, in a role at the other end of the spectrum from his role in The Waltons) is an office nerd-of-sorts who thinks he has a shot with Laura Black (Brooke Shields), a new co-worker at a Northern California high-tech firm. Farley ruthlessly pursues Black in spite of her rejections. In spite of Black's protests, Farley keeps up his pursuit, even sending letters to her at her parents' home in VA. (This event actually happened).
*SPOILER FOLLOWING*
Farley continues his pursuit until, after threatening the HR people at his company (another real event), he is fired and banned from the property. However he still pursues Laura until he is served with a temporary restraint order keeping him away from her. What follows is a terrifying attack against his old employer. In a sequence that shatters actor Thomas' wholesome image, he goes 'postal' and ruthlessly guns down several people, including Laura, who managed to escape. This segment seems to follow the real story almost right down to the last detail, including those surrounding Farley's surrender.
I have heard of the story surrounding Laura Black, and this movie fit most of the particulars almost to a T. The depth of the writers' attention to the details of the Laura Black stalking made this movie that much more frightening. It is better than most TV movies which take a fair bit of dramatic license with their writing. Unlike those, this one sticks very close to the actual story.
Richard Farley (played by Richard Thomas, in a role at the other end of the spectrum from his role in The Waltons) is an office nerd-of-sorts who thinks he has a shot with Laura Black (Brooke Shields), a new co-worker at a Northern California high-tech firm. Farley ruthlessly pursues Black in spite of her rejections. In spite of Black's protests, Farley keeps up his pursuit, even sending letters to her at her parents' home in VA. (This event actually happened).
*SPOILER FOLLOWING*
Farley continues his pursuit until, after threatening the HR people at his company (another real event), he is fired and banned from the property. However he still pursues Laura until he is served with a temporary restraint order keeping him away from her. What follows is a terrifying attack against his old employer. In a sequence that shatters actor Thomas' wholesome image, he goes 'postal' and ruthlessly guns down several people, including Laura, who managed to escape. This segment seems to follow the real story almost right down to the last detail, including those surrounding Farley's surrender.
I have heard of the story surrounding Laura Black, and this movie fit most of the particulars almost to a T. The depth of the writers' attention to the details of the Laura Black stalking made this movie that much more frightening. It is better than most TV movies which take a fair bit of dramatic license with their writing. Unlike those, this one sticks very close to the actual story.
Scary stuff
nlwtl24 June 2019
When I first saw the movie, I was completely shocked! Richard Thomas did an amazing job, with this part! I saw the fear in Brooke Shields eyes, but her crying wasn't really good, sorry. The human resource lady, she was protecting Richard more then Laura! I didn't like her comment about Laura's smile! The other lady that showed Richard getting Laura personal information was so wrong! This company didn't protect Laura like they should have! She could have sued them! Laura went through hell and had to the surgeries because of him! Just because she refused to go out with him, he sexually harassed Laura for 4 years and they were worried about his clearance! What about Laura's!?! Richard was fired for threatening to kill the lady and his work fell off! Laura had every right to get restraining order, on him! If someone is talking about company's doors they should have warned the company! And, maybe saved lives! The music used, was perfect for this story!
A very good film about a very twisted person
Reno-00719 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This film was done pretty well and the acting by Richard Thomas and Brooke Shields was good as well. Especially Richard Thomas who can play a good guy and in this case a psychopath very well. This film based on a true story really brings the reality of stalking to a horrific conclusion. It brings to light why California like other states finally had to recognize the inherent dangers of ignoring threats by sick people such as Farley. When Laura Black repeatedly complained about the abuse this loony tunes was throwing at her, their response was to say the least was light. Now with brave women like her and Teresa Saldana the country has zeroed in on nuts like Farley. I've heard other folks say that if she wasn't so mean to the guy in the first place that maybe he wouldn't have snapped. Sorry to say but when someone is willing to go that far and start out with the harassment that he did to her, they're far beyond getting a rejection and feeling bitter about it. For us normal people when a person doesn't want to go out with us we move on. That's life. But when dealing with a person like Farley, they've had that in them for a long time and in Laura Black's case she was the innocent who was targeted by that nut.
***SPOILER ALERT*** One scene that cracked me up was when Richard Thomas was in the ladies room at that restaurant and he's talking to Brooke Shields. Then a woman walks in and his expression completely changes from a slit-eyed cold stare to a wide-eyed madman when he tells her "get out of here!!!!!".
All in all a very good suspense film.
***SPOILER ALERT*** One scene that cracked me up was when Richard Thomas was in the ladies room at that restaurant and he's talking to Brooke Shields. Then a woman walks in and his expression completely changes from a slit-eyed cold stare to a wide-eyed madman when he tells her "get out of here!!!!!".
All in all a very good suspense film.
Even creepier because it's based on truth.....
aeh45435 April 2004
This movie was very creepy to me because this kind of thing happens every day.
What I can never understand, though, is why people don't notify law enforcement when things start to get out of hand (one has to be careful with employers, as they're quite often "good-old-boy networks" only concerned about protecting their own, as well as covering their own behinds). If I were the personnel director and I heard comments like he was making, I would have notified the police as soon as he left! However, this film was made in 1993, before workplace and school shootings became fairly commonplace.....
That withstanding, I've never been a victim of stalking, but you can bet that I would also never let things get as far as they tend to do with many people (maybe it's the way I was raised, or because I have a pretty good self-esteem, who knows).
Nevertheless, I find these types of films much more captivating and closer to home than the usual stuff out there.
It's too bad that there are such people in this world.......
What I can never understand, though, is why people don't notify law enforcement when things start to get out of hand (one has to be careful with employers, as they're quite often "good-old-boy networks" only concerned about protecting their own, as well as covering their own behinds). If I were the personnel director and I heard comments like he was making, I would have notified the police as soon as he left! However, this film was made in 1993, before workplace and school shootings became fairly commonplace.....
That withstanding, I've never been a victim of stalking, but you can bet that I would also never let things get as far as they tend to do with many people (maybe it's the way I was raised, or because I have a pretty good self-esteem, who knows).
Nevertheless, I find these types of films much more captivating and closer to home than the usual stuff out there.
It's too bad that there are such people in this world.......
A Real True Story True Story....
Bludmagnus18 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
****WARNING- THIS REVIEW CONTAINS POTENTIAL SPOILERS**** I remember hearing about the real story on the news my first year of high school, especially how people followed the story afterward on and off till the final phase of the trial. Having said that, anyone giving this movie an over critical review really needs to take a look within themselves.
While Brooke Shields and Richard Thomas are the stars of this tele-film, the support of the ensemble cast that gives it an even stronger foundation. While liberties were taken with more minor things in comparison to the main thrust of the saga, a number of them were psychologically geared to cover ground on the way far too many viewers took the ridiculously naive positions that either Laura Black led Richard Farley on or that she was "misunderstanding the situation.
Even dismissing those things, as well as the comparison of "John Boy" in the role of a disturbed man who was in real life "built like a bear", the heart of the movie is about how a delusional personality can go that intensely spiraling out of control. A man who went from being self-disciplined enough to spend an entire decade in the military to the first ever stalking-connected workplace massacre all because he believed people "thought he was weak" or "a joke" doesn't make anyone feel sorry for Richard Wade Farley, and it shouldn't because it can't. That he "never had a criminal record" nor "committed a single act of violence before" (that is according to his defense at the time...)casts him in an even more despicable light as it spotlights more what he always was: an abusive bully who mastered the mask he wore all of those years looking for the right target.
Laura was portrayed as having said "What did I do?" when she was loaded in the ambulance. The film, and how it ends, gives that answer: Laura Black didn't do anything, except be the perfect target for a disturbed sociopath who, even if she HAD agreed to the "one date", would NEVER have let her go. The frightening part is that the way it really turned out made the body count a hell of a lot smaller than it would have been if she HADN'T been that strong to fight him.
While Brooke Shields and Richard Thomas are the stars of this tele-film, the support of the ensemble cast that gives it an even stronger foundation. While liberties were taken with more minor things in comparison to the main thrust of the saga, a number of them were psychologically geared to cover ground on the way far too many viewers took the ridiculously naive positions that either Laura Black led Richard Farley on or that she was "misunderstanding the situation.
Even dismissing those things, as well as the comparison of "John Boy" in the role of a disturbed man who was in real life "built like a bear", the heart of the movie is about how a delusional personality can go that intensely spiraling out of control. A man who went from being self-disciplined enough to spend an entire decade in the military to the first ever stalking-connected workplace massacre all because he believed people "thought he was weak" or "a joke" doesn't make anyone feel sorry for Richard Wade Farley, and it shouldn't because it can't. That he "never had a criminal record" nor "committed a single act of violence before" (that is according to his defense at the time...)casts him in an even more despicable light as it spotlights more what he always was: an abusive bully who mastered the mask he wore all of those years looking for the right target.
Laura was portrayed as having said "What did I do?" when she was loaded in the ambulance. The film, and how it ends, gives that answer: Laura Black didn't do anything, except be the perfect target for a disturbed sociopath who, even if she HAD agreed to the "one date", would NEVER have let her go. The frightening part is that the way it really turned out made the body count a hell of a lot smaller than it would have been if she HADN'T been that strong to fight him.
Thomas ... unforgettable performamce.
jboothrr1 June 2019
Shocking for it's time
Christopher3703 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I found this on Amazon Prime while looking for something free to watch. I had thought I seen all those TV movies back in the 80's and 90's but this one apparently slipped by me because I surely would have remembered it.
For it's time, and especially for a TV movie, I thought the scenes were pretty violent and shocking during the final rampage Farley goes on at the office building. I don't want to spoil things so i'll just say that it gets really intense once he pulls up to the building where the object of his obsession works.
I thought both leads did great in their roles, especially Richard Thomas who was pretty creepy and scary as Richard Farley who went from Laura's new coworker to crazed stalker with lightening speed. This guy was really off his rocker, but I wondered why it took meeting Laura to send him over the deep end so quickly.
Before she arrived, he was apparently a model citizen and employee, so meeting her must have made something instantly snap inside of him and I think it would have helped the film more had they delved into that aspect a little to give the viewer some understanding to his rapid mental decline.
We do get to see an old smiling photo of Richard with some woman before he pastes Laura's photo over hers, so there was someone in his past he apparently had a relationship with.
It's not clear if she was a wife who left him or had died, or was just a previous obsession of his. A little backstory to understand why he snapped so much this time would have been helpful. Perhaps Laura was just the final straw to his frustration at being constantly rejected by women? Who knows?
One scene I found strange was when Laura was relaying her issue to her office superior and she had the gall to ask Laura "Did you smile with him like you're doing with me?" What the hell kind of a question is that?! Was she actually implying that Laura was being romantically and suggestively flirtatious towards her as well?! Please. It was just so weird. That boss seemed to be just as batty as Richard was by asking such an absurd question. Was she in love with her too?!
It's a good movie overall that held my attention throughout and it's wild to see just how quickly Richard Farley goes insane over Laura. Recommended if you enjoy suspense films with good acting.
For it's time, and especially for a TV movie, I thought the scenes were pretty violent and shocking during the final rampage Farley goes on at the office building. I don't want to spoil things so i'll just say that it gets really intense once he pulls up to the building where the object of his obsession works.
I thought both leads did great in their roles, especially Richard Thomas who was pretty creepy and scary as Richard Farley who went from Laura's new coworker to crazed stalker with lightening speed. This guy was really off his rocker, but I wondered why it took meeting Laura to send him over the deep end so quickly.
Before she arrived, he was apparently a model citizen and employee, so meeting her must have made something instantly snap inside of him and I think it would have helped the film more had they delved into that aspect a little to give the viewer some understanding to his rapid mental decline.
We do get to see an old smiling photo of Richard with some woman before he pastes Laura's photo over hers, so there was someone in his past he apparently had a relationship with.
It's not clear if she was a wife who left him or had died, or was just a previous obsession of his. A little backstory to understand why he snapped so much this time would have been helpful. Perhaps Laura was just the final straw to his frustration at being constantly rejected by women? Who knows?
One scene I found strange was when Laura was relaying her issue to her office superior and she had the gall to ask Laura "Did you smile with him like you're doing with me?" What the hell kind of a question is that?! Was she actually implying that Laura was being romantically and suggestively flirtatious towards her as well?! Please. It was just so weird. That boss seemed to be just as batty as Richard was by asking such an absurd question. Was she in love with her too?!
It's a good movie overall that held my attention throughout and it's wild to see just how quickly Richard Farley goes insane over Laura. Recommended if you enjoy suspense films with good acting.
This is SO Creepy!
MafiaScarecrow7 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Nothing is scarier than seeing the man who played the part of Bill Denberough from Stephen King's IT playing the part of Rich Farley, a psychotic stalker creeping around with a machine gun in a computer research corporation. And what started his scary rampage? A woman named Laura Black. But it wasn't her fault. She was the victim.
Laura has just graduated and is leaving her tacky little Virginia town to work as an engineer in Silicon Valley, a high-tech looking city with an introduction soundtrack that along with the powerful buildings really reminds me of that stupid animated kid's film, the Brave Little Toaster, for some reason. And when Laura arrives, she meets a friendly group of technicians, along with a kind of nerdy guy named Richard (Rich) Farley. And at first he seems like he could be a really good friend, but it begins to get creepy when he hangs around Laura's gym class watching her do aerobics, and when he shows up in her office very early in the morning offering her blueberry bread. When he gets creepily violent, slashing her car tires, sending her evil letters and sending her family spliced photos of him and Laura together, she tells her bosses, who automatically pin it on her. Soon she moves to a high-tech security home with her landlord friend, but Rich shows up in her garage, and threatens to murder her bosses, until they finally fire him.
That's when he snaps.
He buys a trailer and a bunch of guns, watches several influential crime-type drama movies, then shows up in the morning shooting up the whole corporation, killing or injuring many of Laura's friends. Her best friend from work tries to rescue one man who's been shot but it still alive, but Rich arrives standing on the toilet in the bathroom where they're hiding. Can Laura make it out alive, or is she finally his victim? Well, I'm not going to tell you, that'd ruin the ending. So here's my review and rating.
I love Lifetime Network movies, and this one I just had to see. I thought after the first few minutes of Rich's pathetic and weird love attempts that it would be humorous, but it got dramatic and creepy. It was based on a true story, too. The actors did a great job, it had kind of a late Eighties/early Nineties soundtrack that I really liked, and it was suspenseful. However, it had a dumb ending, being that Rich surrenders to the police over a sandwich! That's right, a sandwich! Because of course, this criminal isn't just a dork, he's also willing to give himself up to go pick up a sandwich the police have brought him. Still, good that he gets arrested in the end, but what a lousy way to go! Either way, that's my only complaint. 8/10 is my rating!
Laura has just graduated and is leaving her tacky little Virginia town to work as an engineer in Silicon Valley, a high-tech looking city with an introduction soundtrack that along with the powerful buildings really reminds me of that stupid animated kid's film, the Brave Little Toaster, for some reason. And when Laura arrives, she meets a friendly group of technicians, along with a kind of nerdy guy named Richard (Rich) Farley. And at first he seems like he could be a really good friend, but it begins to get creepy when he hangs around Laura's gym class watching her do aerobics, and when he shows up in her office very early in the morning offering her blueberry bread. When he gets creepily violent, slashing her car tires, sending her evil letters and sending her family spliced photos of him and Laura together, she tells her bosses, who automatically pin it on her. Soon she moves to a high-tech security home with her landlord friend, but Rich shows up in her garage, and threatens to murder her bosses, until they finally fire him.
That's when he snaps.
He buys a trailer and a bunch of guns, watches several influential crime-type drama movies, then shows up in the morning shooting up the whole corporation, killing or injuring many of Laura's friends. Her best friend from work tries to rescue one man who's been shot but it still alive, but Rich arrives standing on the toilet in the bathroom where they're hiding. Can Laura make it out alive, or is she finally his victim? Well, I'm not going to tell you, that'd ruin the ending. So here's my review and rating.
I love Lifetime Network movies, and this one I just had to see. I thought after the first few minutes of Rich's pathetic and weird love attempts that it would be humorous, but it got dramatic and creepy. It was based on a true story, too. The actors did a great job, it had kind of a late Eighties/early Nineties soundtrack that I really liked, and it was suspenseful. However, it had a dumb ending, being that Rich surrenders to the police over a sandwich! That's right, a sandwich! Because of course, this criminal isn't just a dork, he's also willing to give himself up to go pick up a sandwich the police have brought him. Still, good that he gets arrested in the end, but what a lousy way to go! Either way, that's my only complaint. 8/10 is my rating!
I really pondered over and rewrote this review several times
queenofthe9nile25 March 2002
This was the first movie I watched with Richard Thomas in as a mature man. It has become my favorite, although I don't know why, unless it has to do with Brooke Shields. She's a beautiful girl, but let's face it, she really can't act. However, she did lend creditability to her part by possibly drawing on her own stalking experience. She was miscast in my opinion, the real Laura Black was petite. Thomas spends most of his scenes with her gazing up into her face with those gorgeous blue eyes of his. Once again, the real talent here is Thomas. Arrogant, pushy, and menacing though most of it, at the end, he effectively generates sympathy for his benevolent and suffering character On the outside looking in is indeed a lonely place. And who knows..maybe she did point her finger at some time and laugh at him. The special and gifted do take advantage of the lesser. Some of the acting is not very good-but Thomas shines as he ALWAYS does. The movie is based on fact-you can look it up on the net. The scene where Farley looks up at her with that longing and surety in his incredible eyes and says, you and I were meant for each other, Laura, all I know is we were meant to be together-forever is what did it for me. That and the blueberry bread he baked for her in the first part of the movie. Even psycotics have their moments.
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