Success. Money. Power. The Pawns. Those that control. Those that achieve where others fail by the willingness to sell their souls. The cases of murdered prostitutes at the hands of a serial killer and the killing of an incredibly corrupt law professor who offers young female(..and men, we later understand)students a chance for high grades in exchange for sexual favors. The link between cases is detective Amanda Reeve(Rachel Hunter)who was removed from pursuing the killer of prostitutes to catch the person responsible for the professor's demise. What Amanda doesn't know, and will soon determine, is that she's caught within a web of lies and deceit, which could include her former lover, William(Matt Battaglia)desiring the position of District Attorney working with Edward Mills who is running for a Texas Senate seat.
As you'd expect, it's so obvious that the filmmakers shout it from the mountaintops, the person responsible for the murdered law professor is someone of great power, and those who are familiar with these kinds of thrillers will know right off the bat who it was. The rash of murders towards hookers is an afterthought to the story overall, the killer, a troubled, rich, young male law student, merely used as a scapegoat for the law professor's death to cover up who really did it. There's no real surprise as to the identification of the killer and that rather left me anyway caring very little for the story. The outcome, Amanda's "evidence" of a confession and what she does with it(..although, the confession in itself is really only part of the game, the mind control motivated by a goal to acquire power through manipulation)shouldn't shock anyone. Those in power stay right where they're at unless someone in high position, like the law professor of the film, threaten others' chances of gaining even more authority/notoriety.
The film features salacious themes that never cross the line far enough, director James D Deck doesn't push the envelope..Deck's Pendulum is ready made for LIFETIME TELEVISION FOR WOMEN. Just remove a little blood from wounds of a couple of dead hookers and the serial killer shot by Amanda as he attempted to stab her(..including some minor nudity). There's some tame lesbianism(..well for someone like me anyway)between law students Terry Weiss(Alaina Kalanj)and Melissa Regan(Stephanie Vogt), lovers often questioned by Amanda, who might know more about the law professor(..and his fate)than they're letting on..barely wearing any clothes, often touching each other, and presenting their attraction to Amanda without a hint of subtlety. Another major development is a witness at the scene of the crime, struggling law student(..working at the college library)Haley Porter(Scarlett McAlister)who reluctantly "offered her services" to the professor for higher grades. Pendulum, to be honest, offers nothing new, the story yielding the same thematic material used in countless thrillers regarding the powerful puppeteering a case making things difficult for a detective trying to bring a killer to justice. Hunter doesn't knock your socks off in the lead, rather miscast as the embittered detective. Kalanji and Vogt offer delectable delights as the lesbian duo, commanding the screen with their seductive power..a direct example of what using your feminine wiles can do for prosperous careers and the good life. James Russo goes through the motions here in a role where he pretty much wears "GUILTY" across his chest, barking orders to Amanda about how to conduct her case, pulling the strings..his politician is pretty much a cliché seen many times over the years, and Russo adds little to the role to make a smidgen of difference.
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