Engaged to Kill (2006 TV Movie) User Reviews

Aloha

[krorie · 6/10 · 27 April 2006]

Though based on a true story according to the credits, this riveting thriller (not a mystery) contains a few fanciful elements. When Robert Lord's wife, Abby, is kidnapped, he quickly raises one million dollars for the abductors. He and his son, Corey, deliver the money to a specified location. The kidnappers consist of a pair of lovers, Crawford Blake and Sally. Obviously the entire ploy is Blake's idea. Naive Sally believes all the lies Blake has told her about using the money for a honeymoon in Hawaii after safely releasing Abby. Driving a van with Sally and a restrained Abby in back, Blake is on his way to find a convenient spot to kill Abby. Abby becomes sympathetic to Sally's plight, realizing that she is being used by Blake for his nefarious deeds. She is able to escape but in the process Sally is accidentally killed. Apparently, Blake really did love Sally for now, even with the million dollars, he plots Abby's demise getting close to her daughter, Maddy. Blake becomes engaged in order to kill.

The story is well plotted, even becoming somewhat complicated at times. There is suspense and thrills aplenty provided by director Matthew Hastings that puts this made-for-TV film above the average. There is not much humor included that would have eased the tension somewhat which makes for intense viewing. Since it is TV, the commercials may actually assist in giving a break from the intensity of the drama.

A major weakness concerns believability. Of modest means considering the life style presented, Robert Lord is able to raise one million dollars in just a few hours by putting his house, his cars, and his small business up for collateral. A close banking friend is able to swing the loan for him. When the friend disappears mysteriously, his character is virtually dropped from the story, almost as if his murder is not significant. There are also several other parts of the story that are difficult to accept as presented in the film.

The movie closes with a clever line by Maddy. As Blake is being led away, she coldly looks him in the eye and exclaims, "Aloha!"

Were going on our honeymoon in Hawaii!

[sol1218 · 5/10 · 10 March 2009]

***MAJOR SPOILERS*** Supposedly based on a true story the made for TV movie "Engaged to kill" is so off the wall and unbelievable that, if in fact it did happen in real life, it goes to prove the famous saying that "Truth is in fact stranger then Fiction".

The movie starts off with a run of the mill kidnapping of pediatrician Abby Lord who's kidnapper demands from her husband-luxury boat salesman-Robert a cool million dollars if he even want's to see his wife alive again. Not going to the police but going broke in rustling up the ransom Robert together with his 14 year-old son Corey drop off the cash, in an out of the way garbage can, in the designated spot that the kidnapper told him to. Whaterver believability the movie had up until then totally evaporated with the actions of both the kidnapped victim and the kidnapper.

Abby, who was supposed to be released anyway, makes her escape from the kidnapper's trailer with the kidnapper's girlfriend Sally getting killed, by falling out of the trailer and getting crushed, in trying to prevent her from escaping. It's then that the kidnapper decides to get even not only with Abby but her entire family by secretly bankrupting them as well as causing Abby to lose her job at the hospital! This is all done by the kidnapper getting Abby's patients with the help of his accomplice-Sullivan- to accuse her of malpractice.

****SPOILER*** It's when the kidnapper, whom were not supposed to know who he is, finally shows up on the scene it becomes obvious just what he's planning to do. Get in good by being Abby's daughter's, Maddy, boyfriend and destroy the Lord family from within! Of course this sleazy and smirking lowlife isn't up to accomplishing his mission by himself he has help in this mindless goon-Sullivan-that he hired to do most of the dirty, as well as murders, for him!

Everything is so predictable, especially the identity of the kidnapper, that there's no suspense at all in the movie. The only thing that surprises you is just how ridicules the kidnapper was and how he was able fool, among his victims, anyone in the first place. I for one couldn't understand the attachment he had to his airhead girlfriend Sally since he used her, like he did everyone else in the movie, for his own advantage and nothing more.

As for the Lord family it was only Abby who finally got the drop on him but not in her realizing that he was in fact the person who kidnapped her! But in Abby finding the smirking psycho playing- a game of internet poker- with her son's Cory's personal computer! The ending of the movie was a totally mindless confrontation between the kidnapper with both Abby and her daughter Maddy whom he planned to slice up and force Abby to watch bleed to death. It's then that the crazed lunatic for no reason at all, but just to show how crazy he is, dropped his gun only to end up getting clobbered, with a polo stick, and put to sleep until the police came to finally put him away!

Nothing says Lifetime like one of these films

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 26 March 2016]

"Engaged to Kill" from 2006 is a Lifetime movie made in Canada, starring Joe Lando, Dominic Zamprogna, Maria Del Mar, and Katherine Isabelle.

Based on a true story, the pediatrician wife, Abby (Del Mar) of a businessman Robert Lord (Lando) is kidnapped, and the ransom demand is a million dollars. Somehow overnight, Lord manages to get the money. He won't call in the police.

Meanwhile, Abby Lord is assured by Sally (Daniella Evangelista), the girlfriend of her captor that all they want is the money; her boyfriend is taking her to Hawaii for their wedding. Abby realizes that she's going to be killed, even if Sally believes every word this guy tells her. When she sees a chance to escape, she takes it, but Sally is killed.

The captor blames Abby for his girlfriend's death and moves in on the family, hurting their finances still more while he's seducing Abby's and Robert's daughter.

All pretty obvious. I watched this because General Hospital's Dominic Zamprogna was in it, a few years before he joined the show. He does well as a real sleaze.

I found this okay. I make fun of Lifetime movies, but they're a way to escape and relax. They're not hokey like Hallmark films, and though derivative and predictable, somehow you keep watching.

Entertaining

[vchimpanzee · 5 February 2008]

Dr. Abby Lord is a pediatrician. Her husband Robert sells boats. They have a 19-year-old daughter Maddy who is in college and somewhat rebellious, and a 14-year-old son Corey who loves computer games.

When Abby is kidnapped, the ransom is one million dollars. Robert will do anything to get his wife back, and that includes not telling the police--if he does, he has been told, Abby will die. Lester Denton can get Robert the money; Robert owns a business, the nice home his family lives in and even a vacation home, all of which he could lose if he can't pay back the money, but he is dealing with legitimate businesses, not loan sharks.

We never see the kidnapper's face, at least not early in the movie. But his accomplice and girlfriend is a sweet young woman named Sally who is either too dumb to realize that what she is doing is wrong, or too dependent on her boyfriend to question his actions. Abby behaves admirably on learning Sally feels sick; as a doctor, she must put the patient's health above other concerns.

Abby is released relatively quickly, but her nightmare is not over. Certain people are behaving suspiciously, and there are some genuinely scary moments. And then weird things start happening.

Robert must work hard to get enough money to repay his creditors, and this means dealing with Crawford Blake, who was once his partner and is now his competitor.

And Maddy has a new boyfriend named Nick, who is 25 years old. Abby and Robert have enough stress in their life without this.

This was pretty good for a TV-movie. It was entertaining to watch the family's situation get worse and worse.

I will say the actor playing the kidnapper did an impressive job, but I can't say who he is. Daniella Evangelista was so sweet and I hated that we didn't see more of her. And despite her rebellious nature, Katharine Isabelle's character was so easy to like. Plus she looked good topless, at least from the back. Shame on anyone for calling her fat (I can't remember now whether it was her brother or someone considering dating her).

Maria del Mar played a strong character, but one that could be pushed too far. She wasn't superwoman. Plus she was as pretty as the daughter, and they looked so much alike.

I was disturbed by Robert's anger toward his son in one scene. I suppose stress could be blamed, but it just seemed extreme.

The V-chip rating was TV-14, with a V, though it needed an S too. My theory is that the sexual content was PG, though the violence wasn't that bad. Perhaps the logic in the TV-14 rating was that this was too adult, for other reasons.

Overall, a good effort.

What an awful movie...

[vaza306-1 · 1/10 · 16 January 2007]

Nothing in this movie seems to surprise you, they did everything they can to delete all the tension out of this movie. It looks like some soap-crew filmed this movie! Awful!!!!! The story isn't original at all. It must been done a million times in a lot of B movies! Now i Understand why this movie didn't made it to the cinema. I really couldn't believe it. I thought a average score of 6,6 isn't to bad, but i was wrong. Nothing in this movie seems to surprise you, they did everything they can to delete all the tension out of this movie. It looks like some soap-crew filmed this movie! Awful!!!!! The story isn't original at all. It must been done a million times in a lot of B movies! Now i Understand why this movie didn't made it to the cinema. I really couldn't believe it. I thought a average score of 6,6 isn't to bad, but i was wrong.

Two stars at best

[caa821 · 2/10 · 9 May 2008]

I probably should just desist from commenting on this flick. The few previous comments which commend it have high approval marks from those accessing them, except for the one from overseas, which was 0-for-11 previously.

However, I caught this film on a Friday after a pretty hectic week, and with a busy weekend approaching, so just laid back for a couple of hours mid-day.

I did miss the kidnapping portion, but not difficult to infer what had occurred there, and with other comments - and was understandable that family would be a bit spooked and on-edge following.

Still, there wasn't a single character with whom I could empathize or sympathize, and the twerp who entered their lives as the obnoxious daughter's love interest (Nick) was too insipid for me believe him capable of his chicanery. The lead couple, including "Abby," who was commended elsewhere, were a weak pair.

And the whole nonsense regarding the financial transactions, the compromising of the father's credit card via internet poker, the ease with which Abby's reputation as a physician was besmirched, was all presented on the level of the silliest of soap opera fare.

The back-and-forth emotional exchanges among the family members, in every possible one-on-one combination, or en masse, were also on the level of those seen in the weakest "soap" episodes.

The snail's pace with which the police finally got some hard information was unbelievable - even given the ineptitude of the cops on most Lifetime fare.

By the time things got to the inevitable 10 minutes or so of climax and revelation, I don't see how anyone could possibly care.

(If you wished to insert something illustrating an example of the word "schlep" in a time capsule for future generations, a DVD of this flick would suffice. These folks - without exception - schlepped around throughout this story, from beginning to end.)

The only thing raising this presentation from 1* to 2 is that the quality of production was better than most.

Worth a bit of time to watch

[jazzstyle · 7/10 · 25 November 2023]

The reviews for this film are interesting, jump around a bit, and, I think are accurate. After all, each viewer is going to have a different experience. Some say there isn't tension, others say it's full of suspense. Twists or predictible, pick a side. Whether this plot has been done in many B movies as one reviewer wrote, I can't say. What I can say is that, in writing, a popular teaching is that there are only seven stories. The job of the writer is find a new way to make those same stories fresh and interesting, over and over and over. So, for me, I agree with the others who found the film worth a bit of time to watch. It isn't a standout, but it is produced well, has solid acting, and it held my attention. Even though I noticed the acting, which normally isn't a good thing, I think it was in this instance, thanks to Maria del Mar, Dominic Zamprogna, Katharine Isabelle, Bryce Hodgson, and Daniella Evangelista. Each brought the right level of believablility to his/her character that it kept me engaged, especially in the scenes with high stress and conflict. Had they not, I believe the film would have been flat, with acceptable acting for the all roles, but nothing to add character and interest to those roles. It may be a quirk of mine; I want some individuality and uniqueness in every character I see on screen, no matter how small the role, or the quirk. Unfortunately, for me, Joe Lando didn't make me believe he was feeling what the script said he should. That is not to say he was bad; he was not. I have not seen him in other roles to see a range of his work. I speak only to this one performance. In this film, he did not move me to feel for him. On the production side, there were some high points for me. I liked the use of light and shadow choices. I liked that some of the "suspense" moments were slow, deliberate, and clearly in focus, and some were quick, shadowy glimpses. I liked the flipping back and forth between light and dark cuts. I noticed the use of slices of light which I liked. I thought the chase scene and escape were shot very well. I liked the film's pace, that there wasn't any unnecessary footage, that it kept moving forward. I liked that the underscoring was so spot on and appropriate that I didn't even notice it. That's saying a lot for me. There were choices on how the attacks occur that were, to me, bold and surprising. I didn't mind that the story was a well-used one, or that I figured out right off what was happening and who the baddie is. I got involved with the people, the sudden upset in their lives, and the mechanisms through which they have to go to resolve the threats. If nothing else, this film is a good example of how plot and theme are two different things. There were enough twists and interesting choices for me to enjoy and follow the plot, and enough good acting for me to become engaged and invested in these people and their troubles.

Two Thumbs Up

[ali232323 · 9/10 · 31 May 2006]

I watched Engaged to Kill while I was traveling, and happened upon it while channel surfing in my hotel room. I quickly became engrossed in the plot, and enjoyed the suspense, and this movie was SUSPENSEFUL, beginning to end.

The fact that it was based on a true story prompted me to do a bit of Googling about the real-life story.

The cast was recognizable, which was what initially caught my eye. The storyline was well planned, and the end was very satisfying. It's on again on June 11, and since I watched on a crummy hotel T.V. I plan to watch it again.

Engaged to Kill was better than most T.V. movies. I enjoyed it.

Engaged was engaging

[Fieldsp341 · 10/10 · 21 February 2009]

I watch this movie each time it is repeated on Lifetime. I thought it was engaging to watch with all the ups and downs the family went through. I do agree however that some of the editing did not make sense, and some of the plot lines were left hanging. With this being a true story about Abby Lord, I felt the movie concentrated too much on the daughter and not that of Abby and family. I initially watched it the first time because Joe Lando (who played Sully on Dr Quinn) was in it. I recognized others in the movie as I watched it. The one who plays Nick was also in the movie Vampire Wars with Joe Lando. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes true stories with happy endings. It is no worse than any other made for TV movie on Lifetime, but better than some.

Engaged to Kill? More Like Engaged to Thrill!

[Bexxter · 23 August 2010]

I agree with what most of the other posters have said. Engaged to Kill is a terrific Lifetime thriller. Contains all of the key elements of a good Lifetime movie- creepy male killer and heroic female heroines. However, that being said, and maybe I'm being nitpicky, but it could have been made better.

First of all the title. *Almost* pure genius. See the creepy killer is indeed engaged, as in ready, to kill- not once, but twice- in the beginning when the doctor is kidnapped and he plans to kill her and at the end when he tries to kill her daughter. And then, he is really engaged, as in betrothed to marriage, as he proposes to the daughter. See what they did there? But then I thought, maybe he is engaged to his girlfriend in the beginning of the film. The title then has meaning not once, but in four different ways in the movie. I think I just blew my own mind! Sheer genius of a double-entendre titling huh? Almost... He did not *need* to get engaged 'to' kill. He could have just been dating the daughter and did the same thing. So really, it could have been named 'Engaged and Kills'. Though it would have packed the punch of the original title, it would have been more accurate. I think the best title would have been- 'Mother May I Sleep with Danger II' or 'Mother May I Be Engaged to Danger'. That would have been mucho better.

Here's another issue. The mother doctor is being framed by the creepy boyfriend because he gets a patient to say that one of her procedures went wrong. Now mind you, that would give me seconds thoughts about seeing a doctor under investigation. But then her boss says they are getting flooded with patients complaining that she was rude and rough with the patients. Just because there is one allegation of malpractice does not automatically prompt patients to accuse a doctor of other things- especially if she is a truly good and honest doctor. What I think happened is once one person was perceived as being brave enough to stand up against her other patients became emboldened enough to speak up about how she mistreated them over the years. I think she was a truly shady doctor who *finally* got her just desserts! Also, what's up with the creepy boyfriend's henchman? How many henchmen can pull off impersonating a gynecologist? And he's a good looking guy- not the kind of guys you see in lockup. He should doing something else, like making made for TV movies...

Finally, the ending comeuppance line could have been better. The daughter is standing at the door after having a major artery slashed (don't worry paramedics that trusty drape pull will hold!). As a final shot at the creepy boyfriend, she says, in a cute way, Aloha! See because they were going to get married in Hawaiia & the writers, with a never dying love of double entendre, also knew that Aloha means both hello and goodbye in Hawaiian. But why not take it a little further and emphasize the last syllable- Alo-HA! Boy, they could have scored *triple* entendre there. Or why not something simple and tongue in cheek- like, 'Oh, I'm calling the engagement off- Alo-Ha! That way they could have worked the film title back into the script. Lost opportunities that separate good, from *great* films...

Okay, well there's my four cents. Again, I highly recommend "Mother May I Sleep with.. I mean 'Engaged to Thrill' to anyone.