I happened upon this movie on a rainy day. The plot is interesting but the explanations given are not satisfactory. Why did Sam wait five years to attempt to see his wife? How could they release his body to his "new wife" when he was still married to his original wife? I watched the whole movie because I wanted to know what happened and I enjoyed the romantic part of it. All actors did a poor job at times but overall it was good relaxing two hours and I could still fold laundry as I didn't feel I had to concentrate. The plot could be developed and refined into a very good movie with better actors. I really enjoyed watching Andrew Walker he is very cute.
15 Reviews
Lifetime
SnoopyStyle22 July 2018
Jean Brooks (Mädchen Amick) is shocked when her presumed dead husband Sam turns up in the morgue 5 years later. She hires Eddie Fate (Andrew W. Walker) to investigate the missing years which show no records of him. The police believes it's all about the insurance money.
This is a better-than-most Lifetime movie. The premise has good noir possibilities. Amick is a great actress. Once she hires Eddie, they should investigate together and build chemistry. This should be them having a fun thrilling ride uncovering the mystery. It's a mistake to let them separate. In many ways, I'm not concerned about the mystery. It's a McGuffin. The main aspect is the relationship and there's not enough of it. They get together later which is a little too late.
This is a better-than-most Lifetime movie. The premise has good noir possibilities. Amick is a great actress. Once she hires Eddie, they should investigate together and build chemistry. This should be them having a fun thrilling ride uncovering the mystery. It's a mistake to let them separate. In many ways, I'm not concerned about the mystery. It's a McGuffin. The main aspect is the relationship and there's not enough of it. They get together later which is a little too late.
Slow moving but Madchen is lovely
phd_travel17 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
A woman who thinks she has been widowed for 5 years finds out one day her husband has just died and has been leading some secret double life all this time. So she hires an investigator to find out what happened. Madchen Amick looks really pretty here. She has chemistry with her co star Andrew W Walker. The action is slow to unfold and as there is some rather vague medical conspiracy thing. When the mystery is finally explained it isn't that clear but by then don't really care.
Badly acted boring and predictable script
kajtek11 September 2005
Bad acting (except Mädchen Amick, who is OK), awful dialogs, poor plot but could pass if not the dialogs and acting. Predictable and boring plot. I can go on and on with negativity. Just awful. The first 10 minutes is interesting and intriguing although poor acting is obvious almost from the beginning. Police finds dead men whose wife thought that he had died in boating accident five years ago. There were so many ways to keep the film interesting. I do not think that even good acting could save the film unless somebody would rewrite the script. The rest of the 90 minutes I consider as a wasted time. You can check if you have the same taste but I warned you.
Complete dud
jan518_127 January 2006
Dreadful film, with some of the worst acting this side of "Dynasty." I've seen Mädchen Amick before, and liked her, but this time she definitely sank to the level of the script. But give her credit--at least she had the good sense to look embarrassed and uncomfortable (constipated even) virtually every time she uttered one of her poorly-written lines. And who is Andrew W. Walker? My best guess is, he's related to the director or casting director, because how else could such an unappealing and untalented actor be cast in this part? The chemistry between the "leads" wasn't just missing--it had actually turned putrid and emitted a foul odor. Save yourself a lot of aggravation and 2 hours of your precious time. Avoid this movie!!!
Great for .TV. Movie
sabrinambayi-16 February 2006
The very first couple of times when I saw this film I was actually bored by it but then When I saw Andrew walker I was a bit surprised to see him there and also a bit disappointed with his acting but even tho the story line is a bit to predictable you still want to watch it till the end of the movie to find out what will happen. Madchen Amick still looks beautiful as ever and Andrew Walker is hotter so my guest is that maybe the acting is bad,the story line is a bit low with a little bit of a bad directing I think if you give this movie a chance I mean you will see that its not so bad they are worst films than this, more will come on later who knows.
Give this one a miss!!!!
ewoodeva21 February 2012
The twist where obvious, and the links from clue to clue where so forced. Have seen worse films but not by far. The films starts with the news thats Jeans husband who died 5 years ago wasn't dead after all and had died the previous day hence the detectives visit to jean. This was enough to catch my attention but the film did not live up to what could have been a very intriguing plot.
The police can only confirm that her husband is dead and take the case no further, no post mortem and no questions ask, the film then turns romance based which also fails to capture the imagination.
certainly won't go down in history as a classic, give this one a miss
The police can only confirm that her husband is dead and take the case no further, no post mortem and no questions ask, the film then turns romance based which also fails to capture the imagination.
certainly won't go down in history as a classic, give this one a miss
Excellent 'made-for-tv' movie
Go_Skins2 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Caught this one on cable the other night. I actually thought it was enjoyable. It's about a couple who are separated after a tragic event years ago and reunited years later. The lady finds out he didn't die until recently. She goes to Detroit with a former cop-turned P.I., to investigate further as to what happened. She gets to know the investigator quite well and ends up falling in love with him. This was a good movie with some lesser known actors who keep the movie going! It stars Madchen Amick as Jean the widow and Andrew Walker as the investigator that accompanies her to Detroit. Definitely worth checking it out if you're into a drama or a good thriller!!
Heroine is evil
bellebrise1 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I watched a very little of this film, coming into a point twenty minutes into the story. The butler was a cardboard caricature, clearly someone who would be disowned by every school of butling in the country - although the USA may be a little short in that regard. The male and female leads entered and were seated. The widow whom they were visiting, with no good purpose probably, joined them and offered them tea. After a brief and stilted exchange the female lead, Madchen, goes to the bathroom. Coming out she takes advantage of the fact that she is alone, to examine the bureau and look at some stuff. She then goes into the bedroom and has a root around on the desk, before opening the wardrobe and examining the shirts of the deceased male. So we know from this one scene that the "heroine", the poor wronged woman, is in fact a nasty prying person, with neither manners or morals. Whatever the other woman may have done, we are on her side now.
Not bad for a made for TV movie
jordondave-2808521 March 2023
(2005) Lies and Deception
MYSTERY THRILLER
Chicago housewife, Jean Brooks (Madchen Amick) receives a notice that her certified doctor husband's dead body had been discovered in a car located in Detroit who assumed to dead five years ago from a boating accident . And that because this recent news of her late husband's death was labelled as a suicide, the investigation was deemed to be closed. However, Jean then finds out that she has problems returning his body back to Chicago, only to find out later that her husband had lead a double life, and that he has already been cremated by a wife Jean knows nothing about who lives in Detroit. Advising by the Chicago police department not to get involve, the homicide detective who closed the file suggests to Jean that if she wanted to find out more about this other life Jean knows nothing about, that she should employ the services of a private investigator, and he hands her a card. At first, she is reluctant but later gives in meeting, Eddie Fate (Andrew Walker) and upon his investigation there is foul play. And of course, both Jean and Eddie relationship escalates the more they uncover about her late husband's business dealings.
Not bad despite already been done before as there is one revelation after the next, despite attempting to be family friendly - the subject matter is not so much family friendly.
Chicago housewife, Jean Brooks (Madchen Amick) receives a notice that her certified doctor husband's dead body had been discovered in a car located in Detroit who assumed to dead five years ago from a boating accident . And that because this recent news of her late husband's death was labelled as a suicide, the investigation was deemed to be closed. However, Jean then finds out that she has problems returning his body back to Chicago, only to find out later that her husband had lead a double life, and that he has already been cremated by a wife Jean knows nothing about who lives in Detroit. Advising by the Chicago police department not to get involve, the homicide detective who closed the file suggests to Jean that if she wanted to find out more about this other life Jean knows nothing about, that she should employ the services of a private investigator, and he hands her a card. At first, she is reluctant but later gives in meeting, Eddie Fate (Andrew Walker) and upon his investigation there is foul play. And of course, both Jean and Eddie relationship escalates the more they uncover about her late husband's business dealings.
Not bad despite already been done before as there is one revelation after the next, despite attempting to be family friendly - the subject matter is not so much family friendly.
An Average TV Thriller About A Long Dead Husband Who Turns Up Dead...
P3n-E-W1s310 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Jean Brooks (Amick) is surprised when Detective Ortuso (Calabretta) turns up on her doorstep with news of her husband's death. This is a shock as her husband died five years earlier. The mystery grows deeper as the dead man's identity is proven to be Jean's Husband Sam (Thibaudeau). Unable to help her, Ortuso recommends P.I. Eddie Fate (Walker). They set out to discover what Sam had been doing for the missing five years.
This is a slow burner of a mystery film as the twists and turns unravel slowly. However, this works well within the confines of the story and it allows the actors to shine. Everybody does a good job with their characters, though I think Amick's portrayal is a little lax and lazy. I would've expected more emotion coming from a person in her predicament. Walker does a respectable job with his character and keeps his portrayal engaging, for the viewers.
Belanger directs the film to an average standard. There's no wonderful or iconic shots or camera angles in the movie. He doesn't even use filters to change the atmosphere and mood, opting to work in optimal light at all times. This isn't a bad thing, it doesn't detract from the film but it doesn't add anything new or interesting to keep the audience's attention.
Though it's not too original or adventurous in it's filming I still found the movie enjoyable. For a TV Thriller, it's worth at least one viewing, though I'd only recommend watching it if you have nothing else to watch.
This is a slow burner of a mystery film as the twists and turns unravel slowly. However, this works well within the confines of the story and it allows the actors to shine. Everybody does a good job with their characters, though I think Amick's portrayal is a little lax and lazy. I would've expected more emotion coming from a person in her predicament. Walker does a respectable job with his character and keeps his portrayal engaging, for the viewers.
Belanger directs the film to an average standard. There's no wonderful or iconic shots or camera angles in the movie. He doesn't even use filters to change the atmosphere and mood, opting to work in optimal light at all times. This isn't a bad thing, it doesn't detract from the film but it doesn't add anything new or interesting to keep the audience's attention.
Though it's not too original or adventurous in it's filming I still found the movie enjoyable. For a TV Thriller, it's worth at least one viewing, though I'd only recommend watching it if you have nothing else to watch.
Intriguing ,almost Hitchcockian, romantic thriller
ritzbros-17 February 2007
Having seen this TV film twice I was especially taken with the rather ingenious plot involving a doctor's widow attempting to learn the truth after he apparently dies a second time 5 years later. Why did he first fake his death in a boating accident despite a successful practice and a happy marriage? Little wonder she engages the services of a handsome young private investigator to get to the bottom of the baffling mystery. The viewer is kept off balance throughout thanks to numerous novel plot twists. Moreover the acting of the two likable leads is quite satisfactory and the dialogue rings true. Even the photography is a notch above average. All in all I would give this cleverly conceived and executed movie 10 out of 10 stars.
B+ Movie
markdefaziomusic23 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This is obviously not a blockbuster but it is watchable despite some trite dialogue. The male main character is a private eye that somehow never carries a gun and does not know how to fight. The predictable affair with his client can be overlooked since they are two good looking humans. The tarot card aspect was not necessary and did not make the story complete. It has Lifetime written all over it.
The Truth About Sam
lavatch26 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
There was a nice framing device to "Lies and Deception" with a Tarot reading for the protagonist Jean Brooks. In a dynamic opening scene, the Tarot reader was sensitive as she provided a spot-on analysis of Jean's fortunes and the trial that lies ahead of her.
Jean was confused when her husband Sam, a doctor and cancer researcher, died in an apparent boating accident, yet resurfaced five years later only to be found dead in his car. Against the wishes of her devoted mother, Jean moves into action to investigate the circumstances of her husband's five years spent away from her.
Enlisted in the investigation is the private eye Eddie Fate. It is not an understatement to suggest that Jean's fate rests in Eddie's strong hands. The couple visit Detroit where they meet Sam's second wife, the mysterious Charlotte Porter.
In the most complicated of the plot strands in the film, Charlotte turns out to be Sam's sister Denise. She has colluded with her partner in crime, Dr. Chris Schwartzman to effectively hold Sam hostage while they develop a plan to illegally sell Sam's cancer medication, which he tested in Mexico.
Jean and Eddie finally learn the truth about the two scammers. In the process, Jean and Eddie fall in love! There was a well-crafted denouement in which Jean returns for a Tarot reading that augurs well for her future love life. The film was well-crafted, and the performances were top-notch in this thriller that finally uncovers the truth about Sam.
Jean was confused when her husband Sam, a doctor and cancer researcher, died in an apparent boating accident, yet resurfaced five years later only to be found dead in his car. Against the wishes of her devoted mother, Jean moves into action to investigate the circumstances of her husband's five years spent away from her.
Enlisted in the investigation is the private eye Eddie Fate. It is not an understatement to suggest that Jean's fate rests in Eddie's strong hands. The couple visit Detroit where they meet Sam's second wife, the mysterious Charlotte Porter.
In the most complicated of the plot strands in the film, Charlotte turns out to be Sam's sister Denise. She has colluded with her partner in crime, Dr. Chris Schwartzman to effectively hold Sam hostage while they develop a plan to illegally sell Sam's cancer medication, which he tested in Mexico.
Jean and Eddie finally learn the truth about the two scammers. In the process, Jean and Eddie fall in love! There was a well-crafted denouement in which Jean returns for a Tarot reading that augurs well for her future love life. The film was well-crafted, and the performances were top-notch in this thriller that finally uncovers the truth about Sam.
Montreal in winter!
sjanders-8643028 November 2020
Madchen Amick is so attractive as is her co star Andrew Walker. They are trying to piece together the mystery of her husband's faked death and then his real death. It all has to do with his discovery of a Mexican cancer drug not approved yet in the States. His old friend Joseph Kell is somehow involved. Great popcorn, curl up, and watch.
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