I was disappointed in this made for TV flick, not because it copied the Hitchcock thriller "Strangers on a Train," but because it missed a golden opportunity to take the theme of that classic film and twist it into something new. From the beginning the connection with the Hitchcock masterpiece is obvious only instead of two strangers it's two female friends (actually three but only two are involved in the murder) and rather than a train setting it's one of the women's homes where the supposed pact is cemented.
Kristi (Yancy Butler) and Sheryl (Laura Soltis) are chums who are having problems with their husbands. A third friend Suzanne (Barbara Niven) is an attorney. Kristi believes her husband Dean (William deVry) to be cheating on her. Sheryl's husband, for some reason also named Dean (Bruce Boxleitner), a workaholic multi-millionaire has just informed his wife that he no longer loves her, wonders what he ever saw in the relationship, wants an immediate divorce, will give her a small settlement but no riches because of a prenuptial agreement. The two women are drinking when the conversation leads to how to dispose of the husbands. As in "Strangers on a Train," each agrees to kill the other's target, in this case the other's spouse. After she sobers up Kristi forgets the babble but Sheryl is dead serious and views the deal as a pact. In the meantime, Kristi confronts her husband with the evidence that he is having an extramarital affair. He is able to explain to Kristi's satisfaction that he only loves her. Kristi is happy but fails to tell Sheryl the reversal in her attitude about her husband. Sheryl proceeds to gun the bastard down, as she calls him. Once Kristi finds out what really happened and that now Sheryl expects her to kill the other husband, she confides in the two women's mutual friend Suzanne who advises Kristi to tell the police who are investigating the murder. Kristi explains that she is being blackmailed by Sheryl. So Suzanne places herself in harm's way by agreeing to help Kristi get the whole thing straightened out.
Since the viewer doesn't actually see Sheryl kill Kristi's husband--it's dark and only a shadowy figure is shown pulling the trigger--and since Sheryl's husband Dean brings out the point that his wife has a history of mental problems and drug dependency, it would have been a clever deviation from the original movie to have pointed the finger at others such as Suzanne or even Dean. But no. The writer/director George Erschbamer decides to stick to a copy of Hitchcock's film. So the movie plays out in a predictable manner.
There is also too much yakking in the script. I thought for awhile that the two friends would kill their husbands by talking them to death. The scene where Kristi and Sheryl plan the mutual murders is far too long, much to verbose. There is more action toward the end, but at times the talk still seems unending.
The acting is not bad for a TV film. Bruce Boxleitner is a capable actor and plays the part of a turd with élan. The three women in the lead roles are sufficient with perhaps the best performance given by Barbara Niven. At times the raspy voice of Yancy Butler is hard to hear. The entire cast is above average for this type movie.
If you're one of the few viewers who has never seen "Strangers on a Train," then you may enjoy this. Others beware. If you haven't seen Hitchcock's original, my advice is instead of watching this rehash, spend a little time finding "Strangers on a Train" at a video store and see it instead.
Kristi (Yancy Butler) and Sheryl (Laura Soltis) are chums who are having problems with their husbands. A third friend Suzanne (Barbara Niven) is an attorney. Kristi believes her husband Dean (William deVry) to be cheating on her. Sheryl's husband, for some reason also named Dean (Bruce Boxleitner), a workaholic multi-millionaire has just informed his wife that he no longer loves her, wonders what he ever saw in the relationship, wants an immediate divorce, will give her a small settlement but no riches because of a prenuptial agreement. The two women are drinking when the conversation leads to how to dispose of the husbands. As in "Strangers on a Train," each agrees to kill the other's target, in this case the other's spouse. After she sobers up Kristi forgets the babble but Sheryl is dead serious and views the deal as a pact. In the meantime, Kristi confronts her husband with the evidence that he is having an extramarital affair. He is able to explain to Kristi's satisfaction that he only loves her. Kristi is happy but fails to tell Sheryl the reversal in her attitude about her husband. Sheryl proceeds to gun the bastard down, as she calls him. Once Kristi finds out what really happened and that now Sheryl expects her to kill the other husband, she confides in the two women's mutual friend Suzanne who advises Kristi to tell the police who are investigating the murder. Kristi explains that she is being blackmailed by Sheryl. So Suzanne places herself in harm's way by agreeing to help Kristi get the whole thing straightened out.
Since the viewer doesn't actually see Sheryl kill Kristi's husband--it's dark and only a shadowy figure is shown pulling the trigger--and since Sheryl's husband Dean brings out the point that his wife has a history of mental problems and drug dependency, it would have been a clever deviation from the original movie to have pointed the finger at others such as Suzanne or even Dean. But no. The writer/director George Erschbamer decides to stick to a copy of Hitchcock's film. So the movie plays out in a predictable manner.
There is also too much yakking in the script. I thought for awhile that the two friends would kill their husbands by talking them to death. The scene where Kristi and Sheryl plan the mutual murders is far too long, much to verbose. There is more action toward the end, but at times the talk still seems unending.
The acting is not bad for a TV film. Bruce Boxleitner is a capable actor and plays the part of a turd with élan. The three women in the lead roles are sufficient with perhaps the best performance given by Barbara Niven. At times the raspy voice of Yancy Butler is hard to hear. The entire cast is above average for this type movie.
If you're one of the few viewers who has never seen "Strangers on a Train," then you may enjoy this. Others beware. If you haven't seen Hitchcock's original, my advice is instead of watching this rehash, spend a little time finding "Strangers on a Train" at a video store and see it instead.
