Fatal Desire (2006 TV Movie) User Reviews

A man and his demons

[sol-kay · 7/10 · 2 January 2008]

**SPOILER ALERT** Living alone with his twelve year son Teddy,James Edward Campbell, divorced ex-cop and now Atlantic City Casino pit-boss Joe, Eric Roberts, wants to start up a new relationship and does it by going on an internet dating website. It's there that Joe gets in contact by E-Mail with the hot and sexy Tanya Sullivan,Anne Heche, whom he tells that he's a big Atlantic City Casino honcho who in fact owns or is part owner of an expensive Atlantic City Casino called the Golden Treasure.

Before he knows it Tanya is sending Joe all kinds of sexy E-Mail photos of herself as well as a steamy video tape that has Joe all heated up to meet her and start up a wild hot and physical relationship with Tanya. Having been a cop Joe should have immediately picked up Tanya's body languages when he told her a short time after they finally met in the flesh that he's not the casino owner but just a poor working stiff who's employed there. Finding that Joe isn't the daddy big bucks that she expected him to be almost had Tanya blow it by walking out on the guy after spending an evening with him in a Golden Treasure hotel room. ***SPOILER***Regaining her composer Tanya instead decided to use the clueless, to what her intentions are, Joe to do in her hard working husband Mark, Mark A. Owens, who runs a junkyard in Pittsburgh Pa.

Making up this vicious cock & bull story about Mark being "in" with the mob Tanya gets Joe to believe that he's an abusive husband and in fact will kill her if he ever found out that she's having an affair with him. Trying to get Tanya to divorce Mark only has her get Joe deeper into her sinister plan in telling Joe that he would kill her if she ever as much as left him for another man. The final kicker is after Tanya told Joe that she's pregnant with his child that within days he gets the bad news, via E-Mail of course, that Mark had his boys do a number on her beating and water-boarding, in the family swimming pool, Tanya! If that wasn't enough to get Joe all steamed up Tanya told him that Mark also had his hoods not only rape her, in front of him, but also had her, and Joe's, unborn child forcibly aborted! All this was shown to Joe with a number of E-Mail photos of Tanya's face and body savagely bruised and battered!

It's sad to say that Joe, having been a cop for years, let his emotions take over his common sense in not realizing that he's being set up to do Tanya's dirty work. It's Joe's blind love and affection for the scheming and manipulative Tanya that in the end not only literately destroyed his life but the lives of everyone including his son Teddy and fellow Golden Treasure worker casino card dealer Pula, Katheer York, who really cared for him.

The movie in fact does have an happy ending in that Tanya didn't get away with what she did to both Joe and her husband Mark. Being so much in love with Tanya Joe kept all the E-Mail, which turned out to be evidence against her, that Tanya sent him. Tanya tried to put the by then broken and suicidally depressed Joe out of her life forever by wiping out all the memories, as well as E-Mails, that she had received through the internet from him. It was just too bad for her that Joe was still holding a torch for Tanya, despite how she treated him, and that torch in the end was what burned her.

Fatal Error

[krorie · 5/10 · 4 April 2006]

This made for TV thriller is based on a book entitled "Fatal Error," which is almost what this film turned out to be. Toward the end, once the murder actually takes place, "Fatal Desire" picks up a little speed to a somewhat unexpected conclusion. The movie spends too much time on background, even attempting unsuccessfully to introduce a subplot involving Joe's (Eric Roberts) son who is caught in the middle of his father's chaotic lifestyle. Along these same lines, Tanya (Anne Heche), the troubled woman Joe meets via a chat room on the net, has a daughter, who once introduced nearly disappears from the story.

The plot, based on a true story, sounds exciting on the surface. A lonely divorced man, Joe, begins meeting women online, which spices up his life. A co-worker at the casino where he works continually hits on him, even informing him that she hasn't had sex in twelve months. Joe views her as a good friend, someone to whom he can talk and confide his feelings. She warns him about the dangers of net dating. He becomes drawn to an online femme fatale, Tanya, who not only comes on to him but even sends him revealing photos through his e-mail. The couple ultimately meet and seem to be very compatible. One problem, Tanya is married. The two begin to spend time together when suddenly Tanya informs Joe that she is pregnant with his baby. Tanya claims that her husband is abusive. She e-mails Joe pictures of her bruises; then tells him that she has lost the baby as a result of the beatings and a gang rape that her husband engineered. This sends Joe over the edge with predictable results.

Anne Heche takes the acting accolades without any real competition. Her part even involves a salacious dance or two including vocals. She plays her role so well that she convinces the audience of her sincerity yet is also believable when her true colors start showing. Unfortunately, Eric Roberts, who looks aged and tired, seems to be walking through his portrayal of the complex character Joe. Could be that he has played this type person so often that he has become burnt out. The others in the cast are adequate, especially the actress playing Joe's co-worker and confidant.

The last fifteen minutes are worthwhile, if you can stay awake through the first hour and a half. This is one of those shows that should have been much better, with such an intriguing premise. That chat rooms and net dating services rely on fantasy and wish fulfillment that often lead to unrealistic and even dangerous consequences is a subject that still needs to be explored more fully in a suspense film.

The second half is the better part so patience is required.

[deloudelouvain · 5/10 · 11 February 2021]

Some facts about Fatal Desire: It's a tv-movie so sadly it isn't of the highest quality. It's based on a true story which makes it a bit more interesting to watch. It's starring Eric Roberts, which in my opinion is not a guarantee for great acting, but in this case it wasn't that bad, certainly not his worst movie. The chemistry between Anne Heche and Eric Roberts is a bit cheesy to watch in the beginning but you're get used to it. The best part of the movie is the last part but you have to wait long for it so patience is the keyword here. In conclusion for a tv-movie it's worth a watch but it's just not great cinema.

Good TV Movie

[nicholls_les · 7/10 · 3 January 2019]

Not a bad movie and it's shocking that it is based on a true story. Both Eric Roberts and Anne Heche do a good job of playing two troubled characters. Roberts character Joe is hooked on talking to a woman on-line and his obsession with her starts a chain of events that lead to him killing her husband. He had no idea that he was being used by her and when he realizes this he takes his own life but not before making sure the evidence of her involvement is passed to the Police. The whole story would seem far fetched were it not based on actual events.

Story of a sociopath chick

[nanettemeau · 7/10 · 22 September 2022]

Makes me think about Anne Heche's true self. Given her sordid background and alleged sexual abuse from her pa the film seemed as if this is the true A. H. There's a part in the film of disclosure that is rumored to have actually happened to her as a kid. Sad to think how troubled and emotionally messed up some people are in real life. Sure this was a film about someone else but seemed like this was about Anne. Go ahead and watch it. It's very believable considering online dating is the norm. Besides the profound behind the scenes chit chat i'd say you're peeking into Anne's true unstable character.

Trashy psychopath.

DECENT TV MOVIE!

[skarylarry-93400 · 7/10 · 24 February 2022]

Read the true story on line; Many details are not accurate. If she wanted to get away with this murder, she should have kept seeing him for a few months; that was her Fatal Error! Thank God she was an idiot! And.... Jerry (REAL name) was a real gullible fool! Too bad how it turned out! He seemed like a decent person! I have to say, the character Roberts played was the biggest puss* ever, in cinema history!

Fatal mistake

[guil12 · 5 June 2010]

First of all this age old story of boy meets girl, boys falls in love with girl, girl tricks boy into dirty deeds, girl dumps boy, is done to death (no pun intended). Add to this trite, overdone and often boring movie for TV, the lack of talents from Eric Roberts and Anne Heche. Roberts looks haggard and shriveled. His acting matches his looks. I never considered this guy an actor. Just the brother of Julia making it on her name. In this it shows his ability to stretch his emotions from 1- 2. In It's My Party, he costarred with Gregory Harrison. Harrison and a roster of guest stars made the movie a hit. Roberts was not the best in the film. And in this his co-star Heche (also known as Ellen's ex) was just as bad. Not a looker, it was embarrassing to see her playing a sexy broad with a flat body, skinny legs and no bosom.

This movie is worse than a B picture and should be labeled one of the worst ever!

Anne Heche Burns Up the Screen

[arfdawg-1 · 4/10 · 15 April 2024]

Nearly washed up, toasted, actor Eric Roberts stars in this movie. Apparently it was made before his total downfall where now he makes 52 movies a year and is in them for 10 minutes each. He's actually in this entire movie.

Then there is Anne Heche, who looks very very fetching in this flick. Great tight body. She's hot. Scorching hot. Like burning up on the screen. She's like a runaway car barreling down the road ready to spin out of control and crash in a burst of flames.

The movie isn't horrible, but it won't win any awards either. An easy late night watch. Who knows how true the story is? I sure don't.

Actions have consequences, even online.....

[MarieGabrielle · 8/10 · 10 January 2008]

This was based on the true story of Tanya Sullivan, and how she set up an acquaintance she met while searching an online dating service.

Anne Heche is very good as the lead, a selfish, bored and somewhat disturbed housewife in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Eric Roberts becomes enraptured, he is a retired New Jersey cop who works as a pit boss in Atlantic City. His life has unraveled, and he sees Tanya as an answer to his depression.

While the locations and facts may have been altered to protect the guilty in this case, the story is intriguing in that we see the initial meeting, infatuation, and story-telling that often exists. Eric Roberts is a sympathetic character, in that he thinks he has found true love.

Overall a good story worth watching. 8/10.

Surprisingly good...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 19 June 2020]

Initially when I stumbled upon this 2006 movie titled "Fatal Desire" and I read the synopsis for the movie and saw who was in it, I must admit that my expectations weren't really high. But still, it being a movie that I hadn't seen before, was sufficient to make me sit down and watch it.

Turns out that this movie was actually rather enjoyable, and actually surprised me. In fact, I will actually say that it was an entertaining movie and while I am definitely no fan of Eric Roberts, I must admit that he was actually really good in his role in "Fatal Desire", as was Anne Heche.

Sure, the storyline is pretty simplistic and predictable, and generic for a movie of this particular genre and type. But that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. And the good acting performances definitely helped to lift up the overall movie. Personally, I must say that the whole online dating aspect that the movie had worked out very nicely.

My rating for "Fatal Desire" is a six out of ten stars, and I will actually go as far as saying that if you get the chance to watch this movie from director Ralph Hemecker then you should do so.

Good Film With Eric Roberts

[MagicStarfire · 8/10 · 3 April 2006]

I watched this film because Eric Roberts stars in it. He is one of my fave actors. Although Eric is probably approaching 50, he still looks very handsome and sexy, and has obviously kept himself in shape - as evidenced by some shirtless scenes where he looks darn good.

Eric, who is sadly underrated as an actor, in my opinion, does a fine job in this romantic thriller.

Eric plays a character named Joe, a guy who works in a casino in Atlantic City. A newly divorced dad, he's ripe for a new relationship and finds it with a gal named Tanya (Anne Heche), who calls herself sexykitten on-line. That's right, they meet via the Internet.

Joe and Tanya (I noted the characters names evidently were changed since the list of the cast was first given to IMDb), quickly become enamored with one another and he is anxious to meet her in person.

She arrives in Atlantic City and fireworks happen. There are a few little problems for the lovers, however. Tanya confesses to Joe that she is married, and eventually tells Joe her husband, Mark, is physically abusive to her.

Joe has had a few problems himself along the way, and he is sympathetic to Tanya's situation.

They stay in touch after she returns home to Pittsburgh.

Joe wants Tanya to leave her husband, but she is reluctant and fearful.

Things become more intense when threats, and violence occur, followed by some unexpected revelations.

The film was well-paced, entertaining, and held my interest throughout.

8 stars out of 10

Based On A True Story

[rjmarzano · 8/10 · 20 December 2008]

I caught this movie on the LMN TV channel.

Eventually I realized it is based on a true story. There's also an episode of the TV show 'Forensic Files' about this case called 'Web Of Seduction'.

In the real story these people met in the chat rooms on AOL which I used to go into quite often. However I didn't hang out in the types of chat rooms they met in.

People have to be careful when meeting people anonymously on the internet and then getting involved with them.

It's a good movie, especially by LMN standards, and is relevant for today's world where people meet on the internet. It starts out quite romantically.

Jeff Marzano

Looking for love in all the wrong places

[nvasapper · 10/10 · 4 April 2006]

I saw this film last night when it premiered on the Lifetime network and was very impressed with it. It was absolutely superb from start to finish. It stars Eric Roberts and Anne Heche, two excellent actors who give a tour de force performance here. To say that their performances are outstanding would be an understatement. They played their respective characters with such realism and believability, I almost forgot that I was just watching a movie. Based on a true story, the film explores the perils and pitfalls of looking for romance on the Internet. In this, it shares a similarity with another film that Lifetime showed in 1993. That film was called "Dying To Love You" starring Tracy Pollan. Although that film used the personal ads medium as its hook instead of the Internet, the idea was basically the same- lonely divorced father meets beautiful woman with tragic results. In "Fatal Desire", Eric Roberts plays an ex-police detective from Rhode Island now working as a pit boss at an Atlantic City casino. He starts an e-mail relationship with Anne Heche, who plays a married woman named Tanya Sullivan living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her young daughter and a husband whom she says abuses her. When they finally meet in person, they're very obviously smitten with one another and consummate their relationship right away. Heche's character displays a certain edginess hinting at a possible mental instability. Nonetheless, Roberts falls in love with her and tries to convince her to divorce her husband so they can be married. She tells him that's not an option and that her husband found out she was fooling around and beat her bloody. The photos she e-mails Roberts, showing her bruised and battered face, seem to bear out her story. To put the icing on the cake, she tells Roberts that her husband also hired two men to beat and rape her as well. Roberts tells her he's going to take care of the problem and she gives him directions to the auto salvage yard where he works. After "taking care" of the problem, Roberts finds that Heche has cut off all communication with him- no e-mails, no phone calls, nothing. The police initially treat what happened as a burglary gone bad. The film takes a few neat twists and turns here when Roberts finally confronts her in person. Another twist involves payback from beyond the grave, though not in a supernatural sense. And the last is in the revealing of Tanya's personality- and it isn't pretty. What she does in the last scene, when being interrogated at police headquarters, is quite unnerving and will leave a chill running down your spine. This is a phenomenal production and I give it a 10 out of 10, hands down.

Fatal Desire-When SexyKitten meets Jersey Dude Online **** Results

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 15 April 2006]

Eric Roberts has matured but has never been better than an alcoholic ex-cop who gets involved online with an apparently unhappy woman who is married. Their above names are their online names.

They meet online and a raging affair ensues linking Pittsburgh, Pa. and Atlantic City, N.J.

Trouble is that a lot starts to evolve from the affair. Our "kitten" becomes pregnant and tells of her abusive husband who may be mob linked.

Enraged when she informs him that she loses the child, Roberts, who urged Heche to remain non-violent confronts the husband and shoots him to death. It's at this point where the story really turns. Heche shows great acting in her change to a vicious, calculating woman who used Roberts to further her goal.

Will not give away the ending but will say-"Hell hath no fury like a man who is scorned."

Actually Pretty Good

[Bmac48 · 8/10 · 19 November 2006]

Fatal Desire illustrates just how cunning a person can be in our walk of life. The reality came across very well in this movie. Internet meetings are very common these days. Relationships have been formed over the internet for years, so the plot is realistic. The ending didn't surprise me, but it was interesting nonetheless. It was actually a pretty good movie. I actually chose to watch it to see the ending, rather than watch football this afternoon. Both Anne Heche and Eric Roberts did a whale of a job. I intend to watch it again, and recommend it highly. I'm quite sure you'll enjoy it. If you liked fatal Attraction, you'll like this one.

Damn good for a made-for-TV movie...

[roth81 · 8/10 · 28 November 2013]

Tanya Sullivan (Anne Heche) meets over Internet a great gay, casino employee Joe Donnely (Eric Roberts), an ex cop -made to resign after testifying truthfully against the PD- and divorced father. After months of hot mail, Tanya flies a first time to Atlantic City and they start to having an affair........

Eric Roberts does a decent job in this movie. In this movie he shows that he can act. still he is played away by Heche. No one can play an uneducated, low class, skanky and manipulative slut better than Anne Heche. Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction was kids-play compared by this performance of Heche.

The Movie is slow-paced in the beginning and the script is so-so...but Heche and Roberts make the movie with their acting. Two lesser actors would have reduced it to a hack piece of garbage.

Surprisingly Good - Recommended

[diddleysquat · 10/10 · 29 February 2008]

Some time back, I read a brief summary of this film in a TV program listing online. For some reason, it sounded better than it's rather "soapish" title would suggest. I recorded it, then all but forgot about it.... until....

Until, in the midst of packing and preparing to move to another state, I got so tired and anxious about the work that I decided to watch some of those old recordings in the hopes that they would get my mind off things. "Fatal Desire" was last of the recorded shows. I couldn't remember why I taped something with a title like that, and counted on it to be worth 15 minutes of watching and put me to sleep.

What a surprise! Within a few minutes minutes I was completely drawn into the story and watched intently. What made the movie so intriguing to me was that all-important aspect of movie-making - character development.

The viewer will know from the first scenes of the film that it will end in a tragedy for the character Joe. Then, a couple of minutes later, we're sent back in time six months. There we meet Tanya, an captivating character who behaves recklessly at bars but seems entirely different at home with a daughter she obviously loves very much.

From there the story turns to her affair with Joe, started over the internet. The viewer can never be quite sure what's going to happen. At times Tanya seems truly sincere. But the film crew has carefully crafted a lead character who just simply gave me "bad vibes." It's like in real life. There's something disturbing about this woman .... but I couldn't quite put your finger on it.

As things move along in the story, it doesn't miss a beat. I spent the entire two hours (counting commercials) taking in every little hint of something wrong in the relationship. They both seem sincere... but the feeling never left that I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

No matter what the ending had been to this film (no spoiler here!), you have two complex very characters in an odd relationship that will keep you in real suspense.

It's an amazing movie - well directed, wonderfully acted, realistic dialogue. I certainly never expected something this gripping!

Ten stars for "Fatal Desire."

Excellent film and pairing

[caa821 · 10/10 · 11 August 2006]

The two leads here may not have the star power of Eric Roberts' sister or, say, Harrison Ford - but I'd rather watch either of them than their more acclaimed counterparts. I'd spend two hours watching Anne Heche sitting, looking at a wall while the paint dried. She was perfect as the vampish sexpot here. Eric looked a little tired at times (some of it due to the characterization) and parts of his performance were a bit "wooden." However, this can be excused. If my count is correct, according to his IMDb biography, he has been in 14 productions either released in 2006 or for release in 2007. This picture is interesting throughout, and does something even a lot of top-budget films don't accomplish. The scenes and situations show a realism throughout, in terms of the sets, locations, and presentation - for example, the casino in Atlantic City, Roberts' and Heche's respective dwellings, and all the other sites. The supporting cast also all ring true. Although the A+ types such as Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan get the major big screen gigs - and while I enjoy their pairings, I'd just as soon (maybe prefer) seeing Heche and Roberts in one of that type of production.

Excellent Reenactment of a TRUE Story!

[bronzesrv · 10/10 · 12 November 2018]

This was an excellent story and it was executed very closely to the real life story that happened. I have followed this case when it happened. This crazy b**** got exactly what she deserved, it was so sad how she manipulated someone who was already weak and mentally ill to do her dirty work. He didn't go down without a fight and what he left behind got Her life in prison!

10 stars because i like anne for years since in soaps....

[domincanredangel · 10/10 · 16 April 2009]

i am seeing it now as i've been a HUGE anne heche fan for years we are the same age around,and i love her"real type of acting"in all of her roles!eric is somewhat handsome sexy charming good actor, love them two in this,have it on again tonight,since i've never seen the whole movie. i hear it is sad at the end,however also hear over the past few years that"she"deserve it,so i guess i will see tonight.we have it on now,and this time i am going to "finish watching the entire 2 hours!" if i do not doze off again first.as the old saying goes my IN Love parents say: treat those the way YOU en vida,(in life)wanna be treated if not it will COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU,sound like that is what is going to happen in the movie.

adios.

divorced man meets psychotic lady on the personals on the internet

[jsbfenster · 10/10 · 28 July 2008]

Eric Roberts was never better! Anne Heche played a very different kind of role for her. Highly recommend this movie as it displays the dangers of internet correspondence. It is available for downloads on ITunes However it cannot be burned to CDs. It will cost $3.99 to buy it but it is well worth it for you to own.

Check it out. The movie was actually filmed in Nova Scotia. For those of you who do not know, Eric Roberts is Julia Roberts brother. If you never saw Runnaway Train, Eric Roberts is terrific. He is also in a small role in the new Batman flick, "The Dark Knight." If anyone knows of a website that this movie can be purchased, please advise.