Willed to Kill (TV Movie 2012) Poster

(2012 TV Movie)

User Reviews

Review this title
15 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
6/10
the movie gives away its own secret
alannasser18 March 2013
It should be said from the start that this is a notch above the typical Lifetime movie. The lead actress is far better than most, and the story is above average. The film employs a familiar trope: the detective is contacted by the murderer during the course of her investigation. The murderer uses a voice distorter and speaks regularly with the detective by telephone. The bad guy is filmed in such a way as not to reveal his identity: from behind, in a shadow, from non-revealing angles. You've seen this many times before. Sometimes the viewer is allowed a bare glimpse of the murderer's chin or nose, but not enough to enable you to recognize the character. - Well, that's how it's supposed to work. But incredibly, the murderer is filmed in several shots so that his identity is clear. The filmmaker shows too much. This is clearly unintentional - you're not supposed to know which character, who, as in all these movies, turns out to be a character you're already familiar with but are not supposed to suspect, will turn out to be the culprit. But you do know, well before the final reveal, if you've been watching with only casual attention. This strikes me as a huge blunder. If you want to be kept in suspense, don't look at the murderer in the scenes in which he is on the telephone with the detective. If you do look, you'll recognize him.
14 out of 18 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
4/10
I am applying to Guinness book of records for executing the longest yawn
Ed-Shullivan25 October 2017
More than anything I dislike when I commit two (2) hours of my time only to find out that the suspect was the most obvious and that this so called "mystery film" was no mystery at all. The main character in this film is the gun toting Boston detective Karyn Mitchell, played with so little character by actress Sarah Jane Morris. I really wanted to enjoy a mystery/thriller that focuses in on a two decade old serial killer named the Hades serial killer. Unfortunately, as the potential suspects kept increasing the actual mystery of the film kept waning.

I appreciate that generally speaking, made for TV movies are made within limited time constraints and limited budgets. But why does this type of made for TV serial killer themed film(s) have to not only come with limited intrigue, but also limited acting?

I can only imagine how much more interesting this film would have been if someone like Maria Bello, or Kate Beckinsale had accepted the role of lead detective Karyn Mitchell. I can't blame the poor performance all on Sarah Jane Morris. There were other weak acting performances such as with the police forces psychiatrist Doctor Aaron Kade played boringly by actor Michael Riley, and also her love interest what's his name Mark Hanson (hard to remember what scenes he was in as they were the most boring......yaaaaaawwwn) played by Dylan Bruce.

Oh, and then came the silly ending when the brilliant detective Karyn Mitchell breaks the case wide open and she brazenly (they say brazen, I would say stupid) approaches her number one suspect without any backup and gets caught with her proverbial pants down (her gun is taken away from her) so we are supposed to be on the edge of our seat. I actually fell off of my chair and my fall woke me up, thus my applying to the Guinness book of records for the longest yawn.

The film Willed to Kill has a catchy title, and not much more going for it. I give it a 4/10 for at least trying to create some level of suspense but unfortunately it does not pass the mustard test.
12 out of 17 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
Underrated TV Movie about a Savvy Female Detective Chasing Serial Killers...
vnssyndrome8915 November 2017
'Willed to Kill', is a suspenseful thriller, that is well acted, & scripted for a TV movie of the week.

This movie was engaging, & thanks to the previous reviewer *alannasser*, I did not figure out who the killer was, until the last 15 minutes.

This movie follows Detective Karyn Mitchell, & her pursuit of killers. My one main problem regarding this movie is the main character Karyn has shot 3 serial killers, on her own. This is a bit improbable, but I went with it. I was able to suspend my disbelief about this, because Karyn is well played by Sarah Jane Morris, & so I am able to forgive this improbable bit of scripting.

Karyn is a savvy detective, who chooses to do things on her own, probably stemming from the fact that when she was a teenager, she discovered her father was a serial killer. She eventually turned him in, he went to prison, and was executed. But Karyn never forgave herself, because during her delay in reporting her father, he killed 3 more innocent people.

Now her past motivates her to become the best cop she can be, sometimes even sacrificing her own happiness, so that she can try to protect the innocent from the evil in the world.

Karyn arrives at her latest murder investigation, and it has the calling card of the infamous Hades serial killer from the '90's, who was never caught. Along with her partner, Detective Gavin McNabb, they try to determine if this is the same killer from the past, or just a copycat.

The killer seems to take a special interest in Karyn. He begins calling her, & seems to have access to privileged information, that he has no business knowing. The killer is also sending letters to the local investigative reporter, who also seems to have private knowledge about Karyn. Everywhere Karyn looks, she is surrounded by suspects...

Is it her partner-slash-ex-fiancé, whom she broke up with a year ago? He didn't take the ending of their relationship well, and now feels trapped by another woman he impregnated & feels forced to marry.

Is the Hades killer Dr. Aaron Kade, Karyn's psychiatrist? After she was forced to shoot & kill the last murderer she was after, the department required her to seek professional help. The doctor does seem a bit too inquisitive for her taste, & often says inappropriate things, like comparing her to the serial killers she hunts.

Is it Floyd, the investigative reporter, who always seems to be one step ahead of the police, and shows up at crime scenes before any of the other press? After all, the killer is sending Floyd letters with information that only the killer would know, or is he?

Is it Lieutenant Schneider, who seems to care about Karyn with fatherly concern, but who also removes her from the case, just when she's getting close?

Or is it her new boyfriend, Mark Hanson, who she just conveniently met outside of her gym, even though she's never seen him there before? Mark also installed electronics for 2 of the victims, was captured in a photograph of the crowd outside one of the crime scenes, and shares several of the traits with the Hades Killer. Could it be him?

This movie has good acting, decent writing, nice pacing, and great reveals. It is a SOLID thriller. Even though lots of the plot points are cliché, the acting more than makes up for this. I also wasn't expecting Oscar winning acting/writing from a Lifetime movie of the week. Please, people, stop expecting Oscar/Emmy performances, and you will enjoy these movies so much more.
7 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
3/10
Could make you lose the will to live ...
candyapplegrey20 March 2014
Hmm. Don't know about 'Willed to Kill' but watching this may make you lose your will to live. It's the typical serial killer fare but somehow accomplishes the feat of being formulaic and implausible at the same time. Quite an achievement. First of all, it's full of totally lame (and I mean seriously limping) jokes and what the scriptwriters obviously believe is entertaining banter, which is entirely unamusing.

The lead character (a female detective) jumps from one wrong conclusion to another, going off gung ho and half-cocked whenever she has a lead, never telling anyone where she's going and quite often endangering herself and others in the process before finally, approximately two hours after the rest of us, working out who is really responsible.

The protagonist's stupidity is only surpassed by that of her colleagues who are continually pursuing even less likely suspects than she is. As a consequence, you soon lose interest in who did what or why. I think we're supposed to care about a possible romance between the two leads but as it is, they're so badly written, it's hard to give a damn.

Just seen that this movie was actually nominated for an award: Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series. Now that really is a mystery.
9 out of 18 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Fast-paced, well-made, well constructed modern thriller
mgconlan-18 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
This morning I watched a quite good thriller I'd recorded from Lifetime over the weekend: "Willed to Kill," a 2012 production from Incendo Media that featured Sarah Jane Morris (hot!) as Boston homicide detective Karyn Mitchell (the pretentious spelling of the first name — what's wrong with "Karen"? — bothers me a little), who's already blown away two previous serial killers when, in one of the most chilling opening sequences ever put on film, she enters a house where a knife-wielding psycho has tied up and gagged a real woman, set her at a dining table with a bunch of mannequins, and is preparing to torture and kill her. When Karyn crashes the scene, the baddie starts teasing her, asking who she would want to play her in the movie they're going to make of his life (for his own account, he's so closely channeling "The Silence of the Lambs" his choice to play himself would obviously be Anthony Hopkins!), then goes after her with his knife and she shoots him in self-defense. For this, she's christened "Dirty Harriet" by her colleagues on the Boston PD (of course, this being a Lifetime movie, Montreal is "playing" Boston), and the fruits of her labors are an internal-affairs investigation, a dressing-down by her chief, Lt. Schneider (David McIlwraith), a sour attitude from her partner and former fiancé, Gavin McNaab (Ross McCall), and mandatory therapy sessions with Dr. Aaron Kade (Michael Riley).

Then a couple of murders occur in which the victims are scarred post-mortem with the Greek letter that symbolizes Hades, trademark of the so-called "Hades Killer" who operated 15 years earlier. Karyn is convinced the new killings are the work of a copycat, and she has to deal with a succession of weirdos falsely confessing to the crimes as well as the watchful eyes of her fellow cops, who want her to catch Hades, all right, but to catch him alive this time and allow the judicial system to take its course instead of summarily executing him. Director Philippe Gagnon and writer James Taylor Phillips give us a surprisingly broad suspect pool namely by making just about every male in Karyn's vicinity so unbearably twitchy we're sure one of them must be the killer. Among the suspects she encounters are Arthur Brady (Kent McQuaid) — whose recently deceased uncle was one of the suspects in the original Hades murders — along with another wanna-be who actually kills someone in his efforts to convince the cops he is Hades, but whose crime has just the opposite effect when Karyn points out that he was considerably sloppier than the real Hades (or at least the new one — you know a thriller plot is convoluted when one of the crimes is committed by a copycat of the copycat!).

"Willed to Kill"'s plot takes an interesting turn when Gavin invites Karyn to his upcoming wedding — "You're not supposed to marry the rebound!" she insists, though he says he got her pregnant and therefore had to — and Karyn has a meet-cute outside a gym with Mark Hanson (Dylan Bruce, a considerably hunkier good guy than we usually get in a Lifetime movie) and they have sex on the first date and "get serious" thereafter — at least until Karyn decides, on the basis of his inside information and his similar background to the killer (notably the fact that they both lost their wives — Karyn knows this because the killer has been in regular phone contact with her, slipping her bits of background and always hanging up just in time to make sure the police can't complete the trace on his calls), that he's Hades and arrests him. The film cycles through various false suspects and red herrings — including the one I thought was going to be the guilty party, a twitchy reporter who was following her and stalking her to get stories about the case, until he was killed in the next-to-last act — and finally reveals that Hades was (spoiler alert!) Karyn's therapist, Dr. Kade, and that Karyn's father was the original Hades. Karyn's father was never charged with those crimes but was bad enough he was caught and executed anyway, and Karyn actually turned him in when she was 16 — but she agonized about doing that for six months, during which Hades I murdered Dr. Kade's parents, and rather than just kill her Dr. Kade decided to become Hades II, picking his victims from the ranks of career criminals so he wouldn't knock off someone who could be considered an "innocent victim," and comparing himself to Karyn as someone who also killed criminals instead of trusting the legal process.

The story is far-fetched and stretches the bounds of legitimate suspension of disbelief, but within that it at least makes sense, the resolution is (more or less) logical and the overall effect is quite chilling and offers everything you want from a suspense film. Director Gagnon stages the action expertly, up to and including the final confrontation (Dr. Kade is planning to take Karyn to the roof of the police building, push her off and then report to his superiors that in their last session she threatened suicide, so they'll believe him when he says she killed herself), which Karyn extricates herself from in a believable manner while it's Dr. Kade who falls off the building and dies. (That was a pity; I was hoping the final frames would be her turning him over to Lt. Schneider and saying, "See? I CAN take someone alive!")
11 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
3/10
Not worth the time but I finished it
willandcharlenebrown4 January 2020
This was quite lame. You will know who the killer is way before the ending. Also horrible acting from her boyfriend, partner, and FBI agent. Geeeze this was cheesy. Lead actress is promising with decent acting but her script didn't do her any favors.
5 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
another senseless movie
geoffox-766-4184676 May 2013
Another LMN female playing the lead in tight leather clothes, long blonde stringy hair covering her face and a bad actress on top. Sorry, I get so sick of these blonde bimbos acting tough with guns and karate. It's so unbelievable it's funny.

The leading men do far better, even with secondary roles. Notably Michael Riley, Dylan Bruce and Ross McCall. They are much more believable even with the empty headed leading lady.

How many more of these older women playing younger roles with bleached blonde long stringy hair do we have to view. I have to admit that the style these days of long hair, mostly unkempt and hanging limp off their heads are getting to be a bore. It's bad enough they are all walking the street but we now are forced to watch them on TV. And it always seems that most of the women are older trying to stay young looking.

LMN please lets get some ladies with style and class.
10 out of 33 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
Willed to Kill-Interesing but Over the Top in Plot Formation ***
edwagreen16 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
She is a police detective whose father killed people as a serial killer until she turned him in at 16. Her fiancé was her partner, and now he is about to marry a gal he impregnated. She has killed 3 serial killers. Her new boyfriend is suspicious and his assistant is the killer! The psychologist in the Boston Police Department has an apparent agenda of his own.

The ex-boyfriend is killed, a reporter threatening to expose her past meets a similar fate.

While we enjoy a rich plot in any story, this goes way above and beyond the normal call of plot manufacturing.
3 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
Plot holes
mikejade-3545323 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Why do these shows hate the cops? They make them out to be dumb. Serial killer does 4 and a nut kills a guy. Does a Lousy job at carving the signature cut (Hades sign) and the cops and FBI buy it. FBI says close the case. Sherlock Holmes would never fall for this crap. Are the cops really that stupid? Of course, the star keeps interesting... I'm still watching..
3 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
It does not dumb down proper police protocol
jordondave-280854 May 2023
(2013) Willed To Kill MYSTERY THRILLER

Intelligent made-for-TV movie now available on rental placing viewers into a particular scenario of notarized homicide female cop having an excellent record on solving some of Boston's most notorious serial killers- three to be exact. She's then assigned to see a shrink, since she's also notarized for killing her serial killers in cold blood and not calling for any police backup, especially back-up partner Gavin (Ross McCall). Then the next thing we know, she finally meets her match as soon as she has to deal with the "Hades" killer, who first shoots his victims on the forehead, before carving the Hades symbol on their chests. Plays like a made for TV movie but Sarah Jane Morris as Boston homicide, Karyn Mitchell keeps this film entertaining by not dumbing down proper police protocol, even though some scenes can be too far fetched.
0 out of 2 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
Great Plot and Storyline *Spoiler*
icediva2 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Could have been a really good movie if not for the rather unimaginative dialogue and Sarah Jane Morris's stilted and one note acting. Also, the cadence of the psychologist's voice was identical to Hades and it was easy to predict the ending very early on in the movie.
2 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Watch worth crime drama
sissy3006-179-64045412 August 2019
I actually liked it. Decent story line, plot was good, main actress was good. While I watched I had come to the conclusion that the seriel killer was one of 2 people, I was right, then it came down to catching the killer and my suspicions were right. Over all I liked worthy looking at it has more intellect then most dumb comedies these days
7 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
5/10
second tier serial killer movie
SnoopyStyle25 June 2020
Boston police detective Karyn Mitchell (Sarah Jane Morris) kills a serial killer by herself just in the nick of time. It's her 3rd serial killer that she has killed. She is forced to be treated by psychiatrist Doctor Aaron Kade (Michael Riley). She is still pursuing the Hades Killer from the 90's and then he starts killing again after the long absence.

This is a lower level serial killer flick. The filmmaking is at TV movie level. The lead is fine for that level. The movie puts in the standard suspects and the standard twists. It all feels flat. The ending also feels rushed. It's a cheap copy of Hannibal Lecter. It feels like a B-movie.
1 out of 3 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Excellent who-dun-it thriller
mitchellfinesod5 May 2016
The clues are laid out thoughtfully through-out the investigation. Clues pointing to many different suspects until only 2 real suspects remain. Many red herrings and dead-ends add to the story and forces the viewer to re-think their conclusions. Everything adds-up, there are no hidden facts. The acting was adequate and the pace was very good. I did not see any glaring errors, that are often seen in these low-budget type movies. Everything was quite logically put together and the suspense built at good pace. A very good crossword style mystery. If you like Agatha Christie style who-dun-its, you should appreciate this movie. Definitely worth watching.
6 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Married to the Job
lavatch10 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The defining moment in Detective Karen Mitchell's life was when she realized that her father was a serial killer. But with her youth and inexperience, the traumatized young woman was slow in reporting him to the police, allowing the father to murder two more victims. Now, the pendulum has swung to the other side where Karen is so obsessed with her work that she lives a monastic life dedicated solely to her homicide cases.

When a clone of the Hades killer resurfaces in Boston, Karen establishes phone contact with the killer. Dr. Aaron Kade, the police psychiatrist, is even envious of how effective Karen has bonded with the killer during the conversations. It slowly dawns on Karen that she is the link between the current serial killer and the case that brought down her father.

The screenplay for "Willed to Kill" was well-constructed, and it included lively dialogue among the police officers and the people interacting with Karen. There was a good set of possible suspects emerging as Karen worked the case with her partner and ex-fiancé, Gavin McNabb.

Actress Sarah Jane Morris was terrific as Karen. She conveyed the manic energy of the detective who is so quick on the trigger that she has been labeled a serial killer herself. There was a good romantic connection between Karen and media specialist Mark Hanson, who is subject to Karen's quick-thinking mind when, in a heart beat, she has him in handcuffs and under arrest when she finds his behavior suspicious.

This was a carefully crafted thriller with a strong central character who never questioned her choices in pursuing the truth at all odds and all costs.
3 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed