Simply A Masterpiece

Sadly Over-hyped

Best movie ever!

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

American readers of bestselling novels do seem to have a taste for rather vicious stories. In a lot of these books, the baddie doesn't quietly do someone in with arsenic as in a lot of Agatha Christie novels. Instead, victims are tortured before the coup de grace, often in some rural setting like a swamp or a barn with implements similar to the instruments of torture used during interrogations in the Middle Ages. Maybe American's taste for the ghoulish shouldn't be surprising given that this country boasts sustaining some of the most gruesome of crimes, such as the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders of the 1930's or the Zodiac killer of the late 1960's and 1970's. The average American could be equally entertained (or repulsed, depending upon your point of view) by devouring true crime books as well as crime fiction. "Gone But Not Forgotten" is a novel adapted for cable that chronicles two series of heinous crimes, both 10 years apart.Scott Glenn, in maybe the most fiendish role of his career, portrays Martin Darius, a Sacramento magnate-developer who may have had a previous life in upstate New York in a small town called Hunter's Point where his wife and daughter were mercilessly dispatched. Fast-forward 10 years. He has now changed his name and swings big development deals in Sacramento, California. There, a serial kidnapper is on the loose who has a taste for young uppity women who are both attractive and rich. The kidnapper snatches each woman and leaves a calling card that says "Gone But Not Forgotten" along with a black rose. It is unclear whether these victims are alive or dead. Ten years earlier, there was also a serial kidnapper in Hunter's Point who did the same thing: kidnap a young beautiful woman from society's upper-crust and leave the same calling card with a similar black rose.When the authorities learn that one of the victims had been having an affair with Darius, he becomes a suspect. He entices up-and-coming crackerjack attorney Betsy Tannenbaum (Brooke Shields) to take his case, partially by offering a $100,000 fee of attainder. Alan Page (played by Lou Diamond Philips) is the detective on the case who also begins researching the crimes at Hunter's Point. He is unexpectedly visited by a detective from New York, Nancy Gordon played by Marilu Henner (of Taxi fame), who had been on the Hunter's Point case. But strangely, the files regarding the Hunter Point case are missing. And then Henner goes missing. Both Shields and Philips decide to investigate further at Hunter's Point, 3000 miles away.A decent but rather brutal crime drama. At one point, a lot of characters end up murdered. The final solution is interesting if not incredibly disturbing. This may not be as brutal as the recent film "The Changeling" but it comes close. Not for the feint of heart. Although I believe in the freedom of entertainment, I do have to wonder what purpose it serves for people to continue devouring material of such gruesome content.

This is one of the best made-for-TV movies I've ever seen. I enjoyed every minute of its three-hour running time and was kept guessing all the way. The first half seems to be setting us up for a standard courtroom drama, but after that it takes a totally different turn and gets more and more mysterious, especially after the D.A. and the defense attorney (Lou Diamond Phillips and Brooke Shields) travel to Hunter's Point, the town in upstate New York where the first murders occurred, and discover a deep, dark secret that leads all the way to the office of a U.S. senator who has just been nominated to the Supreme Court. (This isn't a spoiler since we see him at the very beginning of the movie, telling one of his confidants that he hopes the events in Hunter's Point never come to light and ruin his political career, but he disappears after that until much later in the movie.) This movie is full of surprises and watching it is like curling up with a good book on a stormy night. One thing, though: do NOT look at the cast list before watching it, because it contains a MAJOR spoiler! Check it out afterward and you'll see what I mean -- it really gives away one of the major surprises of the plot.

When I got the movie at the video store I noticed that Brooke Shields was in it and was not a great fan of hers. After seeing the movie I was pleasantly surprised. She got down and dirty and was believable in the part. The actors were great for the parts that they played. Unlike some movies of that type you don't get lost in the complexity of the script. The beginning of the movie lays out the scenario well leading into the actions of the lead players. It has a good story and special effects and lots of action. Afterwards I found out it was a made for TV movie. That was another surprise because I thought, by its quality, that it was on the big screen. Although it is almost 3 hours long, the pace makes the time slip away quickly because you are on the edge of your seat through most of the last 3/4 of the movie. It was thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks for your time. Moby

I saw this mini in one viewing at the cable in Pattaya(Thailand) without any intervals, very nice.It keeps you in the dark about the identity and sex of the killer until near the end, good suspense! Good acting, a real good thriller, suspense police/detective/crime movie.Several times the plots changes, or really the viewer will change its perception of the killer.And I like stories with a little bit more body, not one hour and a little bit, no at least 2 and even better more than 3 hours.I give this movie 8/10.