Movie Review - Presumed Dead

Presumed Dead

2006 

 The Cast

After the death of her police officer husband Detective Mary Ann Cooper - "Coop" - (Fenn) is reluctant to take leave and throws herself into her work, much to the distress of her young daughter.  On the night of her husband's death, he was called out to a domestic disturbance at a local writer's home.  Sharing his thoughts about the man and the situation with Coop, she is left with the impression that the writer is not to be trusted.  So when she hears about a possible murder at the house she rushes to the crime scene and inserts herself into the case.  This is where the twists and turns begin.

This is a very clever mystery tale.  However, there are times when it feels as though the writer, Lindsay James (Keith Shaw) struggles with some of the plot twists and their culmination.  Which is a shame as it adds a sloppiness to the project.  Though the courtroom scene is very well structured as you get to see how a writers mind can rework the facts to meet a different scenario.  Loved this section of the story.  Then you get the ending which feels rushed and spoils the mood and aura of the film.

The director, George Mendeluk, is adept at creating atmosphere, though a little more tension at times wouldn't have gone amiss.  Also, a change of pace would have been good.  There are a couple of scenes that would have improved from a different approach, especially the two in the woods.

I liked Fenn as the cop on a mission, she did well in portraying her.  Fenn has had a lot of hits and misses in her career, this one is a hit.  The rest of the cast also do a good job with their characterisations.  Though, I wouldn't have chosen Regehr to play the writer, Seth Harmon.  This character calls for a cool and cocky air to him, Regehr gets nowhere near to these traits.  Then when he starts to break, Regehr struggles with pulling off this psychological side.  Though, this could be what the director envisioned and asked for.  However, I cannot help but think how much better the film would have been with a stronger bad guy.

This is a movie I'd recommend all mystery and thriller fans and whodunnit pundits to watch, at least once.  Once the plot twists have been exposed then the power of the film has been expunged.

I give this a writer's block of 5.75 out of 10.

The Trailer