I like the settings and the characters. Its quite the complex part writing a thriller to give it a good "picture". But I can't take if they start punching loopholes into the story to accommodate the writing; I can't stand characters that seem to be three dimensional beings starting to act strangely to "fit" into schematic story development. But when you start to lower the expectations and give "into the flow", the result is quite entertaining. Harmon and the other cast deliver good performances for the "setting" and I have to admit, that the the showdown teared me more than I hoped. If you catch it on TV in the night and like to watch some easy schematic thrill with a little end surprise, you won't be disappointed - I have seen *much* worser. But I wouldn't take this out of a DVD-rental store... 5-6 Stars.
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michinine11 October 2005
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mj-339856 October 2020Casualties is about a woman (Caroline Goodall) who is abused by her alcoholic husband (Jon Gries), and comes across a man (Mark Harmon) who, turns out, is just as sadistic as her husband. Sounds good, but it's mediocre. The plus side is Gries delivering a great dramatic performance.
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myriam2223 January 2012When you see the errors that the eventual antagonist permits himself, you begin to doubt that he is a cool, calculating assassin after all. I expected better by him as a first-rate actor. I understand the thread of the movie, but some logic lacks. Nonetheless, you'll have to see it for yourself to believe me. This will not take away from the fact that I am a big fan of Mark Harmon. I liked him better in his portrayal of Ted Bundy. At least it was believable - not merely because it was fact-based, but at least he had a more intelligent character. However, a more understandable end takes place, in spite of the antagonist's intelligence flaws (or maybe he was guided by love instead of instinct; I don't know), but in the end morality takes precedence over logic. That at least I can admire.
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nwlovell26 August 2002Standard B-movie fare. But strangely watchable. Caroline Goodall is kinda babe-like.....and the plot has a decent enough twist. Gotta wonder, is Goodall the sister of Jane Goodall of chimpanzee research fame? Looks similar. But her sister picked chimps better than Caroline picks men. 5/10. Just barely worth renting on video if you have seen everything else.
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savas-37 February 2000I don't want to spoil the ending so let's just say it borrows from many horror/slasher films we've all seen 1000 times. The set up was interesting and the acting was quite riveting at times but the inevitable culmination of the action sequences towards the end were predictable and unsatisfying. I don't know why you would make a film with so many loose ends unless you were too desperate to make any statement condemning spousal abuse. Straight-to-videos are prescreened for test audiences and don't get distributed for a reason.
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This is a good movie. I originally watched this on my Ipad in bed hoping it would put me to sleep. I kept thinking I would shut it down at some point but realized I had to see the end. Basically, you have a hard working cop married to a so so looking wife. This man just needs a decent meal, but his wife has zero cooking skills. He sends her to cooking class and she still can't serve a meal a man can eat. Some would say he over reacts, but this guy fells the need for a "beat down" to get his point across. The man just wants a "side dish" for god sakes! Anyway, I must say that this chick gets a little better looking as the movie goes on, I'm not sure why and it was a little distracting. So she meets this cute guy at cooking class and her husband smells something dirty going on ..but this guy she meets could grant her the freedom she's been looking for.
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Annie (Caroline Goodall)is a battered wife. "In the end," she says in a voice-over at the beginning of the movie, "(my story) is just a little fairy tale about feeling desperate."
Annie is married to a Bill (Jon Gries), a cop and wife-beating control freak who won't let Annie get a job or a divorce. She has tried to run away, but he always catches her. And she knows that eventually he'll kill her.
He likes to remind her that he saved her from her sexually abusive father. As he slams her head to the floor, he screams something about "that freak called 'Daddy,' that sick old f--- !"
So, the idea of murdering Bill sounds pretty good to Annie.
Meanwhile, Bill's partner, Clark (Michael Beach), a good-hearted man, tries to help her. But he can offer her only the standard legal remedies that don't necessarily guarantee her safety.
Bill allows her to take a cooking class; she loves it, and it's a way to get out of the house. One evening the instructor introduces a new student, Tommy (Mark Harmon), to the class, and immediately he and Annie strike up a friendship.
She asks what he does for a living. "I kill people," he says -- and laughs, after a long pause. Uh, just joking...
Eventually she tells him about her predicament. He listens sympathetically, then mentions another solution, one that is more conclusive than anything Clark can offer.
She agrees to it, her problem is solved -- and then she finds out, to her horror, that when it comes to possessiveness, her husband was an amateur compared to Tommy.
I'm always wishing for better-than-average straight-to-video movies. And I got what I wished for with this film. Great acting (Goodall, Harmon, and Beach are simply perfect in their roles) and a script with frequent flashes of irony and wit make this a very entertaining and satisfying movie indeed.
This wasn't great art, but I liked it. -
pinkybanana200012 January 2014I am sorry, but this is a really good movie. If you buy into the assumption that the ending is predictable, it is because thrillers end in predictable ways. Nobody can claim they foresaw the twist with the "savior" becoming the hunter.
PLEASE DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT IF YOU DO NOT WANT A SPOILER.
Annie was a runaway at 19 from an abusive home. She hitches up with Bill, who later, or always was, a cop. The problem is Bill is no less a psycho than her abusive upbringing. He controls what she does, and abuses her physically and mentally.
Enter Tommy, who had also enrolled in Annie's cooking class, and in whom Annie confides. He gently suggests that Annie kill her husband, Bill. Annie is reluctant at first, but is only happy to go along after a particularly bad episode of domestic violence. The murderer would be Tommy, all with the assurance that the hit would be painless and leave no trace. Tommy carries out the hit on Bill, who whether deliberately or accidentally, is able to fight back, leaving evidence that would implicate Annie.
What Annie does not know is that Bill was always a target for Tommy who is a professional hit-man hired (presumably) by a drug gang which was busted by Bill and two colleagues. Tommy had already killed one member of the gang-busting trio of cops. Bill was his second. The third cop, Clark is being looked at as a possible suspect, mostly because Annie had disappeared in the meantime, and his supervisors suspect that because Clark is close to Annie, they were lovers.
After killing Bill, Tommy lures Annie to his den with the assurance that this would be his last job, and he and Annie would flee to China. But Tommy scares Annie enough that she does her own snooping and realizes that she is in a deadly situation. While Tommy was planning to kill the Clark, Annie is able to alert him. Together, they finish off Tommy in a messy finale.
It is a well-acted movie. It is particularly violent and disturbing. It delivers the message concisely. Why it didn't garner more accolades is beyond me. Perhaps it is being rated by jaded people who have seen a lot of this kind of movies and are not impressed. Me? I was. -
verastegui31 January 2006After seeing this movie a second time (caught it a few years back on cable) I realize Tom Cruise totally ripped off his characterization of the psycho in "Collateral" from Mark Harmon in this movie. Wayyyy too eerily similar to be a coincidence. Right down to the odd demeanor, hidden rage and creepy buzz-cut hairdo.
The only real complaint I have about this movie was the woman's character. Honestly, she gave a performance worthy of a mediocre Lifetime Channel film, while Mark Harmon actually surprised me with what he brought to this role. His part, although a bit outlandish, was actually believable. To the contrary Ms. Goodall's portrayal of an abused wife and terrified captive was grossly inconsistent. Either she didn't do her homework or she just went on set everyday, cashed her check and didn't give it much effort. The best thing about this movie was the ambiance and style for the second half, which was mostly dominated by Mr. Harmon. I'd like to see him in more after seeing this. -
helpless_dancer8 February 2000Very exciting film with a bang-up ending. This poor woman couldn't pick the right man with a set of ice tongs. As bad as hubby was, at least he wasn't a total psycho. Although this picture had some gaping holes in it [for instance: why didn't the cop call for backup?], it was still tense and dramatic. If I learned one thing from this movie, it was to always carry a backup modem connection.
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It appals me (having worked as a rewrite man at MGM back in the 60's) how some of today's films ever get produced. Poor scripts seem to be the rule, plus in the case of this disaster, poor direction, an unattractive and inept cast, and pacing that rivals a snail's pace. Dear Gussie, is it any wonder that many of us over-50's are staying home and reading a book instead of wasting time watching trashy contemporary attempts at film. There's only one blessing in this film: there are no special effects.
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sbunc92-326 September 2001Predictable but fairly well-made battered wife movie. Mark Harmon has a nice touch of menace to his character. The beginning of the movie takes away all tension at the end by basically showing the results of the climatic scene. I liked Michael Beach as the cop. He just projected a very good-guy quality.
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nwlovell26 August 2002Standard B-movie fare. But strangely watchable. Caroline Goodall is kinda babe-like.....and the plot has a decent enough twist. Gotta wonder, is Goodall the sister of Jane Goodall of chimpanzee research fame? Looks similar. But her sister picked chimps better than Caroline picks men. 5/10. Just barely worth renting on video if you have seen everything else.