I remember when this TV movie aired I was in kindergarten and in fact my teacher even suggested that all of us small children watch this movie with our parents. Every parent with a small child feared that this tragedy would happen and what a nightmare it would have been to have a child abducted and murdered. The whole country was at this time bringing the missing children issue to the attention of people. All of this panic and awareness because of the abduction and murder of a little boy named Adam Walsh in Broward County, Florida. Thankful that this boys father John Walsh brought this case so much attention and awareness that a movie titled Adam was made for TV to expand the concern for children all across America. This movie is sad due to the death of a small child but brings a good message of awareness and concern for our children and any victim of crime for that matter. I wish some network would show Adam again I would like to see it over.
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It's a shame these made-for-TV movies are hardly getting a second chance nowadays, but a few have one thing in common: inspiration through willpower. ADAM is one such movie, and to this very day, it remains as powerful as it gets! This chronicles the movement of awareness from a fictional John Walsh to deliver the message to America about lost children following a true-life situation that shatters our hearts. It is a struggle for hope and accomplishment that results into a winningly emotional, and lesson-filled drama for all parents who raise young children. Walsh, as many of us know, hosts the long running and highly acclaimed AMERICA'S MOST WANTED. Here, he's the important role in the care of this film, making him (and this film) a benchmark example of support for the nationwide communities, and to the federal government. This one is so compelling, and so inspirational that it would be way too difficult not to recommend it. And the fact that ADAM is vital to the importance of our society would require a mandatory family viewing. Keep it up, John!
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dire699 November 2003To this day, I still watch this movie because I have it taped on vhs and it's still one of the best tv movies ever made and it still makes me cry. They should really make more movies like this one now because everyday a child goes missing. Every year, they have the "Missing Children's Network" telethon so why not make more movies too.
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DaBears5419 March 2004It was THE best TV movie ever. You would think after making this movie, parents would be more cautious of the wear abouts of their kids. But you still hear about so many child abduction cases throughout the USA. I think every police station or places that post missing children notices in the country should have a picture of Adam on their missing child wall. I don't think that there will be a greater TV movie made better than this. Good acting and a great history of what happened to ADAM. I still cry at the end with the funeral services. A definite A+ movie. I can't believe this movie is 21 years old now. I was 4 years old when this came out. I first saw this movie when I was 6 and still have the movie.
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THe movie of Adam based on the tragic tale of Adam Walsh is heartbreaking. It chronicles the tragedy of a young boy's life who was snuffed out from under us. His death was not in vain because his parents became advocates for missing children in real life. The movie ends with photos of missing children. The tragedy of missing child is often worse than knowing their fate. This film is faithful to the story. Daniel J. Travanti and JoBeth Williams play Adam's parents and they could not have done a better job. THe film may be over 20 years old but it is still very effective in bring human emotion to a story like Adam Walsh. He became the symbol for missing children. When Reve is reading those letters from people who have been through the hell that the Walshes have been through, it is heartbreaking. Rather than wallow in self-pity, they pursue justice for others who have been through the same. THey realize that they are not the only ones. The Walshes lives changed forever when Reve went to inquire about a lamp at the mall. She turns around and their little boy is gone forever. I remember the scene where they go to the car, leave the doors unlocked, and prepare if Adam comes home. That's probably the most memorable moment in the film.
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This was the powerful true story of the abduction and murder of Adam Walsh and his parents' crusade to get legislation passed to aid abducted children to prevent such a thing from happening again-in other words, tougher standards. Adam is abducted from a Hollywood, Florida, mall and is later found murdered. His father, John Walsh, pushes for tougher legislation for the FBI to get involved with the aid of Richard Masur's character. Great performances all around, especially from Masur and Daniel J. Travanti as John Walsh. This was also a terrific movie with a message in it and a fabulous ending and a must-see for anyone. I strongly recommend it! *** 1/2 out of ****
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hd11gc28 August 2008This is a landmark film which should be screened at regular intervals with an updated list of missing children following each showing of the movie. I remember the film vividly as there was a story in the local newspaper of a person who recognised children from the photo list and eventually these children were reunited with their family.
Daniel J Travanti and JoBeth Williams are excellent as Adam's distraught parents and the film strikes the right balance of suspense, tragedy and eventual hope.
I applaud John and Reve Walsh for their courage in turning their own personal tragedy into a crusade to protect other children and other families from the same fate as theirs. God bless them. -
Foreverisacastironmess1239 February 2012I was a bit worried about how to tastefully express my dislike of this mouldy old film without coming off like a thoughtless person who doesn't care about the true story of poor lost little Adam Walsh. Well I do care very much, that murder shocked and sickened me. But, I am not going to let that stop me from saying what I think of this "drama". It's okay not to like this movie, you know. You don't have to worship it just because you may have been moved by the story. It's not like you'd be disrespecting the kid's memory or anything. That's the impression that I get from some of the other reviews. I don't actually think it a bad movie, it was basically solid and well acted enough, but for me it was so very flat and darn boring. Crippling boredom was in fact the only real problem I had with it...:2: This isn't one of the best TV movies ever. It isn't the best anything ever. I've seen television dramas that are so moving and sad they'd tear your heart out. This miserable effort is an insult to all truly great TV movies. It was way too tedious to be either enjoyable or moving. Wait! It did move me just once. It was when Jobeth Williams breaks down near the start of the movie. It was as if nature itself could feel my intense displeasure with this movie. There was a storm and the damn signal went off, so I never even got to see the last 15 minutes! Didn't matter, I know how the story ends. I did not wish to wait until it was on again before I did this. Plus, there was no way in hell I could possibly have sat through it all again...:3: I consider the real John Walsh to be one amazing human being. Taking the terrible tragedy of his son's death and using all that anger and pain in a positive way and going on to to really make a difference when most people would have just quietly gone on with their lives. No father could ever have done anything better.:4: The case has certainly not been officially closed, and it never will be. No, that depends on whether or not you choose to believe the word of the very dead Otis Toole. The serial killers like him are far more frightening than any made up "movie maniac". Did the sick evil fiend really murder Adam? I don't know, I don't think anyone truly does, including his father. You read of the initial evidence and you think it's a sure thing, it sounds good, it reads good, but, small problem-he may not have done it. And then later, just for the sake of playing games I suspect, he takes it back and says he did not. And then you notice all the little inconsistencies and doubt starts to creep in. My attitude about that particular detail, now, because it really is so very long ago now, is what difference does it make. He was a little boy, and he died. What more is there to say?
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I have seen Adam countless times (the first time when it it aired in 83, I was nine years old) I am moved everytime I see it.. its such a sad movie yet so uplifting for its strong message..The message of a father (John Walsh of America's Most Wanted, a living saint in my eyes) who after his son is brutally murdered stands up and fights the system to get rights for child victims!! John Walsh could have easily went back to his life and quietly mourned little Adam, I wonder than if anyone else would have had the guts to stand up for the children..Thank God John did.
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PeachHamBeach6 February 2013At the age of 11, I was already a paranoid older sister. I was "trained" to watch my younger siblings with the warnings, "If you don't watch them, someone will snatch them and rape and murder them, and then you'll be sorry."
I'll never have children. I'm not a coward. I've already done the mother thing, and it was a nightmare that only ended when my siblings grew up, moved on, got married.
So in a way, I can identify with the guilt and grief the Walsh family shared. Daniel J. Travanti's performance was so powerful, and so was JoBeth Williams'. This movie terrified me and knocked any remaining naivete from me. I was already a basketcase before the film aired. After, I was convinced that there are too many predators out there, cowards with sick perversions, and that unless you watch your kids like a hawk, one of the millions of lurking demons will come and steal your child. Reve Walsh was gone all of 5 minutes. That's all it takes.
After 30 years, this made for TV movie remains powerful, unbearably real and painful in its production and presentation. Part of the reason it's watchable for me (mostly) is the cast, including one of my all time favorite actors, Richard Masur, along with Martha Scott as Adam's grandmother and Mason Adams as John Walsh's friend and coworker who helped speak to police agencies in Florida to get the search for Adam moving faster than it would have.
It's so terrible how it takes a brutal murder to motivate this country into action. In 1981, the FBI did not place a missing child on their list of priorities. Adam's death caused his parents to go to bat for innocent children. I don't subscribe to that "everything happens for a reason" stuff. When a child is stolen and murdered, it is senseless, pure evil, not the will of "God".
I will say that Adam did not die in vain. His sad story woke up a nation to reality. He is the inspiration and his family are heroes who have paved the way. We now have Megan's Law and Amber alerts. We now know how urgent and imperative it is to react NOW when a child goes missing. -
teriadkins30 September 2006When I first saw this movie about the abduction & subsequent murder of Adam Walsh I was about 13 years old. My mother, sister, and I watched it together and were absolutely shocked and awed by the intense screenplay and the powerful performances. The impact of the real-life events portrayed in this movie is felt even today; the father of Adam Walsh is none other than John Walsh, the founder of the popular TV show America's Most Wanted. After his son's murder, John became a nationally recognized leader in the push for victims' rights. I admire and respect John Walsh so much for turning his pain and anguish into a lifelong endeavor for justice that continues to help others gain justice and closure by putting violent criminals behind bars. Thanks to God above for people like him who are willing to share these horrific episodes of their lives to bring such topics to the forefront of society's awareness.
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This is a somber, dramatic and heartfelt true story of the abduction of Adam Walsh, eldest son of future America's Most Wanted host John Walsh. After Adam is kidnapped and later found murdered, John and his wife Reve become advocates for missing children.
The events surrounding Adam were heartbreaking and traumatic, making you feel for the pain his death has caused his parents and relatives and making you cringe at the thought of Adam going through such a terrible ordeal. I'll always remember watching this TV movie as a kid, eager to see how everything unfolded at the end.
The story definitely leaves you sad, but also leaves your yearning for justice and stronger laws to protect our young children. The Walshes definitely made a lasting impact in America in their continued advocacy and mission to protect children.
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JRTuttle416 December 2008I can remember watching this movie when I was about 6 or 7 years old and I can also remember the emotional impact that it had on me as I watched knowing that it was all based on a true story. The things the Walsh family has done over the years in response to what happened to Adam has really had an ENORMOUS impact on the way child abduction cases have been handled! The perseverance and determination of the Walsh family, such as John Walsh's role in the TV show America's Most Wanted and as co-founder of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, has not only saved the lives of others, but has probably also deterred some from committing deplorable acts like what happened to their son Adam. John and Reve Walsh truly are heroes!
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juliafwilliams18 June 2003This fall will mark 20 years since the first airing of 'Adam'. While John Walsh now hosts 'America's Most Wanted' as well as his own talk show, in my opinion, he has become 'America's Most Admired'. I will take a show like 'AMW' over any reality show airing today. I believe that society can become more educated from this show than from a show depicting marrying a total stranger of eating raw flora on some deserted island.
Huzzah for 'Adam', John Walsh, and 'America's Most Wanted'. -
When somebody ask me what is my favorite movie of my childhood, I will say this one. I saw It when I was ten or something near that. It's fully impressive to me that kid - as we called it Adam - have same years that I.
I was a kid, just like Adam. I liked go to big shop whit my mom hen I was a kid, just like Adam was. And deep shocking me when in the movie I realized that Adam was dead. It's kinda very emotional and very serious movie and so close o reality and base on the true events.
I search google very hard but I haven't find where can I download it! I know this is TV movie, but it's best what TV can offer to us since then 'till now. Anybody who have this movie, can plese may upload on the warezBB and tell me on my e-mail: dancemacabre@net.hr -
MissMary-321 August 2000You'll need it. Adam is a wonderful movie based on the heart wrenching story of Adam Walsh. The movie gives insight into what it is like to have child kidnapped, and the emotions that go along this roller coaster. The acting is great and well written. Since its a tv movie it isn't on very often but try lifetime. It is well worth the effort.
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searchanddestroy-115 January 2017Yes, this is the pure TV product, more than any other theatres one, the movie made for home audiences and of course inspired by actual events. A film made to have the audiences weep, and it works, but something is missing in the comments about this item. Something so big that I am astonished that no one has pointed it out.
If there had been cameras in the big department store where the kid was abducted, this would have never taken so long to find what really happened. Because, as far as I have got it, no one saw anything, no adult grabbing the kid, nor anything else. They just found it dead some times later, period. This case, today, would be solved more rapidly, I am dead sure.