1st to Die (2003)

As with most made-for-TV movies, the acting was uninspired and the characterizations were pathetically contrived. However, the meat and bones of the plot was actually quite good. It was obvious that there would be a plot twist but I was still surprised by the direction it took, and the fact that there was not one, but two plot twists.

Tracy Pollan had one or two good moments. Mostly, she was just mediocre. Gil Bellows was about as adequate as he was in Ally McBeal and The Agency. I'd give the two main stars a C+ at worst, a B- at best. Sean Young had a very small part. The strongest actor in the cast was Robert Patrick. He was quite effective at seeming to be both mysterious and ominous. He has matured well since his days on The X-Files. His raspy voice and piercing/squinty eyes reminded me of Michael Madsen who is a fabulous heavy.

In summary, this is an OK movie to watch for folks who like 'who done it' murder mysteries. I would imagine that the book is probably much better though since the only real stand-out was the actual plot. I'd give the movie ** (out of 4), or on the IMdB system I'd give it a 6. It's better than average, but not by much.