The director and all the actors were new to me, and with the exception of Brian Mani, who gives a doing-it-by-numbers performance, they all tried really hard to made the twisting but ultimately unconvincing plot work. In fact, unusually for a noir, three of the four main characters are actually likable! First-time director and screenwriter Dave Hansen constructs something that rarely rises above the TV movie level, but it's a good TV movie and a far sight better than many of the bigger-budget mainstream productions I've seen lately. What it really lacks is tension, and maybe that's because it's too prettily filmed. Noirs work best in black and white, and this one is far too bright and cheerful. I've probably made this movie sound worse than it it. Despite its failings it's a good way of spending 90 minutes if you're in the right mood, so if you like John Dahl's modern noirs, give this one a try. Well worth renting, but not buying.
