HIS SECRET PAST (TV Movie 2016)
BASIC PLOT:
Lily Becker (
Gatlin Kate James) just got very lucky. While out jogging, she was attacked by a mask wearing assailant. A mysterious stranger intervenes, and she gets away. Her hero doesn't go to the police, but by chance (?), Lily runs into him the next day. His name is Mick Grant (
Austin James), and he lives on a boat. He's only in town for a short while, but that's long enough for Lily to fall for him. He's quiet and enigmatic, and nothing like Lily's last boyfriend, Scott Ellison (
Alexander P. Heartman). Lily can be a bit naive, especially when it comes to men, so it's up to her mother, and best friend Kelly, to look out for her.
Lily's mother, Jennifer Becker (
Brigid Brannagh) is a true crime author. She's suspicious by nature, and there's something about Mick she just doesn't trust. Kelly (
Lindsay Bushman), Lily's best friend, also feels something is off about Mick. Even Scott, Lily's ex, hires a PI to find out about this secretive loner, who's ingratiated himself into Lily's life. Can the people who care for Lily convince her something is wrong with Mick, before it's too late?
WHAT WORKS:
*
Gatlin Kate James portrayal of Lily Becker, the sweet, naive, girl next door, is right on the money. She's almost sweet enough to rot your teeth.
*
Alexander P. Heartman plays Scott Ellison, the spoiled, entitled jackass, and he does it with style. His haircut, his name dropping, even his preppy country club sweater all work here; he has the solipsistic smug smirk down to an art form.
*In this movie, the women take care of their problems themselves. In so many movies, even movies made for women, there has to be a male hero who saves the day. Not here, and I applaud the three male writers for that choice. It makes the ending so much more gratifying.
WHAT DOESN'T WORK:
*How many times can you say, "I'm just looking out for you," in one movie? Answer: Too damn many
*Why is Kelly (
Lindsay Bushman) so suspicious of Mick (
Austin James) right off the bat? Lots of people don't want to get involved with the police, whether they have something to hide or not. It seems contrived, and doesn't work. Kelly needs to be given a reason to be suspicious.
*Why doesn't Lilly question Mick's presence at the country club? Shouldn't she wonder what he's doing there?
*Charles finds an iPhone at the scene of an attempted murder. He tells the police tech, "get this unlocked immediately," and she does. No one, not even the US government can crack an iPhone's encryption.
*There are too many unnecessary deaths in this movie. One person would have been enough, but this many makes it much less believable or enjoyable. It's one thing to have murder to prove Mick is evil. Killing the ancillary characters works fine (the bum, the PI). There is no need for a blood bath in this type of movie. The kill count is 4 murders, 2 attempted murders. That's a bit much for a made-for-tv melodrama.
*Why do male writers always have women get scared when men fight? I can forgive it here, because the character of Lily is naive and fragile, but I can't forgive it from her friend Kelly. Kelly recommends Lily dump Mick because he fights back, when punched. WTF?! Why do men write this trope so often? Hey,
George Erschbamer,
Barbara Fixx, and
Jeffrey Barmash, lots of women are turned on (or at least not afraid) when men fight. Why not add those types of women in occasionally?
TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:
*If you like melodramas, you might like this. It's pretty formulaic with lots of stereotypes, even for this type of movie. There are better movies out there, but there are much worse too. It's entertaining, if you can ignore the bloodbath.
CLOSING NOTES:
*This is a Made-For-TV movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.
*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.
