Nora Roberts' Angels Fall 5.7⭐ TV movie (2007) Decent made-for-TV faire

Nora Roberts' Angels Fall TV movie (2007)

Decent made-for-TV faire 

5.7 out of 10 ⭐stars Time to read:

BASIC PLOT:

Reese Gilmore has been running from her past. She's been on the road for about two and a half years, but now her car has given up, and stranded her in Angels Fall, Wyoming. She's low on funds, and the parts her car needs are on backorder, so she decides to get a job. It just so happens the Angel Food Diner is hiring, and the owner, Joanie, puts Reese to work immediately. She never expected to be here for more than a couple of weeks, but before she knows it, she's really settled in. 

Reese was a professional chef in her old life, and now she puts those skills to use by elevating the basic diner food into something people go out of their way for. Everyone is delighted, especially Joanie, the owner of the diner. Reese is a real draw, both her cooking and her mysterious nature. Everyone has their own suspicions about Reese. Some think she's running from the law, some from an abusive man, but in reality, she's running from her own memories. A few years ago, while working as the head chef at a posh restaurant in Boston, Reese walked in on a violent robbery. She was shot twice, and watched many of her friends and co-workers die. The aftermath took a toll on Reese, and she eventually spent some time in a mental hospital. Her treatments were extreme, she was given pills that left her feeling like a shell of a person, and was even subjected to ECT - electric shock therapy. Nothing really helped her PTSD or anxiety, and that's when she decided to try to open road, until her car stranded her here. 

In some ways, Reese is glad. She's started to relax here, and even develop a strange friendship with Jamison P. Brody, a former reporter and novelist, who's currently working on his next book. The universe seems to be telling her to stay in Angels Fall, until one afternoon while out for a walk, Reese sees a murder.

Reese clearly sees a man strangle a young woman.  She can't see the man's face, his back is towards her, but she sees the young woman clearly. She runs to tell the Sheriff, but after a search turns up nothing, they do a background on Reese, and discover her troubled past. It's easy to write her off, but she refuses to give up. With Brody's help, she enlists the help of Doc, who has a way with a pencil. He's able to draw a sketch of the woman she saw, and she begins putting it up in the neighboring town of Jackson Hole. Soon, she's gets the phone call she's hoping for, someone knows this woman, and knows she's gone. Reese and Brody begin running down clues. But someone is watching, someone has been in Reese's house, and is telling her it's time to leave. Did Reese really see a murder, or is all this just part of her traumatized mind?

WHAT WORKS:

*HEATHER LOCKLEAR & JOHNATHON SCHAECH elevate this movie into something more than just regular TV movie faire. They are both decent actors, and make this movie more watchable than it would be without them. 

Johnathon Schaech & Heather Locklear

*THE ANCILLARY ACTORS ARE BETTER THAN MOST, and I'm speaking mainly about Gary Hudson and Linda Darlow, who both give outstanding performances here. 

Gary Hudson as Sheriff Marsden

Linda Darlow as Joanie

*I DIDN'T KNOW WHO THE KILLER WAS, or even if there was a killer, and that's not easy to do with me. There are lots of suspects, but they are left ambiguous enough you can't figure it out.

*THE SCENERY IS GORGEOUS and is almost like an extra character. It was filmed in Canmore, Alberta, Canada and there are some beautiful shots in this film.

The scenery is beautiful

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: 

*THE PACING IS OFF, and it's noticeable. I'm not sure if this is because something is lost in translation from the book to the small screen, or if it's just a writer's problem. But it should have been fixed. 

*WAY TOO MANY FLASHBACKS, not only do they become repetitive, but it's unnecessary and begins to feel like filler. Ok, we get it, she's crazy, but do we need to see her relive the shooting and the ECT that many times? The answer is a definite NO! 

Heather Locklear as Reese Gilmore 

*ECT IS NOT GIVEN ANYMORE Reese is given ECT (electric shock therapy) in the mental hospital. We see this in a million flashbacks, and it's just not done anymore. This movie came out in 2007, and I'm not sure when the book came out, not I know it wasn't the 1960's or before, so what medieval hospital did Reese go to that gave her ECT?

*REESE AND THE SHERIFF BOTH SAY, THERE'S NO DISTURBANCE ON THE GROUND WHERE THE MURDER TOOK PLACE, so they're wasn't a murder. The place she saw the murder was the very rocky shore of a river, there would be NO EVIDENCE! It's ludicrous to the point on insulting (see pics on my review).

What kind of disturbance are they looking for?!

*BOTH THE SHERIFF AND BRODY FIND OUT REESE WAS IN A MENTAL HOSPITAL FROM A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE. but publishing someone's private medical information is illegal and has been forever. If it was in the book, than shame on Nora Roberts, and if it was Janet Brownell's idea, than shame on her. 

*PERSONAL NIT PICK: NO WOMAN WOULD PUT DISGUSTING SHOES IN THEIR FRIDGE, especially a chef. I don't care if she thought she was in a fugue state or not, that's not something a woman would do, and it should have been left out of the movie.

Johnathon Schaech as Brody

TO RECOMMEND OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: 

This was a very passable made for TV movie. I never found myself yelling at the screen, or being thrown out of my suspension of disbelief. I was genuinely interested in finding out who the killer was, and wasn't disappointed in the ending. If you like made-for-TV thrillers, you'll probably like this. It's a good, enjoyable time waster, so pop that corn, sit back and spend some time in Angels Fall.

Lisa Marie Caruk as Linda Gail

Derek Hamilton as Lo

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 you expectations should be adjusted.

*I HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE FILM, or production in ANY way. I'm not writing this as a favor, or because I was paid.

*CERTIFIED HUMAN WRITTEN REVIEW This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out. 

Heather Locklear as Reese Gilmore 

Johnathon Schaech as Brody

Shannon Tuer as Denna James