Now, I ask you. Does this sort of sound like a formula plot? Right you are and therein lies the major flaw in the film, the script. It is straight out of Script Writing 101. In the first three quarters it has characters do very predictable things and do them s-l-o-w-l-y. Many actions were not thought through by the writer, e.g., a woman who is frightened and threaten with death walks into her dark apartment and is in no hurry in turning on the light. This is only one of the small problems with the film's believability.

I did not believe the characters during the first three quarters. Just a bunch of actors reading formula dialog. In the last quarter, it just flat got ridiculous. I did not believe it at all. Major suspension of disbelief is necessary to stay a believer till the end.

The William Hurt character was another problem. He was miscast in his role, and the role was not written well or very bright. What a waste of a great actor.

What the movie has going for it is two terrific looking leads in Assante and Whalley-Kilmer. Their looks and their acting I always find interesting. Actually, I knew the show was in major trouble when a brief love scene involving Whalley-Kilmer, whom I think is one of the prettiest women on the planet, started to bore me and found me looking at my watch.

Even small details like Assante's clothing provided intriguing images. Finally, I must admit, that I love jury trial scenes even poorly done ones. They fascinate me.