True Crime (1996)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Pat Verducci

Writer (WGA):

Pat Verducci (written by)

Release Date:

25 July 1996 (Spain)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Trust no one

Plot:

Mary Giordano is a bright, intelligent student who goes to a catholic school. She also has a addiction...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Girl | Amateur Detective | Woman Detective | Amateur

Cast

Alicia Silverstone	...	Mary Giordano
Kevin Dillon	...	Tony Campbell
Bill Nunn	...	Detective Jerry Guinn
Michael Bowen	...	Earl Parkins
Ann Devaney	...	Sherry Tarnley
Joshua Schaefer	...	John Giordano
Marla Sokoloff	...	Vicki Giordano
Jennifer Savidge	...	Celia Giordano
Tara Subkoff	...	Liz McConnell
David Packer	...	Sergeant Collins
Alissa Dowdy	...	Kathleen Donlevy
Aimee Brooks	...	Margie Donlevy
Brian Wankum	...	Roger
Melissa DeLizia	...	Girl #1
Tiombe Lockhart	...	Girl #2 (as Tiombe Anika Lockhart)

Also Known As:

Dangerous Kiss
True Detective

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, menacing plot material and several scenes of sensuality.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:MA | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Portugal:M/16 (video premiere) | Spain:13 | USA:PG-13 (edited for re-rating) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

John Marshall High School - 3939 Tracy Street, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Trimark Pictures

Check Your Brain At The Door

Alicia Silverstone is looking for a killer. The sick twisted type. See she's a big fan of those 'True Crime' magazines hence the title. Now I've never been able to grasp the interest of these magazines, but that's of no consequence here. We already have a character interested in them so it seems likely a murder is going to happen and it does and she naturally investigates. Along the way hooking up with a young police cadet (Kevin Dillon) who's off doing his own investigation. They form an unofficial partnership and from there things proceed pretty much how you expect in these sorts of movies... More bodies show up as do many suspects including the police cadet and there's some sexual tension between the two. Can you say predictable yet?

The problem with True Crime like many movies is it has nothing new to say. It's watchable, but you've seen it all done before and to better effect. The premise could be decent, but there is no follow through. It's just another cookie-cutter thriller with way too many red herrings thrown at you and a scene that happens early in the middle half of the movie just ruins it all. I call it the "point of no return". Without giving away too much I'll say this: She ends up investigating a house and finds incriminating hard evidence in and outside the house. Then she gradually seems to forget about it. Time passes and attention shifts to other suspects but why!? Eventually we end up back at square one and yup you guessed it. The person's house which she found all that evidence at turns out to be the killer. Laughable.

True Crime is just below average in the end. The cast is passable, the story is asleep at the wheel and the end of the movie is a joke. There is a creepy moment or two, but unless you're a big fan of Alicia Silverstone or have lowered expectations for thrillers you should pass. Especially with the blunder the movie makes that means you can easily predict who the killer is going to be. Nevermind the fact that a 16 year old girl is smarter than all the police officers in town put together. True Crime this is not.