Truly Dreadful Film

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

This is based on a true story of the Dowalibys and the murder of their 7 year old daughter, Jaclyn, for which they stand accused. What happens to them, how the "system" tries to beat them down to submission and the lengths to which the prosecutors are willing to go to win, is the basis of the movie. Shannen Doherty delivers a gripping portrayal of Cindi Dowaliby, as first she fights the system, then she has to fight her husband. This may well be her best performance. I don't know how you pick the supporting cast in this story. There were no "small" parts (I watched the movie initially because a former newscaster from my home town was in it and may have had the only small part). Ed Asner, Dixie Carter, etc., would be classified as supporting cast, I guess, and they played their roles to perfection, Asner as the retired detective and Carter as the mother-in-law who finally comes to grips with her shortcomings and discovers that she has great affection for her daughter-in-law. The circumstances surrounding the investigation, the arrests, trial, and unexpected outcome all tie together so quickly that there are no "slow moments" where your mind can wonder without losing part of the plot or the puzzle pieces. But this isn't Hollywood, this is real and you feel you're watching a retrospective news report, except for the personal exchanges between the Cindi and David. When they can't agree on how to handle the initial verdict, your not sure David will listen and it might cost him dearly. If you don't know how the situation ended (as I didn't), you might think it had a much different ending. A truly riveting movie, I found myself wishing I knew what subsequently has become of the Dowalibys. I could definitely watch it again.

The horror of a world seeped in injustice. This could happen anywhere, a child could be stolen in the middle of the night by a complete stranger, the kidnapper may have absolutely nothing to do with the family and a justice system COULD be completely unethical, incompetent and all the other fitting words that could be used to describe a system that could do this to a family who had gone through so much.How can this family recover from such an event and everything additional that happened to them? Are they left distrusting the system? How has this affected their mental health? God help them and God help those who acted without fairness - they too must be suffering but at no consolation to the little girl's family.This movie has been masterfully created to depict a story that rocked the world - only one in a long line of miscarriages of justice - this film is a great educational tool and raises a whole host of issues for discussion at the very least. Shannen Doherty and Kevin Dillon did great. Do watch it!

This is one of the best made-for-TV movies I have ever seen...I would love to be able to buy it somehow. I stumbled upon it while I was home alone and I've been thinking about it ever since! The plot is very good, the acting terrific...at first I wondered how Shannen Doherty could play a mother but she was very talented...the film in a whole is just wonderful, it has just the right amount of drama, not too much. If you ever stumble upon it DEFINITIVELY watch it!!

I just saw this movie... they divided it up. So the first half they showed last Tuesday and the last one today. I thought that I would watch it, I dídn't really know what it was. I just read that Shannen was in it, and I thought: Hey, Shannen's great so this movie outa be great too. And it really was great, but also very very sad. I mean I cried throught the whole movie. Cindy was a very strong person who didn't give up, she's a fighter. If you haven't seen it, I sugjest you go rent it, it's a very good movie... and I too would like to own it on tape