Good concept, poorly executed.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

This movie should be watched by anyone who wishes to learn from bad examples. God, it was a struggle to watch this. When the end came, it was a mercy, like the end to a long bout of cancer. This is a murder alright, but the script is the victim.Let's get into the problems. As a Canadian, I could spot this piece of trash as from Canada right away. I was standing in line at the bank once, a long while ago and this guy in line behind me starts talking about the government grants he was receiving to make a film. "Doesn't matter what trash we make, so long as it's Canadian." As a taxpayer, it gives me a nice warm fuzzy feeling.This script was not reviewed by seasoned professionals. It's got too many clichés in it that are obvious. For example - the cop with mental problems. This cliché is done so badly, we only find much later why he suffers from guilt that drives him to drink. When we do, it's hard to imagine all that self-destructing behaviour coming from such a complicated set of circumstances. I'm self-destructive because my mother baked a vanilla cake on a Wednesday and I like chocolate on Thursdays. The cause and effect are so disjointed in time we wonder, "Why are they telling us this?" The conflict cliché. The Captain of the MPs claims jurisdiction in a murder case. I was half expecting the newspaper boy to rush in and claim jurisdiction. "I delivered newspapers on this base for years buddy, so that corpse is my responsibility. Back off!" The love interest cliché. The woman MP quickly jumps into the sack with a stranger she just met. Now I ask you, is that love? Why not insert a porno movie at this point for two minutes and then go to commercial. It would make as much sense.Overacting: Okay, lots of it here, from the MP Captain to the mother-in-law, it's hot and heavy coming from the lesser roles, playing for the cheap seats. If you want to be noticed, why not be noticed for doing a good job instead of hamming up the role. It's level jumping, and it's not permitted.Miscasting: Jason Priestley is cast in a very minor role here wearing his Perry Como smoking jacket. Sound the trumpets, a star has arrived. I kept expecting something to happen. He must be in this for a reason. Nope. Hoping for more, like a hanging participle, it simply was an incorrectly cast.Also, while we're on the subject, that danged Texas sheriff warnt from nowhars near the Lone Star boy. To my ear, he hails from somewhar up in Wisconsin. Might as well have cast a London Bobby in this role.Factual Errors: Hire a goddamn technical consultant, you cheap pigs. Soldiers shave, they wear the correct cap badges and don't call non-coms "Sir". If you can't afford one, watch another film where they do! I'm surprised you didn't have World War Two Shermans driving around in the background. People watch LAW AND ORDER for 20 years because it's technically well written. Lawyers write for the show. Take a page from their notebook. At least do some fact checking.Crap Cinematography. Filmed using 70's vintage video instead of film , obviously not quality digital when witnessing the colour bleeds, faded backgrounds and motion blur. The director was doing the "you-are-there" jiggle cam for the first 10 or 20 minutes of the film and gave up on it. You can't do Jiggle Cam with cheap video. The executives probably had to have their eyes checked after watching the daily rushes. Lot of HDTV's probably get returned to the store after watching this.Believability. Nothing kills a story molecule quicker and deader than the .44 Magnum Bullshitter. It's a huge cannon of a gun that shoots blobs of diarrhea onto the pages of the script. The smell can repel you for several pages of story and take your mind away from what's happening on the current page. The sheriff in Texas picked up the phone and called San Francisco based on a badly drawn composite. "Yeah, we've got your guy. I was picking my ass looking for something to do and I noticed the striking similarity between one of our rape suspects and your stick-man drawing here and I thought, what the hell, let's call up the Presidio for a laugh." Also, don't sheriffs in Texas talk with a drawl. Why not cast Tevia from fiddler on the roof. Ah, but I repeat myself.And finally, I'm bringing this critique to a close not because I have run out of things to say, but because I'm tired. If you feel exhausted too, then you know what this film has in store for you. Lou, you hitched a ride on a wild turkey here, son. At least that part of it was entertaining.

Another reviewer put it best with the title for his review: "made for TV" One of the problems with made-for-TV movies is that some producer or network executive comes up with a concept and then hires by commission the writer and director; and if they are 'professionals' - in TV-industry terms, which has just about nothing to do with film-making, although the two industries do feed on each other for talent - they will slog through a couple weeks production whether they care about the concept or not.The script here is most to blame - while 'professional' enough so that it's difficult to quote bad lines, it is a completely moronic story, utterly unbelievable - without knowing anything about the 'true story' this hypes itself as being 'based upon', I can guarantee that the one true thing you can say of this film is that it is not based on a true story. People with personal problems do not make good detectives; and one has to get into the story by assuming that every officer and non-com at the Presidio is engaged in a cover-up, or some other form of corruption? And talk about gratuitous - i.e., wholly unnecessary (and exploitatively filmed)- sex scenes! As if these characters had ever shown any real interest in each other in the first place.However, as with most anything made for television, I was able to have this run in the background while doing something else (cleaning house), so I didn't have to pay much attention to it. That's the only good thing I can say about it.

Not a movie that will go down in history, but if you're looking for something to keep you interested for 90 minutes, you could do a lot worse than watching "Murder at the Presidio". It's a murder mystery set at a military base, and even though the script (based on a true story) gets too soap-opera-ish at times, the handling is solid in a somewhat old-fashioned way. Lou Diamond Phillips portrays the determination of his character to get to the truth convincingly (when someone asks him "You'll find the murderers, right?" and he responds "Yes. I will", you believe him), and Victoria Pratt is fit, sweet, sexy and beautiful - very close to my perception of the ideal woman (she may be somewhat miscast though - she looks too strong for what happens to her character at one point). The rest of the actors are mostly unknown, but they do the job. As does, in general, the film. Other reviewers have mentioned inaccuracies in the depiction of military life, but the majority of viewers will neither notice them, nor care. (**1/2)

I helped make this movie up here in Canada and I had a really great time in doing so.I was an extra and provided the military transportation for the movie and getting the takes down was fun and interesting. I would work for John Fasano any day I think he did a really good job rebuilding this movie. Lou, Victoria, and Jason and all the other actors were fantastic and would love to work with them again. The staff and production crew did and awesome job making this movie possible and my hat is off to you. Thanks again for a great time and for meeting all the people I met in these travels.As for people who haven't really watch this movie i suggest you do