A Major Disappointment

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

At first glance, I thought this movie will be some low-budget movie with a mediocre cast. I'm not a fan of TV movies but as my curiosity stepped in, I watched it.My initial impressions of it were all wrong.I didn't know the reasons why Craiglist shut down the Erotic category, but this movie tells the reason why.Overall, this movie was better than average as it had a decent cast and the acting was good with a true life plot.It isn't a must-see but one should definitely check this movie out.

From a guy's perspective watching a predominantly-female-cable-channel's movie, I thought the movie was only OK. First, it's a TV movie; there were scenes that could have been riskier if they were made for a theater, but here they just seem like tame "problems" rather than gruesome killings. Second, the actors did not seem like the types that would do anything close to killing anyone else, nor even being interested in Craigslist, especially Jake McDorman. Third, where's the motive or the intrigue behind the 'Philip' character? He tries to explain why during the end of the movie, but it doesn't stick or make sense. Why was he getting woozy during an engagement party? Why is his fiancé so gullible? And who leaves their engagement ring at a jail visiting center? The beginning, as mentioned in other reviews, is very slow and could've been abbreviated to fit more murders or motives in its place. The music is generic and forgettable.I honestly didn't feel anything (trust or shame) for this character in the movie, so the movie feels pretty worthless. And trying to add that whole "Pocket" business would make me furious if I were a female trying to be sold this idea that he really loved her completely. This movie = totally dramatic sham. Go watch American Psycho if you want to see a person with real issues.

Jake Mcdorman, besides being ridiculously attractive that he is unlike the real bad guy, did a decent job portraying the role of Philip Markoff in this movie by hiding his psychotic other personality from others for a significant amount of time. It was a role that he definitely knew how to act out without trying too hard which made it an overall good movie besides being easy on the eye. His TV wife however, was a bad actress, and honestly didn't have much charisma for the role. Perhaps a more well established actress could have been considered, who knows? He isn't a big actor either, but does a thorough job. I had a hunch that a movie like this would come out onto Lifetime just because Lacy Peterson and Natalie Holloway were also made into movies and were broadcasting on Lifetime. No big shocker there. Still this was a sexy thriller that i definitely enjoyed even though i normally don't watch Lifetime.

Though very much different, why did the last scene evoke memories of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift in 1951's "A Place in the Sun?"Philip Markoff had it all. Brilliant beyond belief, a winning personality and a girl who loved him deeply, and yet he threw it away due to the fact that he was a complete psycho. Amazing that he was able to balance his life for as long as he did.The film didn't concentrate on his family life other than to say that his parents separated and his mother showed up at his engagement party. As quickly as she showed up, that's how fast she evaporated from the film.Once the police were on to Philip, he goes downhill very quickly.You wonder how is fiancé could have been naive. Love is certainly blind.