gfeighny I saw this movie at 5am on a Friday morning, on EDrama. It has a cool vibe that pulls you in. Basically a good version of a Lifetime movie. The guy who plays Buck does a good job of playing a real creep. Movie takes place in Hawaii, and the scenes where they are out in the boat are pretty creepy, thanks to some good sound effects and camera work. Richard Crenna is good in this, but of course he basically always plays the same character in everything. Watching this straight through as a movie is a little weird, because every 10 minutes or so there is a weird break in the continuity due to the fact that it was originally made for TV. Rachel Ward plays dumb in this one, and it isn't that believable that she would be with "Buck". I do like Buck's style though; a mix of creepy cheap bar guy and Matthew Mcconaughey (or is that the same thing?).

muertos For a TV miniseries based on a true crime thriller, you'd expect standard movie-of-the-week fare. And The Sea Will Tell is instead a pretty taut thriller, well-written, well-acted and artfully put together. I'm convinced that this film isn't more well known because it had the misfortune to air for the first time the very night the ground campaign began during the first Gulf War. If you were watching CNN (and who wasn't), you missed it.Rachel Ward, a highly underrated actress, is slightly miscast as the naive "hippie" waif Jennifer Jenkins, but she makes the best of a pretty meaty role, and her chemistry with Richard Crenna is spot-on. There's less chemistry between her and Hart Bochner, but his performance is excellent--he's certainly come a long way from his cartoonish portrayal of a slimy executive in Die Hard ("Hans...boobie...would I lie to you?"). The whole series, however, is stolen by James Brolin and Deidre Hall. The interweaving of flashbacks to the characters' time on the island with the courtroom scenes is skillfully done--something that, incidentally, Buglioisi failed to do well in the book this film is based on.There's also some attention to detail here, and even (GASP!) some approaches at mise-en-scene. The Palmyra scenes, though colorful and lush, have a strange darkness and malevolence about them. I especially like the moody magic-hour sky in the oft-shown sequence of Ward and Bochner boarding their neighbors' yacht on the crucial night, and the rusty, moldering remains of military hardware that lurk in the underbrush. When contrasted with the chic mid-80s San Francisco in which the courtroom scenes take place, you definitely get the sense that the Rachel Ward character has come a long way. You don't see a lot of that kind of subtlety in a TV feature.This is a story that probably should have been a Hollywood feature. Barring that, however, it's still an excellent film. Recommended.

Michael O'Keefe ****Possibly considered a spoiler****This fact based story made for TV movie contains romance, intrigue, misconception, fear, mystery and murder. And taken from the pages of a novel by famed attorney Vincent Bugliosi. A psychotic low life(Hart Bochner)on the run from the law convinces a younger lover(Rachel Ward)to sail away to paradise and away from the world. On a remote island in the South Pacific where they are running low of provisions their relationship is becoming odd at best. A yacht arrives with an older couple(Diedre Hall and James Brolin)who intend to spend a year on the island. It is the meeting of the "hippies" and the "yuppies". The older couple being really annoyed by the young couple one day is nowhere to be found. Until a crate washes ashore with dismembered remains inside. Bochner is convicted of murder and the last half of the movie Richard Crenna as Vincent Bugliosi is defending Ward in court.Bochner plays this part so well it is easy to dislike him. Ward's acting is so-so, but it doesn't matter that much with her many scenes of alluring attire or lack of. Crenna is flawless. The talent of the lovely Hall is practically wasted. Even as the final credits roll you still have questions to be answered. Best watched on a lazy day, because this movie seems to be in no hurry.

John Murray And The Sea Will Tell is a haunting murder mystery drawn from a fantastic book.This book is a favorite of mine,and the adaptation is superb.What happened in 1974 on Palmyra Island?The truth may never be known,but this movie will rivet you as you try to figure it out.The cast is superb.John Kapelos is good as Len Weinglass,James Brolin and Deidre Hall are excellent as Mac and Muff Graham,and Hart Bochner made my skin crawl with his chilling potrayal of Buck Walker.The two standouts ,though,are Richard Crenna,one of my favorite actors,who turns in a powerful performance as the tough,dedicated and ultimately compassionate Bugliosi;and Rachel Ward,who flawlessy portrays the contradictory nature of the enigmatic Jennifer Jenkins. 10 out of 10.