Legacy of Fear

2006 "History is repeating itself."
5.3| 1h25m| en| More Info
Released: 27 November 2006 Released
Producted By: Lifetime
Country: Canada
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

A police detective catches wind of a brutal serial killer - the same serial killer who is responsible for the deaths of her parents, 30 years earlier.

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SnoopyStyle In 1977 Springfield, Mass., police detective Don Joyce is investigating a serial killer known as BPS (Bound, Photographed, Strangled) killer. The killer murders Don's wife in front of their daughter Jeanne. Thirty years later, Jeanne 'JJ' Joyce (Teri Polo) is herself a homicide detective. Don had committed suicide. The killer was never caught but suddenly, the killings are happening again after a 30 years break. Her best friend reporter Kathleen Coyne is pulled into the case.I am a little surprised by the nudity in this Lifetime movie. Teri Polo is perfectly fine. It does need a better director and production value. With more graphic violence and darker movie moves, this has a chance. Instead, it is never better than its Lifetime construction. That only makes this a sad shadow of an actual film.
canuckteach Such software has existed for quite some time, believe it or not. That's why we see the same 'suspense' scenes over & over again (a killer attacks, but the hero is just having a DREAM SEQUENCE! the hero chases the killer into a forest but gets struck from behind {you'd think the cameraman would say something} etc.) and hear the same clichéd lines repeated that we've heard before in these tiresome retreads. Matt Damon calls such dialogue 'derivative'.In LOF, the acting is respectable, especially by our lead, Teri Polo. I confess I tuned in to it since the Canadian Football game I was watching was dreadful and LOF was a better time-waster. However, the premise--that a clever 'serial killer' can outfox detectives while leaving them taunting clues and also read their every move in advance--is only slightly less ridiculous than a film about sharks stalking humans (well, that worked the first time!). It does, however, show how screenplay-software can turn out a barebones script for a TV movie: I can just see the 'writer' flipping through the menus "Flashback Scenes" "Arguments with Police Boss" "Fun Scenes to Flesh out Hero" "Eerie Searches for Clues" etc.You could produce a decent 'B' suspense flick with a little imagination: a few bizarre characters; some nifty dialogue that moves the plot along, but says things in a new way; or a hero that is complex but compelling (Dr House, Sherlock Holmes, Monk). I'm afraid the Cast here just isn't given too much to work with. Contrast an old sleeper such as 'Plain Clothes'.6/10 generous rating just for being more fun than a CFL game in which one QB couldn't pass the salt..
nadia kahnovets I've seen worse, but I've definitely seen Lifetime do better with its movies. It seems like so many recent LMN flicks suffer from unoriginal, filler plots. Legacy of Fear is no different, and it's a shame. You have a cast of good actors and you give them crap dialog and silly scenes, and it makes it all the more boring to watch. Oh well. There are a few redeeming moments in the flick, particularly the fight scene **potential spoiler** between the detective and serial killer, it's just, well, amusing... in an otherwise try-so-hard-to-take-me-serious movie. It's what I like to call a 'nothing but a paycheck' film. But like I said, I've seen much worse. It's a step above watching Survivor.
snapmcnasty First off, I love Lifetime movies, but this is a true stinker.First, Teri Polo's character was totally unlikeable. The writers went too for trying to show her drive to catch the killer.She fought with her boss, co-workers, and her best friend constantly. If a detective had spoken to their boss the way she did ,she would be fired! Also,to go into a wooded area in the middle of the night with no backup? That would be a fire-able offense right there. With backup they might have saved the girl. They should have shown a little bit of vulnerability in Polo's character. Secondly, the killer's character was not fleshed out enough. Yes, he was the son of the first killer, but please give us some info on his childhood and life. Thirdly, what happened to the first killer, how did die,why did he stop killing,etc.? The writers dropped the ball on this one.