An Officer and a Murderer

The title says it all. There's no mystery here in who's doing it, breaking into houses stealing underwear and dildos, at the same time as he is living a perfect life and is just appointed the main boss at an important military establishment.

The mystery is how a well respected man can be such an offender. Well, he's not the first, and will not be the last, seemingly living a perfect life, but not able to control his sick sexual urges.

This Canadian movie, directed by Norma Bailey has Gary Cole in the main role, and he is doing a great job as always. As is the rest of the cast, though that's not a shock, as Canadians are very good at making films with true and realistic acting.

Well worth a watch!

AN OFFICER AND A MURDERER (TV movie 2012) WARNING: VIOLENT REAL WORLD DEPICTIONS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

He's out there...Pretending to be human 7 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 2:45min

BASIC PLOT: A fictionalized account of the crimes and capture of Canadian Air Force Colonel Russell Williams (Gary Cole).

The film starts with Williams burglarizing homes, stealing underwear and other personal items, and through his behavior, attempting to demoralize the female population of his small Canadian town.

He escalates to sexual assault, and eventually commits two murders, while trying to frame a neighbor for the crimes.

The film also chronicles the hard work of Detective Jennifer Dobson (Laura Harris) and Detective Nick Gallagher (Rossif Sutherland), whose resolute determination, and dogged investigation, eventually brings down a predator, who had been shielding himself in his nation's military uniform.

WHAT WORKS: *GARY COLE. FULL STOP. Gary Cole's embodiment of this character is outstanding! He is both full of rage, and detached. His portrayal of Colonel Russell Williams is par excellence!

*THE WRITING IS ABOVE AVERAGE, especially for a made-for-tv movie. Keith Ross Leckie does a fine job with suspense, pacing, and with presenting a fact based story that is graphic, without being exploitative.

*THE ACTRESSES WHO PORTRAY THE WOMEN SURVIVORS GIVE JUST ENOUGH They all do a good job (especially Kristina Pesic & Emma Campbell) with a difficult subject matter, and it never crosses into torture porn. It is real enough to be disturbing, without being salacious.

*LAURA HARRIS IS EXCELLENT AS DETECTIVE JENNIFER DOBSON, THE SMALL TOWN DETECTIVE WHO IS EVERY BIT AS GOOD AS HER BIG CITY PARTNER Her boss, Captain Novack (Catherine Disher) thinks Detective Gallagher has more experience, and wants to listen to him. But in these situations, you should always listen to the women (the survivors), and the women detectives. They will pick up on things the men simply cannot. Detective Dobson (Laura Harris) proves this again and again, as her instincts lead to the correct killer.

*ROSSIF SUTHERLAND DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB PLAYING DETECTIVE NICK GALLAGHER, A MAN WHO DOESN'T TRUST HIS INTUITION, AND THEREFORE DOESN'T LISTEN TO THE SURVIVORS Men in general have a hard time even knowing what to say to victims of sexual assault, much less how to relate to, or understand where they're coming from. Part of this is victim blaming (I can pretend the victim did something wrong, something my wife, sister, mother wouldn't do, so my world "feels" safe.) Part of it is the complete misunderstanding (and refusal to try) by men, of what it's actually like to be a woman. When the police find the videos of the survivor Nick didn't believe, he can't even watch, while his female colleagues are scouring the video for clues. All women understand male violence, but all men do not. It's an unfortunate fact, and Rossif Sutherland does a good job representing this male flaw, common in the police.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *NOT SURE ABOUT THE REAL CASE... But in the movie, two cops don't believe one the survivors of sexual assault (Linda Godmere, the young mother). But the perpetrator left her in someone else's underwear. That could be easily verified by checking with the other victims who had their underwear stolen, and would substantiate her story.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *I would absolutely recommend this movie to fans of: true crime, Gary Cole, made-for-tv movies, or fans of cautionary tales for women. It's well done on a small budget, and I highly recommend it.

(I also recommend Cosy Cove Killings (2015) as a companion piece to this movie. It's the personal account of the neighbor with the redheaded daughter, Russell was so obsessed with in the movie. It's an interesting real look inside the terror this man caused in one neighborhood.)

CLOSING NOTES: *This is a made-for-tv movie, please keep that in mind before you watch/rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews (less trolls and fanboys), and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.

Gary Cole's understated portrayal of a psychopathic alter-ego taking control of the daily ego is relentless, disturbing, and masterful. This (along with the fact that it's based on actual events) makes this movie worth viewing. Cole does not go all dramatic and tear up the scenery. In fact his *persona* (his personality mask) remains the same throughout his changes -- meticulous, thorough, rigid, controlling, polite. It's his soul that darkens and falls into this demonic abyss. Cole somehow communicates this transformation and makes us believe him (to our horror).

It should be noted that the the police characters are all fictional, and they even seem fictional in the way they are portrayed. But for those of us who wondered how a "Base Commander" on a Canadian Armed Forces base could possible lead such a double life and be one person, Cole makes us see -- not comprehend but accept.

Gary Cole walks off with the acting honors in this silly movie. Add the poker face Rossif Sutherland as a detective and a bland female, also with one look on her face of Duh, played by Laura Harris. Cole at least gives some depth to his character and manages to keep things going in an inane script for LMN of course. The channel that rarely presents any worthwhile project. And who knows where they keep coming up with these female leads that are more attentive to their hair, tight clothes and looks of boredom. Harris is a typical LMN female lead that goes nowhere with this film and gives nothing as an actress. Sutherland does a little better, but Cole takes over the movie and does a splendid job of a sexual deviate. I give this 1 star for Cole's work.

The lead actors carry this movie well, all avoiding over-acting. Cole and Sutherland deliver excellent performances with Laura not too far behind. Harris is handicapped by her stunning scandi looks. She needs to allow a persona which overcomes her looks.

Good script which allows the story to evolve simply. No gun battles, no unneeded nudity and ne explosions. Just a story based on truth, told well.

We are not told if Harria has a love interest, a n d frankly don't care. The bit where one of the earlier cases involved a dildo is handled in a straightforward, non purient manNER.