During her divorce, Dr. Lila Coletti (Gina Gershon), a criminal psychiatrist, loses custody of her two daughters, partially because her job working with the criminally insane is dangerous.This has everything necessary to be a good thriller. But yet, it just comes off as boring. Gershon's mouth is horribly distracting and Sean Patrick Flannery is a decent actor but such a horrible human being that it is hard to focus on his performance.Most disturbing, this film takes its name from a classic film noir. Yet, it has no connection to it, makes no nod to it, and is a vastly inferior film.

SPOILER BELOW I won't recap the storyline- many here have already done that. I watched this mostly because I am a Michael Biehn fan & it seems after Aliens and Terminator, he kinda disappeared. So anytime I get a chance to see him, I do.It is a decent suspense flick. The storyline keeps you guessing and, quite frankly, makes it almost impossible to really decide if the good Doctor is guilty or not at the end.The acting over all is okay. No one really stands out, not even my hunny bunny Michael, lol! One of the things I noticed the most developed character is that of the would-be killer. The movie could've been helped by developing the relationship between Gina/Michael (sorry, can't remember their character names) to a level that made you more involved with them both.One reviewer here said that a big flaw in the plot was the rape. How could a female be responsible for that part of the crime? But, if you notice, they mentioned that in the would-be killer's past m.o. (and the husband's girlfriend had the same thing happen to her too) was being raped with a bottle. This is how the writer got around the girl/guy thing.It's not a bad way to spend 90 mins. Would I watch it again? Maybe if there was nothing else on. It does almost have a "TV movie of the week" feel to it. If my review seems lukewarm without the maximum effort, it's because that is how this movie is. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, it's just not that good either.

A miserable movie. The script is plain awful, and the acting other than Gershon's is rotten, but then again, the actors had few options with such a laughably bad script to work with. Every interaction between characters is stilted, and even when the acting isn't technically awful, it's more on par with a made-for-TV movie. Like I said, only Gershon holds her own in this thing. This movie played like some non-cinema person's fantasy about how cool it would be to make a movie. Sure, they try for a sort of big twist at the end, but by then the gratingly juvenile quality of the movie makes it not matter very much.

**SPOILERS** Losing custody of her two young daughters Susan & Rebecca, sisters in real life Natasha & Daniella Napoli, because of the hours she keeps and the people that she deals with prison psychiatrist Dr. Lila Coletti, Gina Gershon, is sent into a deep depression. Lila Unable to do her work, counseling and rehabilitating mentally derange and dangerous convicts, at the state penitentiary starts to feel lost and worthless.The first evening the two girls are with their father and his fiancée Paul Coletti and Jenny Kemp,Nick Boranie & Carolyn Balogh, someone breaks into the house and brutally murders them yet leaving the two sisters alone and unhurt. Right away the suspicion of who killed Mr. Coletti and Jenny falls on Dr. Coletti. She had the most to gain by their death with her getting custody of her daughters and the Coletti estate, including the house, worth some two million dollars.Were put right on to who may have been the possible double murder on two former prison inmates whom Dr. Coletti dealt with Ciro Ruiz, Jon Huentas, and Ed Brinkman, Sean Patrick Flanery. The two not only were given parole because Dr. Coletti positive evaluation of them before the prison review board but because they both seemed to have become very infatuated with her. To the point of willing, like Ciro told her, to commit murder in her behalf. As for Lila's part she turns out to be secretly in love with the police detective that's been put on her husbands and his girlfriends murder case Det. Macy Kobacek, Michael Biehn.The movie leaves a number of baffling clues to both the police and audience that has to do with Lila's mental condition. Not just over her loss, to her husband Paul, of her two daughters but her own childhood where both she and her mom were abused by her deranged father. This childhood experience left Lila feeling that somehow he was killed by her or someone else in the family to put an end to their suffering. Ed Baikman whom we soon find out had the same kind of abusive childhood as Lila was put away for some twenty years after murdering both his parents. That's what seemed to have bonded him with Lila who was responsible for his overcoming his anger and inability to function in a free society.Being a suspect in Paul & Jenny's murder becomes more evident when the recently released convict Ciro Ruiz who was seen with Lila, who lied about it to the police, the night of the murders is found dead of an overdose from shooting himself up with drugs that come from the prison pharmacy. Only Lila had access to to the drugs that killed Ruiz! Arrested for murder and put behind bars Lila is in the same prison where she worked at as the prison psychiatrist.It's when Lila is arrested and put in prison when the movie gets really convoluted. First Lila isn't able to make bail, this for a double-murder?, and later is let out to find who really murdered Paul & Jenny! Were then lead to believe that their killer non-other then the weirdo Ed Baikman who seemed to worship the very ground that Lila walks on. Ed mad at Lila because she turned down his advances goes to another psychiatrist Dr. Karen Kendler, Louise Barnes. This causes Lila to storm into Dr. Kendler's office and let her know in no uncertain terms what a mad and dangerous person her new patient is thus having her drop Ed from treatment.The movie goes to it's totally unbelievable and mind twisting conclusion with Lila and Ed's unusual connection to Paul and Jenny's murders that takes us, the audience, into this never never land of madness and insanity. We have Lila's confused and by now flabbergasted boyfriend Det. Kobecek , who suddenly and unexpectedly pops up out of nowhere, only get it in the neck as Lila & Ed have it out with each other. This gives you the impression that both of them must have been cut with the same cookie cutter, out of the same dough, in how crazy and off-the-wall they both act. The ending****MAJOR SPOILERS**** is a real shocker, if you can somehow figure it out. Lila & Ed, had this whole scenario planned right from the start and sucked the love-sick and clueless Det. Kobecek into it making him the fall guy to take the blame, posthumously, for the twin murders! Were also lead to believe that their, Lila & Ed, in some way also related in a photo that we see as the movie draws to a close.