This was a made for TV movie and it's overall quality of screenplay is consistent with what you would normally expect. The story itself has a few twists and turns that keep you guessing and therefore is convincingly engaging as a thriller. David Strathairn was pretty solid in his role but I really did not find Mary Mcdonell very convincing - can't quite pin it exactly but there was something slightly odd about her performance. It does veer towards the unbelievable on a few occasions but it is still an enjoyable watch which is given more credibility with an unpredictable ending which I didn't expect. A good made for TV thriller. Nothing better.

This movie is a classic example of "whodunnit" where a few red herrings are included and the mystery isn't resolved until the end. I enjoy this kind of movie, including this one.The challenge is that there are at least 15 key characters to the story. Some are never seen but mentioned. A few are shown in flashbacks as well as present day. Their jobs and relationships are key to the story. It doesn't take long for it to become confusing.I enjoyed the film enough to view it a second time with pauses in order to take notes and then refer back to them. The plot, acting and pace are solid. It's the script and/or amount of allotted that prevents it from being a really good movie.

Somewhere in the annals of court cases, we have gone from the slow approach of Perry Mason's time, to the quick, try'em and fry'em dramas of today. In such cases, audiences become privy to the horrid details which modern audiences eagerly hunger for today. In past eras, we were offered only superficial illegalities and dry bed room antics of stereotypical cardboard characters. It appears nostalgia is not dead. The film is called " Evidence in Blood " and it stars perhaps one of the most underrated actors of the day. David Strathairn aptly plays Jackson Kinley a Pulitzer prize winning author who's invited to witness a state execution. The case seems closed when he receives information his older brother has passed away. Returning home, he sifts through his brother's personal items and discovers a collection of odds and ends which puzzle him enough to began a new investigation. When Dora Overton (Mary McDonnell) the executed man's daughter visits him, she confesses she believes, her father was innocent of the murder and wrongly convicted. With a gnawing suspicion she may have been right, Kinley begins to uncover a growing collection of evidence of a massive conspiracy by towns-folks. Despite the danger, drama and subtle excitement, the writer realizes his own family's culpability, beginning with his law-enforcement brother, covering up something which he realizes too late. With Strathairn shoring up the brunt of the story, the film does not provide sufficient support for his efforts. As a result, the movie supports itself with good courtroom settings, flash-back images and complex conversations which if you miss any of it, will leave you guessing. Nevertheless, fans will appreciate David Strathairn's work which stands accordingly. ****

Andrew Mondshein has obviously been paying attention. He has created an almost flawless bit of storytelling. From beginning to end its hauntingly beautiful and thought provoking. I compare it favorably to the best works of John Sayles, possibly the finest contemporary american filmmaker. Is it a coincidence that two Sayles veterans David Strathairn and Mary McConnell are excellent in this movie??Its structure is complicated, but it is handled with a deft hand. Bernadette Kelly's editing is seamless. I recommend it very highly to anyone who enjoys a good whodunit or simply a wonderfully crafted entertainment. It certainly does not seem like a TV movie, even if it is a Canadian production, which, of course, are usually superior. Give it many stars.