Fatal Reunion (2005 TV film)

Fatal Reunion (2005 TV film)

A woman in danger? Or a woman’s revenge?

This film is, above all, about Erika Eleniak, who is at the height of her beauty here and gives a rather good performance. As a young girl, she appeared in E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial (1982). We saw her again in Tales from the Crypt: Bordello of Blood (1996), but she is best known for the series Baywatch, where she lasted three months before being replaced by… Pamela Anderson!

Erika had, sadly, had a very bad experience with Steven Seagal in Under Siege (1992), as the actor had abused his power and harassed her. She must have had a better experience with Colleen Camp (Death Game, but above all Clue) and John Wesley Shipp (the Flash series, in Second to Die).

Elleniak was also chosen as a Playboy Playmate (Miss July 1989) and graced the covers in August 1990 and December 1993. It’s crazy that such a sex symbol has faded from the limelight. It’s tough to have your moment of glory, only to face the decline afterwards. Unfortunately, she never really made her mark on the big screen. I’d even forgotten about her until this film reappeared before my astonished eyes!

In 2006, she made headlines because of her weight issues. Anyway!

I really enjoyed this TV film, even though I usually hate them. My favourite remains Sister Cities (2016)!

The film opens with four long-standing friends… but they don’t really add much to the film, which is a shame. Because Lucia Walters, Ashley Hale, Sonya Salomaa and, above all, Barbara Fixx are good actresses.

As for the men, the husband is played by David Millbern and the seductive childhood friend by Michael Bergin. Both are quite well cast, with their own moments of contradiction. I really enjoyed them.

Ahh! What a pleasure to see Juliet Landau again, Drusilla from the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

I love films that show how utterly flawed the justice system is. You realise this when you’re actually involved in it. Everyone else will just say it’s only a film, or even a TV film, but those who’ve found themselves in a courtroom know that the messages in these films don’t come out of thin air – and certainly not from a magic top hat!

The story is interesting and doesn’t follow the usual tropes. There’s a certain originality here. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s not your run-of-the-mill story of deception where someone becomes obsessed and dangerous. It goes a bit further and in a slightly more subtle way.

That said, the last ten minutes are reminiscent of the ridiculous aspects of TV films. There are some laughable moments, even though it’s supposed to be serious, and it’s also unrealistic. There are always those people who get shot in the back or the stomach, but manage to get back on their feet, or whom those around them don’t seem to care enough about, as if nothing had happened.

Let’s just say it’s not too serious! None of these elements stopped me from having a good time. You could say it’s good, light-hearted entertainment to help you unwind. But you’ve got to be a good audience too!