FrannyBeanz Review of In a Child's Name

In a Child's Name (1991)

Breathtaking, Riveting, Outstanding... Where's my thesaurus...?

[9/10 · 24 September 2008]

I've read some complaints about how this movie is "4 hours of my life I'll never get back." But trust me, these are 4 hours you will NEVER forget. This is a story about a woman named Teresa who meets a seemingly perfect male specimen named Ken. They meet, fall in love, he woos her traditional Italian family and they waste no time in getting married - Teresa's first marriage, Ken's third. But Ken is not all he seems. Not very long into the movie, we see that he's a substance abuser, he cheats on his new wife and is physically abusive towards her. Teresa, blinded by her seemingly perfect new love, defends him, regardless of her battered state. But Teresa's sister, Angela (an AMAZING Valerie Bertinelli), suspects otherwise and alerts her husband (a GORGEOUS pre-receeded hairline Chris Meloni of Law&Order SVU fame) and family that something sinister is hiding under Ken's "Perfect Man" facade. Eventually, Teresa becomes pregnant with her first child - something that was NOT in Ken's plans, and he is visibly irritated by the news. Brilliantly acted and completely riveting to the viewer, "In a Child's Name" will have you on the edge of your seat, anxiously awaiting what will happen next. This movie takes you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions - fear, anger, love, hate - and it literally makes you want to jump through the screen and knock Ken Taylor in the teeth. Called one of the most "disturbing" screen-shots in ALL of cinema history - that's right, not "Lifetime" history - CINEMA history, the famous "Luminol" scene will stay with you long after the movie is over. (PS: I know for a fact that the Luminol scene is completely accurate. My grandfather was a detective on this case, as my family lives in Staten Island, where the Cimarelli's lived, and he was physically in the room when this happened. He said its totally dead-on accurate... which kinda makes it all the more scarier!) If you want a movie that will tap into every human emotion possible, and make you stand up and cheer at the end, then this is the movie for you. Valerie Bertinelli should of been nominated for best actress in this role, and the rest of the cast is stunning as the 2 families battling for custody of the murdered wife's newborn son. This film is a shining example of what a substantial movie-watching experience should be.