To fully savor this movie, you have to realize that it attempts to compete with iconic early-90s thrillers like "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" (1992), "Sleeping with the Enemy" (1991), "Cape Fear" (1991) and the 80s flick that jump started the whole family-centered-crime-thriller genre, "Fatal Attraction" (1987).
Released in 1995, "The Tie That Binds", is a bit late to the party, and for that reason sometimes it feels like a contrived rehash of what we've already seen, but it still delivers an entertaining ride. The plot centers around a young girl who gets in the middle of a sort of custody battle between two couples. But this custody battle is not fought with legalities, it's fought with sharp metal objects and things that tend to make people bleed through the head. It's a clearcut battle of good vs. evil, so there's no moral ambiguity. Unless King Solomon was drunk on mevushal, he wouldn't need to debate more than 2 seconds on who deserves the kid. So the movie is more like a "run from the bad guys" sort of thing, linear, sometimes predictable, but fun.
Daryl Hannah and Keith Carradine play a psychotic Bonnie & Clyde while Moira Kelly and Vincent Spano play the most ideal yuppie parents anyone could ever dream up. Thus the stage is set. Good performances all around make this entertaining, although more cynical audiences may not buy how extremely stereotypical each character is. But hey, we're on the heels of the 80s where everything was clearcut black & white. Like I said above, don't expect any heavy issues of morality or any question of who is right and wrong. Just expect a straightforward game of "keep away" but with a bunch of blood. As others have mentioned, the ending chain of events is a little over the top, but heck. "Over the top" is what this movie delivers.
Released in 1995, "The Tie That Binds", is a bit late to the party, and for that reason sometimes it feels like a contrived rehash of what we've already seen, but it still delivers an entertaining ride. The plot centers around a young girl who gets in the middle of a sort of custody battle between two couples. But this custody battle is not fought with legalities, it's fought with sharp metal objects and things that tend to make people bleed through the head. It's a clearcut battle of good vs. evil, so there's no moral ambiguity. Unless King Solomon was drunk on mevushal, he wouldn't need to debate more than 2 seconds on who deserves the kid. So the movie is more like a "run from the bad guys" sort of thing, linear, sometimes predictable, but fun.
Daryl Hannah and Keith Carradine play a psychotic Bonnie & Clyde while Moira Kelly and Vincent Spano play the most ideal yuppie parents anyone could ever dream up. Thus the stage is set. Good performances all around make this entertaining, although more cynical audiences may not buy how extremely stereotypical each character is. But hey, we're on the heels of the 80s where everything was clearcut black & white. Like I said above, don't expect any heavy issues of morality or any question of who is right and wrong. Just expect a straightforward game of "keep away" but with a bunch of blood. As others have mentioned, the ending chain of events is a little over the top, but heck. "Over the top" is what this movie delivers.