A Lifetime Original Movie: Gone – DVD Review

Now, I know what you’re thinking: A Lifetime movie being reviewed on this site? What demonry is this? Well, I have to admit that I was hesitant to review Gone, but I must say that I was very entertained and found it quite enjoyable.

We all know the standard stereotypes that seem to plague movies from Lifetime. A woman – usually played by Meredith Baxter, Daphne Zuniga, or Kellie Martin – has been the victim of some atrocious crime (usually a rape or some sort of domestic violence).

Throughout the film we watch as she overcomes the demons that plague her, fights back against the man or men who have wronged her, and makes a new life for herself out of the ashes of her former existence.

But this time out we get something a little different; a procedural mystery thriller with plenty of exciting and unexpected twists that really do work, and keep you guessing until the climactic end. Honestly, I was surprised at how well done and effective the story was, how clever a few of the plot twists were, and how much action and violence was shown. In a word: suspenseful.

Okay, so the woman – this time played by Molly Parker who pulls off panicked-on-the-verge-of-hysterical quite well – plays Amy, a woman who in the past was the victim of a traumatic sexual assault. The unsolved crime has led Amy down a path of deep psychological issues that have caused her divorce from Scary Movie’s Lochlyn Munroe, along with a pending custody battle for their daughter, Emily.

When Emily disappears, Amy soon finds herself journeying down a rabbit hole of suspense, intrigue, double-crosses, and ultimately justice! The set-up definitely works overtime in order to ensure the pay-off at the end is thrilling and believable, and the overarching topical storyline about the shortage of flu vaccine is a great impetus for a solid suspense tale.

Maybe it’s my love of series like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Psych, and other police shows that really got me into this particular TV movie. While I normally steer clear of most Lifetime-branded programming, I found Gone to be an exciting and palpable mystery-thriller.

While I may have gone in a skeptic, the film redeemed itself and proved to me that not all Lifetime movies are cut from the same cloth.

Gone is available August 16, 2011 on DVD!

What’s the best/worst Lifetime movie you’ve seen? Leave a comment and let us know!

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