The Art of Murder
The Art of Murder is a 1999 American-Canadian thriller television film that first aired on the network television on December 14, 1999. It stars Michael Moriarty, Joanna Pacula, Boyd Kestner and Peter Onorati.[1][2][3]
| The Art of Murder | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Thriller |
| Written by | Sean Smith Anthony Stark |
| Directed by | Ruben Preuss |
| Starring | Michael Moriarty Joanna Pacula Boyd Kestner Peter Onorati |
| Theme music composer | Ross Vannelli |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Michael Frislev (executive producer) Larry Gershman (executive producer) Kevin Goetz (executive producer) Greg Malcolm (producer) Chad Oakes (executive producer) Vicki Sotheran (producer) |
| Cinematography | John P. Tarver |
| Editor | Dona Noga |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Release | |
| Picture format | Color |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release |
|
Plot
Elizabeth Sheridan (Joanna Pacula), a painter, is married to Cole (Michael Moriarty), who runs a yacht-building company. When Cole becomes abusive, Elizabeth begins an affair with Tony Blanchard (Boyd Kestner), the firm's top designer. When a blackmailer (Peter Onorati) produces incriminating pictures of her and Tony, she and Tony agree to pay, but when murder gets added to the mix, she becomes the obvious suspect.
Cast
- Michael Moriarty as Cole Sheridan
- Joanna Pacula as Elizabeth Sheridan
- Boyd Kestner as Tony Blanchard
- Peter Onorati as Willie Kassel
- Nathaniel Deveaux as Sheriff Powers Crawford
- Kathryn Anderson as Tina
- Betty Linde as Ora Mae Howell
- Mark Brandon as Ken Lothrop
- Thomas Miller as Tommy Lothrop
- Jaclynn Grad as Casey McHugh
- John Nelson as Trooper
- John Tierney as Burton Hiasen
- Kim Stern as Waitress
Reception
In a review for Radio Times, David Parkinson said in regards of Joanna Pacula's appearance in the film, "Ever since she hit Hollywood in 1983's Gorky Park, Polish-born Joanna Pacula has been slowly sliding down the rankings. This is a pity, as she's an incredibly physical actress in every sense of the word. She certainly deserves better than this tepid thriller." Parkinson summarized the film's plot as "There's a couple of twists that just about pass muster. But whether you'll consider them worth waiting for, after an interminably slow opening, is debatable."[4]
References
- Pratley, Gerald (2003). A Century of Canadian Cinema: Gerald Pratley's Feature Film Guide, 1900 to the Present. Lynx Images. p. 17. ISBN 1-894073-21-5.
- Craddock, James M. (2006). Video Source Book: Video program listings A-I. Thompson Gale. p. 157. ISBN 0-7876-8977-7.
- Craddock, Jim (2001). VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever: 2002. Visible Ink Press. p. 66. ISBN 0-7876-5755-7.
- Parkinson, David. "The Art of Murder – review". Radio Times. Retrieved July 28, 2020.