A Complex and Clever Baby Switch Thriller
Added 6/6/2004
Lovers of psychological suspense thrillers should enjoy this little known Canadian made for cable movie. The story begins with a scene reminiscent of the original "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." In the tradition of the best whodunits, the writer, Kurt Wimmer, leads the viewer to suspect most of the principal characters, including the 4 year old boy about whom the plot centers. The child is autistic and cannot speak. Yet as pets and relatives disappear or are killed, the child seems to be present and knowing. He also has a penchant for watching a cable channel that shows re-enactments of crime 24 hours a day, a comic relief idea in a tense story. While it is clear from the beginning that the boy was switched at birth, and seems to have fascination for evil, the viewer is likely to find the final third of the movie exciting, surprising, and emotionally moving. The characters are all intelligent and the movie develops at a leisurely pace. James Brolin does a credible job as a police detective trying to get to the bottom of why so many deaths are occurring from the same source. I came upon this movie by accident back in 1995 on cable and was so taken by it that I taped it during the remainder of all its showings that month. I have watched it at least 40 times. While the few reviews of the film I have been able to find gave it two to three stars, almost everyone I have shown it to has enjoyed it thoroughly. If you like kids, thrillers, and stories with emotionally powerful moments, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by this rare little gem.
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Correct...
Added 4/16/2008
This movie is a good movie and a action and suspense movie...the music is...BAD ! It's just this !
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Nifty and smart whodunit with some horror elements
Added 3/13/2007
This little known made for Canadian Cable TV film from 1994 is one of my
all time favorites and I was delighted to see it is now on DVD. Two
baboes are born at the outset of the film (Supposedly in Burlington VT),
one to a woman who is in custody and the other to a highly educated
couple. Right away the viewer is led to suspect the babies have somehow
been switched, either by accident or on purpose. Four years later, the
couples boy is mute and diagnosed with autism. Then a series of murders
occur at or near their house, and suspicion is distributed to the boy who
is fascinated with crime on TV, as well as all the principals. There are
some truly frightening moments, but no blood or gore. The ending will
probably surprise most viewers. The scene where the mother finds her
bio child at an orphanage is heart tugging. Albeit the ending is a bit
farfetched, but overall very satisfying, at least for me.
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