In "Tell-Tale," it has been five months since Terry(Josh Lucas) has received a heart transplant. He has been recovering nicely, following doctor's orders by taking his medications and not drinking alcohol. However, Liz(Lena Headey), the cute doctor who has been treating his daughter Angie's(Beatrice Miller) genetic
disorder, inadvertantly threatens that by raising his blood pressure all on her own. She's not the only person who gets his heart pumping, as he has visions of Kevin(Jamie Harrold), a paramedic. Confronting him, Kevin is stabbed and bleeds to death. A run-in with Acherton(Michael Kenneth Williams) is less accidental when Terry, not fully in control of his actions, pushes him in front of a train. With a heavy conscience, he contacts Detective Van Doren(Brian Cox, who is excellent) who has an open case Terry might be interested in.
Even with a good cast, "Tell-Tale" is a near miss, coming up just short of its target. Much of that has to do with trying to transform Edgar Allan Poe's short story into an unoriginal and predictable(after the first death, the movie loses any mystery it might have had) revenge flick with some unnecessary sadism thrown in. And even if I liked revenge stories, I'd still have a problem with the cold-blooded way some of the characters act in response to the classical ethical dilemma presented. There is a nice kicker but a lack of logic makes it a tough road getting there(not counting the supernatural elements which are fine). On the plus side, Providence is photographed well, even while forgetting that it does not have a subway.
April 7, 2011
