One of those films that should be labeled "too intense for children," Deadly Intentions may well be too intense for adults, too. The film tells an absorbing tale of terror, that's even more frightening because it is based on fact, and Michael's riveting performance as would-be killer Charles Raynor is a must-see!
When we first meet Charles, he is completing his medical studies and growing close to future wife, Katherine. From the beginning we sense something off kilter about him. He compulsively schedules his entire day on a blackboard in his room; his uses scare tactics to teach Katherine physics principles; and he has an odd touch and go relationship with his doting mother. But Katherine loves him, and to her these seem to be only minor quirks of behavior. It isn't until after they marry that she realizes those hints of abnormality were predictors of something much more serious. Almost at once, Charles reveals a domineering bent to his personality and begins to control Katherine's life. As his wife, her job is to take care of him and nothing else. The blackboard becomes a focus in their home, and with it, he dictates how she spends her days. He begins to display a sick sense of humor, deriving sadistic fun and sexual excitement from playing cruel jokes on Katherine and delightedly photographing her horrified reactions. Though disturbed by Charles' bizarre behaviors, Katherine tries to make the marriage work. When she becomes pregnant, she fears Charles may not be ready to be a parent, but still she hopes that fatherhood will stabilize him. She is wrong. With the arrival of their child, the crisis escalates. Charles feels threatened by the infant, fearing displacement from Katherine's affections. When his aberrant behavior endangers their son, Katherine takes the boy and runs, triggering Charles to murderous revenge.
Deadly Intentions is proof that reality can be more engrossing than fiction. Based on a true story, this two-part made-for-TV miniseries utilizes the added time of its longer form to good effect, slowly and steadily building its characters and its suspense. Audience apprehension mounts, as layer by layer the film peels away Charles' mask to expose the monster beneath it. The script is strong and the acting superior. Though the dramatics lessen and the pace slows in Part 2, as a whole, Deadly Intentions is a very satisfactory film and an above average television production.
As Doctor Raynor, Michael is outstanding! Throughout, his gripping performance held me in thrall. Fearing where Charles' warped behavior would lead, still I followed. Like Katherine, I was both repelled by his madness and entrapped by his charisma. As Michael plays him, Charles is never normal, and as time goes by, his actions grow more and more perverted. However, it is a tribute to Michael's acting prowess that he can take a reprehensible character and still somehow manage to evoke sympathy for him. In Deadly Intentions, he provides a number of moments that arouse genuine pity for an intelligent man, twisted emotionally. Charles' distress when his mother callously rejects his attempts to reach her is tangible and moving. And his anguish while admitting to Katherine his fears of losing her, the only person who has ever loved him for himself, is heartbreaking. Though Deadly Intentions may have lured me against my will down its painful path, Michael's impressive performance made the trip well worth taking!
Kay
