Boring

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

I felt it was a great story line from James Patterson as usual. I found it very funny that in one see we find Tracy Pollan's "Inspector Lindsay Boxer" reading a book called "Beach House" out by the lake. This is James Patterson's new & up-coming book due out in May of 2006. Interesting how in 2003 it was in this movie. I liked how Patterson seems to keep your attention in his books and I do hope to see many more of his books put to film. One of my favorite books by him is "Roses are Red" and I have learned it will also become a Big Screen movie with a good chance of Morgan Freeman playing the excellent role of Det. Alex Cross. It has a very good plot to it and is well worth putting into a movie.

The word "1st" in the title has more ominous meaning for the viewers of this film than for its crime victims. At least they don't have to stick around and watch this interminable film reach its own demise.1st should refer to: 1st draft of a script; 1st takes used in each performance in the final film; 1st edit in post production; etcetera, etcetera.The movie is not cast too badly, it's just that everything about the film come off as worse than third rate, from the goofy script, to the wooden performances. And while suffering through this cobbled together film, by the 2 hour mark you want to be put out of your misery. At 160 minutes long it is readily apparent that it should have been edited to under 2 hours.Going into details concerning the lame script and acting serves little purposes. Even in the equally awful, Lake Placid, at least the performances Bill Pullman and Bridget Fonda constructed out of an extremely weak script, were nuanced enough to make you laugh at the movie. In 1st to Die, one ends up grieving only for the time lost in waiting to see what happens after the opening scene of the preparation of the female lead's suicide.The editing is so bad one is never introduced to one of the main characters, who I think (were never quite told) is a D.A. She just appears in one scene in the middle of a conversation. Obviously the scene where she is introduced to the viewer was dropped on the editor's floor. And no one realized that a character appearing out of nowhere was an unusual film ploy.In a word, don't waste your time with this one. My wife and I wish we didn't. But at least we created our own diversions by commenting in various places in the film like it was Mystery Science Theater. "Meanwhile, in Cleveland . . . ." !!!!

Enjoyed this TV film from beginning to end and the plot kept me wondering just how this story was suppose to come to a conclusion! Tracy Pollan,(Lindsay Boxer),"A Stranger Among Us",'92, gave an outstanding depiction of a detective who was bound and determined to find out what was happening to all the Brides and Grooms. Gil Bellows,(Chris Raleigh),"EMR",'04 was another cop who had a hard time trying to understand Lindsay and her way of thinking about her job and life. Robert Patrick,(Nicholas Jenks),"Supercross",'04 gave an outstanding performance and was able to make everyone grow to HATE HIM. It was horrible to see all these young couples happy on their honeymoons and having to face such TERROR! Great entertaining FILM!

Having not read the novel, I can't tell how faithful this film is. The story is typical mystery material: killer targets newlyweds; woman investigator falls in love with her partner and is diagnosed with a fatal disease. Yes, it sounds like a soap opera and that's exactly how it plays. The first 2/3 are dull, save for the murders and the last 1/3 makes a partial comeback as it picks up speed toward its twisty conclusion.Acting is strictly sub par, though it's hard to blame the actors alone: the screenplay is atrocious. During the last 1/3 you stop noticing because the film actually becomes interesting, but that's only the last 1/3. Director Russell Mulcahy is very much in his element, but there's only so much he can do with a TV budget and the network censors on his back. He's pretty much limited to quick cutting and distorted lenses, though he managed to squeeze in a couple "under the floor" shots during the murders in the club restroom. Unfortunately, as this is made for TV, the cool compositional details he uses so well with a wider image are nowhere to be found. Note to producers: give this man a reasonable budget and an anamorphic lens when you hire him.Summing it up: this film is bad by cinema standards and mediocre by TV standards(watch CSI, instead). If you're in the mood for a film like this, I've some excellent suggestions: pick up a copy of Dario Argento's "Deep Red"(my highest recommendation; superb film), "Opera", or even "Tenebre". They're stronger in every category.