Shutterspeed

(All screen captures are the property of Lions Gate Television and Columbia TriStar Television)

Shutterspeed

Premiered on: February 11, 2000

Director: Mark Sobel

Writers: Carey W. Hayes & Chad Hayes

Starring: Steve “Sting” Borden, Daisy Fuentes, David Lovgren, and Garwin Sanford

News & Notes: April marks the 4^th anniversary of this blog. Plus, this is my 200^th blog post! So I’m celebrating by doing a bonus movie review! It’s Shutterspeed. This is a TNT original film from the year 2000. Mark Sobel directed it. He directed TV shows such as Quantum Leap and The Equalizer. Carey and Chad Hayes wrote it. You might know them as the writing duo behind the Conjuring movies. Also, Eric Bischoff and Jason Hervey were Executive Producers on the project. It makes you wonder. If WCW won the war, would Bischoff create a WCW Films division?

If you’re wondering, I found this movie on YouTube. The quality isn’t great, but it’s there if you want to watch it. The upload has the commercials intact. In fact, one of the commercial bumpers spoiled a big part of the film. Someone didn’t pay attention at TNT when they created the presentation. I wish there were interesting commercials to discuss. It was mostly ads for the TNT premiere of Steel starring Shaq and the home video release of Blue Streak. With that said, let’s begin.

We open in Berlin. A crime boss named Angelo Diamond (Garwin Sanford) sits in his car. He orders his henchman Nigel (Mackenzie Gray) to find Knox. Knox (Tyron Leitso) hides in an alley, but Nigel finds him. Nigel shoots, so Knox runs to a cafe where his friend Mark (Kris Pope) waits. He almost reaches Mark, but Nigel guns Knox down. Knox falls in front of Mark and hands him a camera. Nigel fires at Mark instead. He runs while the cafe patrons panic. As Mark flees down a street, he drops the camera and it takes a picture. He picks it up again and ducks into a doorway. Mark locks it behind him before Nigel arrives. Nigel discovers all the doors locked, so he assumes Mark didn’t enter them. Since he can’t see Mark, Nigel gives up and returns to Diamond.

After the credits, we meet our main character, Riley Davis (Sting). He stalks a pregnant woman through a hotel lobby. Riley finds her hiding in the bathroom and pulls a knife. He told her not to come back! But Riley notices she’s been busy during her time away. He says it’s time to see if it’s a boy or a girl. Then Riley stabs the pregnant woman in her belly! A hotel guest enters the bathroom and screams when she sees this. Wait a second! Cocaine pours out of the wound! Riley says the baby has a nasty habit. The guest returns with security, but Riley produces a badge. He’s a cop, and the pregnant woman is a man, baby! Riley removes the wig to reveal the truth.

Later, Riley pulls up next to a beautiful woman (Daisy Fuentes) in a Porsche. Riley races her on his motorcycle, but a cop pulls him over for speeding.

Kenzie Pearson is the name of Daisy’s character. She’s a model. Riley catches up to her at a fashion show. He creeps on her and gets a bit handsy. Riley tells her she was speeding. She suggests cuffing her, but Riley says maybe later. Then he grabs Kenzie and kisses her. But we learn Riley and Kenzie are engaged. Kenzie’s friend suggests they save it for the honeymoon. It ends their little role play and they act normal. Riley tries to make dinner plans, but Kenzie’s says she’s busy.

Back at the police station, Captain Bradford (Garry Chalk) rips Riley a new one for making a scene at the hotel. Riley says he knew what he was doing. Bradford understands, but did he have to do it in front of guests? Then they have an unseen meeting in Bradford’s office. Afterward, a greasy-looking detective named Dermitt (Art Kitching) gives Riley a camera. He says Riley’s friend Mark dropped it off and wants Riley to call him. Dermitt then eats a donut smeared with peanut butter and cream cheese. It disgusts Riley. Next, Riley calls Mark and gets the answering machine. He asks about the camera and wonders why Mark returned early. Later, Riley stares at a picture of his dad. He has a flashback of someone shooting his father in a bar.

Riley returns home and greets his dog-sitter, Heather (Tristin Leffler). She asks Riley if he found her Jeep. He tells her it wasn’t stolen. They impounded it because of her unpaid parking tickets. As she leaves, Heather thanks Riley for introducing her to his co-worker, Perry. They had a great date, but Perry better not show Riley the pictures he took of her!

After greeting Sam the dog, Riley finds Kenzie cooking in the kitchen. (Didn’t she say she was busy with the fashion show?) They kiss and flirt before Riley tells her Mark is back in town. We learn Mark is Kenzie’s brother. Riley shows her the camera. It only has one picture on it. He thinks it’s their wedding present. Then Riley sneaks a bite of the cooking, but he discovers it’s Sam’s dog food.

Nigel found Mark at his apartment. He ties Mark to a chair and beats him. Nigel asks about the camera. Mark knows he’s dead if he gives it up, so he refuses to answer. Nigel’s goons trash the apartment and find his answering machine. They play the messages. The first is from Kenzie. She asks why he’s back so soon and reminds him about their mother’s birthday. Then Nigel hears Riley’s message. Mark cringes as Riley mentions the camera. Nigel realizes he no longer needs Mark. He tells him it’s a shame Mark’s career ends this way. The goons close in on Mark as the scene ends.

We return to Riley and Kenzie in bed. Riley has a nightmare about his dad’s death. A thug holds his dad hostage with a gun. They also show Riley’s brother yelling in anguish.

The next day, Riley visits the police photo lab. He interrupts Perry (Darcy Belsher) and Heather making out. Heather awkwardly leaves to walk the dog. Riley needs a favor. Perry obliges because Riley hooked him up with Heather. Riley asks Perry to open the jammed camera. Perry says it has a bent catch release. When he opens it, Riley asks him to develop the film. Then Perry asks if Heather said anything about him. Riley claims Heather said to show him the pictures they took. This worries Perry.

Then Bradford invites Riley into his office. Riley’s brother Cliff passed his D1 exam with the highest score. He also requested a transfer to their precinct. This angers Riley. Bradford assures him they won’t cross paths. Riley is in narcotics. Cliff is in homicide. But Bradford asks Riley to give him a break. Bradford is proud of Cliff, as their father would be. Riley asks if they’re done. So Bradford lets him go.

Riley goes to the shooting range to let off some steam, but he finds Cliff (David Lovgren) there. They stare at each other for a moment. When they begin shooting, Riley shoots Cliff’s target off its hanger. He then confronts his brother. Cliff says he called about the transfer, but Riley didn’t get his messages. Riley says he did. Was the east coast too cold for him? Cliff claims it’s colder in here. He invites Riley to have a beer with him and talk. Riley sarcastically suggests Madden’s Bar. It was their dad’s favorite, if Cliff remembers. Riley walks away and leaves Cliff looking sad.

Riley tells Kenzie about Cliff at dinner. She says Cliff is reaching out to him. Cliff is the only family Riley has left! Riley says he’s wasting his time. Not everyone has a perfect family. Kenzie says hers isn’t perfect. She also worries about what Riley will do if they have problems. Will he walk away? Riley says that isn’t fair. She doesn’t know Cliff. Then Kenzie reveals she spoke to Cliff on the phone. This annoys Riley, so he leaves the table. Kenzie tells him to give his brother a chance. Later, Riley broods at the piano while Kenzie sleeps. He presses random keys, which wakes up Kenzie. She joins him, so he apologizes for waking her. She says he didn’t. The piano woke her.

The next day, Cliff gets his first case and then meets Kenzie for lunch. Someone didn’t give Cliff the memo. He acts like it’s a date. Cliff admits he’s a fan of her modeling work. He asks how she got the gig. Kenzie says she and Mark won a cereal box contest. It was a cereal called Rainbow Flips. Cliff says that was his favorite. Then he tells her he appreciates her reaching out to him. But then Riley arrives. Seeing each other surprises both Cliff and Riley. Kenzie didn’t tell them. Riley storms away, so Kenzie talks to him. He tells her to stay out of this. It’s his brother, not hers!

Speaking of her brother, Bradford informs Riley about Mark’s death. Riley goes to Mark’s apartment. He doesn’t wear gloves and touches everything! (Way to contaminate a crime scene!) Cliff asks why Riley is there. Riley says Mark was a good friend. Then Riley calls Kenzie, but he gets her answering machine. He says they need to talk. After the call, Cliff asks questions about Mark. He doesn’t realize Mark is Kenzie’s brother until Riley tells him to check the last name. Cliff apologizes. Riley says Mark was his best man for the wedding.

Riley returns to the station and demands Bradford put him on Mark’s case. Bradford says he can’t override the head of homicide. Riley says he knows Mark and his circle of friends. So he asks Bradford to at least add him to Cliff’s team. Bradford questions this. Earlier, Riley didn’t want to be in the same station as him. Riley says things have changed. He can’t sit still. This is Kenzie’s brother! Bradford says he’ll talk to homicide. But it’s up to Cliff and Cliff remains the officer in charge!

Then Riley meets with Mark and Kenzie’s boss, Griffin (Gerard Plunkett). He informs him about Mark’s death. Griffin didn’t realize Mark returned. Riley asks when they last spoke. Griffin says a few days ago. Riley also tells him about the camera, but Griffin knows nothing about it. So Riley asks about Mark’s friends. Griffin mentions Eric Knox. Griffin called him around the same time as Mark. Riley asks why Knox hasn’t checked in. Griffin says he’s busy with multiple shoots. Riley asks for a number to reach him. Griffin promises to fax it. Then Griffin asks how Kenzie took the news. Riley says he’s waiting until she gets home to tell her.

Back at the station, Cliff speaks with Riley. He asks if Riley is comfortable working with him. Riley says it’s about his friend, but he isn’t okay with what Cliff did. Cliff tries to talk about their dad, so Riley shuts it down. He can work with Cliff as long as Cliff is professional. Then Perry arrives to break the tension. He has Riley’s photo, but it’s too blurry. Perry offers to send the negative to the FBI. They can run it through their fancy TS1 computer. It adjusts for the shutter speed and the aperture. They can clean up the photo. Riley tells him to do it.

Riley looks around Mark’s apartment again before heading home. He finds his house trashed and draws his gun. Riley hears Sam whining, so he enters the bathroom. There, he finds Heather drowned in the bathtub! Then the phone rings. It’s Kenzie! She can’t hear Riley over the noise of the fashion show. Kenzie tries apologizing for the lunch disaster, but Riley tells her to shut up and listen. This angers Kenzie. She yells at him for speaking that way to her and hangs up the phone. Riley rushes to his motorcycle and calls Bradford. He tells him what happened and says they’ll go after Kenzie next.

Kenzie does her turn on the catwalk and returns backstage. Nigel is there! He takes Kenzie hostage with a gun. Nigel leads Kenzie into the crowd. One of Kenzie’s friends notices them and says something. Nigel shoots the friend in the head, so everyone freaks out. Nigel drags Kenzie out the door in the chaos. The room is dark, so most of the guests do not know what happened. Once Riley arrives, Nigel is gone and the police are there. They tell Riley about the murdered model. Riley shouts, “SOMEBODY HAD TO HAVE SEEN SOMETHING!”

Nigel brings Kenzie to Mr. Diamond’s warehouse. We see them printing counterfeit money. Nigel tells Diamond someone was calling Kenzie’s phone. Diamond asks if it’s her detective boyfriend with the camera. Kenzie says her brother gave Riley the camera, so what does her brother have to do with this? Diamond says he has nothing to do with it—anymore. He sarcastically gives her his sympathies. Kenzie screams.

Back at Riley’s house, Perry photographs Heather’s body. (Do they not have another photographer? Why would they make him photograph his dead girlfriend!? That’s messed up!) Greasy cop has no sympy for Perry. He tells him to hurry up. Meanwhile, Riley freaks out. Bradford reassures him, but he wants to tap Riley’s phone in case they call. Riley refuses. If they want the camera, he’ll give it to them! Bradford tells Riley to calm down and think straight or he’ll put him in a cell. They killed two of Riley’s friends. These guys are playing for keeps!

Then Cliff investigates the house. He finds a picture of himself, Riley, and their dad. It causes a flashback. Cliff had a sting operation at a bar, but he spotted Riley and his dad entering the room. Back in the present, Riley sees Cliff and grows angry. Bradford says he called him. Cliff informs them no one can reach Knox. Knox has three priors, but he did no time. However, they learn of Knox’s death when they return to the station.

Then Diamond’s men call Riley’s phone. The police begin a trace as Riley answers. Nigel tells him to act normal or they’ll kill Kenzie. Riley pretends it’s a call about flowers for the wedding, so they end the trace. They put Kenzie on the phone. She tells Riley to bring the camera to a parking garage. If he doesn’t come alone, they’ll kill her. Riley says he needs a coffee break and offers to take the camera to the lab. But Cliff senses trouble. He corners Riley in the locker room and says he knows the truth. Cliff tells him it’s over if Riley gives them the camera. He needs to use the police! Riley says he has no choice and tells Cliff to get out of his way.

Riley meets Diamond’s goons in the garage. They say they’ll release Kenzie in an hour and give Riley their word. Riley hands them the camera, but the cops arrive and ruin everything. A shoot-out begins as Riley yells at them to stop. They take out one goon, but the other drives away in his SUV. Riley chases him on his motorcycle. The goon crashes, so he gets out and spots a mother and daughter exiting the elevator. He takes the daughter hostage with a knife. Riley draws his gun and refuses to lower it. The mother begs him to listen. Riley tells the goon he isn’t getting away even if he hurts the girl. Then Riley stalls until the cops appear. The distraction allows Riley to shoot the guy and free the girl.

Cliff confronts Riley about going alone. But Riley grabs Cliff by the collar and yells at him. He asks if Cliff is trying to get everyone he loves killed. Riley turns to the mother. He assures her he wouldn’t have let the goon hurt her daughter. The mother slaps him for not lowering his gun. She says he had no right. Riley replies he had no choice.

Bradford yells at Riley in his office. Riley says he had it covered. He put a transmitter on the camera and was going to follow them! Bradford gives the camera to Cliff and asks him to take it to the lab. Once Cliff leaves, Bradford demands Riley’s cell phone. All future calls will go to Bradford’s speakerphone. Riley gives it up after some hesitation.

Then Riley chases Cliff into the locker room. They fight over the camera. Riley says he needs it. He takes it and leaves, but Cliff stops him. Cliff says he also feels pain over their dad’s death! He only wants things to go back to how they used to be. Riley says Cliff became a cop for all the wrong reasons. One of them got their dad killed. It leads to another flashback. The sting operation went south when the accomplice spotted Cliff’s dad. Cliff’s perp took their dad hostage. Back in the present, Riley says Cliff can’t fix things that easily. Cliff reminds Riley he needs help. He can’t do this alone. Riley says Kenzie is all he has. Cliff says the same about Riley. Kenzie can use both of them. Riley agrees. He tells Cliff to grab his phone and meet him at the lab.

Meanwhile, Nigel barges into Griffin’s house. He tells him Mr. Diamond wishes to speak with him.

Cliff and Riley head to the photo lab. Riley uses Cliff’s phone to call Diamond. Mr. Diamond tells Riley to use his detective skills to figure out who he is. Then he tells Riley he doesn’t follow directions well. Riley says it wasn’t his fault and won’t happen again. Diamond tells Riley he’ll receive a call at 10:00 AM. No more mistakes! Riley asks to speak with Kenzie. Diamond says yes, but he hangs up. Afterward, Cliff warns Riley. He worked in negotiations. Guys like this have a no-return policy. They won’t hand her over. Riley knows. They have to find the answers in the camera. The last thing he did was have a fight with Kenzie. It was about Cliff.

Riley says he found his dad crying when Cliff and their mother left them. He thought their dad loved Cliff more than him. Cliff thought the opposite because their dad didn’t ask him to stay. Riley says their mom married for money. Cliff could have done anything with his life. Why did he become a cop? Cliff says he wanted to make their dad proud. Riley tells him their dad was always proud of him. Then Riley says their dad went to the bar because he thought Cliff was in over his head. Riley made a mistake by not stopping him. Their dad didn’t go in as a cop. He went in as a father. It got him killed. Cliff asks why Riley blamed him for years. Riley says it’s because he couldn’t blame himself. He apologizes as a tear rolls down his cheek. (Sting did well in this scene.)

After the discussion, Cliff examines the camera again. He notices something odd on the bottom of one of the camera’s knobs.

Meanwhile, Griffin meets with Mr. Diamond. Diamond tells him their situation needs precision care. First Knox died. Then they had the mess in the garage. Griffin wants Diamond to cut to the chase. Did he get the camera? Diamond says no. They could lose millions of real dollars if they can’t deal with their friends at customs. Griffin says it wasn’t his fault Knox found out about their cut. He wanted more! Griffin also knows Riley will do anything to save Kenzie. They’ll get their camera back. Diamond knows they will because Riley will give the camera to Griffin. He tells Griffin to call Riley and set up a meeting. Griffin says Riley will figure out the truth. Diamond doesn’t care. Griffin has to do it. His life is on the line.

Back at the lab, they find microfilm on the bottom of the knob. Cliff and Riley examine it under a magnifying glass, but they can’t read anything. Perry arrives and stares at Heather’s pictures. He says he never had to photograph someone he knows. Cliff distracts him by asking for help with the microfilm. Perry puts it under a microscope. They discover bar codes, airport codes, and numbers. Riley figures out it’s customs clearance codes. If you scan them, they give you clearance. They’re smuggling something. The first date is the day after tomorrow, so they’re desperate.

Diamond brings Griffin to the warehouse. He wants to test his commitment, so he brings Kenzie into the room. When she sees Griffin is in on it, she reacts with disgust. She and Mark were his friends! They trusted him! Then Diamond hands Griffin a gun. He tells Griffin to kill Kenzie. Griffin apologizes. He says Mark and Kenzie weren’t supposed to get involved. Then he pulls the trigger! Nothing happens. Diamond takes the gun away and calls it entertaining. He says they still need Kenzie. But at least he knows Griffin is as greedy as the rest of them.

Next, Cliff and Riley hatch a plan to keep Bradford distracted. Cliff goes to his car and calls Riley’s cell phone. They patch it through to Bradford’s phone. Cliff pretends to be one of Diamond’s men. He tells Riley they’ll kill Kenzie if there are any more surprises. He’ll receive instructions in three hours. Riley must come alone this time. Riley promises he will and asks to talk to Kenzie. Cliff hangs up before they can trace the call. Riley acts disappointed. Then Cliff returns and offers to take Riley home for a break. Bradford agrees and commends Cliff on a good job.

At Riley’s house, Cliff and Riley share stories about their love lives. Cliff reminds Riley of his earlier words. He said their dad went to the bar as a father, not a cop. Cliff asks if Riley is doing the same with Kenzie. Riley says he knew what he was doing the night their dad died. We get another flashback. Riley had a gun on the guy holding their dad. He told Cliff to lower his gun, but Cliff wouldn’t. So the thug shot their father. Riley says if Cliff lowered his gun, the thug’s gaze would have shifted. He would have had him, but Riley couldn’t tell Cliff that. Riley didn’t want their dad to go to the bar. He knew Cliff could handle it himself. Then Riley says Cliff doesn’t have to be a part of what happens next. Cliff says to let him worry about it.

Meanwhile, Nigel is at Griffin’s house preparing for their plan. He assembles a sniper rifle and heads to an adjacent rooftop.

Back at Riley’s, Perry arrives with the cleaned-up photo. They found reflections in the windows behind Mark. One is Nigel. The other is Griffin. When Riley sees this, he heads to Griffin’s house.

Riley barges into Griffin’s house and draws his gun. He tells him to skip the part where he denies his involvement. Where’s Kenzie? Griffin tells Riley he doesn’t understand. Riley says, “Try me!” Griffin explains a billion Euros is at stake. Riley doesn’t care. He wants Kenzie. While they talk, Nigel aims his gun, but Griffin won’t move. Riley knows Griffin is stalling. He wants answers! Then Nigel loses his patience and takes a shot. He hits Griffin. Riley and Griffin fall to the floor while Cliff heads to the roof. Cliff shoots Nigel as he moves to the ladder. Riley asks a dying Griffin about Kenzie’s location. He apologizes, and the show cuts to a commercial before he answers! (That’s poor editing!)

After the break, Riley heads to a warehouse at the docks. Diamond’s goons put Kenzie in a vehicle. Riley calls Bradford and tells him the truth. He’s pissed, but help is on the way. So Riley goes to meet Diamond. They exchange small talk before Diamond asks for the camera. Riley hesitates, so Diamond threatens to shoot him. Then Riley reveals he made a copy of the microfilm. While he says this, Cliff sneaks into the car with Kenzie. He hotwires it while Diamond and Riley continue talking. Diamond asks, “How do I know you didn’t already share the info with someone?” Riley replies, “You don’t.” Before Diamond can retort, Cliff starts the car. Kenzie throws it in drive and almost hits Diamond. Riley jumps on the side of the vehicle.

The cops arrive and start a shoot-out. Diamond climbs into a helicopter to retreat, but a police chopper hovers over them. They shoot Diamond’s pilot, so Diamond hops in a car. Riley and Cliff chase him in the other truck. They run Diamond into a guard shack. His vehicle flips and crashes. The wreck flattens the roof. Riley investigates, but an unscathed Diamond grabs him! (How did he survive that!?) Cliff draws his gun and tells Diamond to lower his weapon. Diamond refuses, so Riley tells Cliff to drop his gun instead. Cliff has flashbacks again. He remembers Riley’s words and lowers his gun. Diamond shifts his focus, so Riley spins around and kicks him. It allows Cliff to shoot Diamond.

Diamond falls onto a wooden box. He isn’t dead, so he tells Riley he can’t leave him like this! Riley points his gun at Diamond. You think he’s going to kill him, but he shoots the truck instead. It explodes. The counterfeit money flies into the air. Riley grabs a fake bill and stuffs it in Diamond’s pants. He says, “You’ve got the money. Get a cab.” Then Cliff and Riley leave.

Later, Kenzie visits Mark’s grave. She talks to him, but Kenzie awkwardly sits to the side and at an angle. Is she watching a monitor backstage at a WWE event!? Kenzie says she’s bummed Mark won’t be at the wedding. No one can replace him, but Cliff offered to step in as the best man. She wishes Mark met him. He would have liked Cliff.

Then they cut to Riley and Kenzie’s wedding. We see them exit the church. The guests blow bubbles while Riley and Kenzie get on Riley’s motorcycle. Kenzie wears a skin-tight bodysuit. Was that her wedding dress!? Riley still wears his suit. What an odd choice! They leave, but the movie cuts to them making out on the side of the road. The camera pans out to reveal a cop pulled Riley over for speeding again. The movie ends with this shot.

The Good:

• Sting’s performance was pretty decent.

• The movie was unafraid to kill characters.

• The plot was good.

• I liked the scene where Diamond tested Griffin’s commitment.

The Bad:

• It was a little basic and paint by the numbers.

• There were some bad editing choices.

• The ending was anticlimactic.

Performer of the Movie:

I have to give it to Sting. He surprised me. He carried the movie well. Better yet, he didn’t ham it up like most wrestlers in films. Sting kept it simple.

Final Thoughts:

This was a surprisingly decent movie. I went in with low expectations and it exceeded them. It won’t win any awards, but all the performances ranged from fine to pretty good. The only downside was they played it a little too safely. This isn’t a movie that takes chances. The plot was straightforward and basic. That’s expected from a made-for-TV film. Also, I have to point something out. The early scene with the pregnant lady set the wrong tone. I expected a much crazier plot after that portion. But it fell into a normal story afterward. It’s a minor gripe.

Thank you for reading. Don’t forget my normal review this Sunday! I’m covering WCW’s World War 3 ’98.