'Deadly Second Chances' Review: Lifetime movie is your routine thriller with a predictable ending
Spoilers for Lifetime's 'Deadly Second Chances'
When DA Yasmine Winters (Bree Williamson) sees a man outside what presumably is her office, she is immediately stopped in her tracks. Scared and paranoid, she tells the cop closest to her that she has a restraining order against the old man, who is sitting in his van staring at her. But by the time the cop could act on it, the van is driven away.
We don't know until much later that this man is Yasmine's father Jack (Wesley Salter), a careless, abusive alcoholic man who was responsible for the death of Yasmine and her sister Laura (Jill Morrison) mother's death. Years later, now a district attorney, she gets a restraining order against him to cease any kind of communication with the abuser. But the trauma she had had to face as a young girl hardly ends with a restraining order. At work, Yasmine is leaving no stone unturned to bring justice to a woman, who died in a similar manner as her mother - falling down a flight of stairs. Yasmine is adamant that she has the right man in Timothy (Primo Allon) and also wants to protect his daughters from him by revoking his custody. But it is not all that easy.
For one, the person Yasmine is trying to convict is the governor's son. Secondly, and this is more important, she is haunted by the visions of her past - of the loud household, abusive father and her mother falling down the stairs eventually to her death. These memories practically freeze her, as they do in court. But the judge calls for a mistrial after it is made known that Yasmine's office got in touch with members of the jury and tried to influence the verdict.
Yasmine is now forced to go on leave. So she returns home to her sister with her daughter Paige. How and why Yasmine is a single mother is never explained, not even hinted for the audience to make their own inference. Now back at home, she plans to make her case stronger and put Timothy behind bars - unlike her father who is roaming around free.
If the movie feels outdated to you, not only in terms of plot but also in its vibe, that is because it is. 'Deadly Second Chances' is the 2015 Lifetime release 'Love You To Death'.
To review this movie thus seems a little redundant especially since 'Deadly Second Chances' is as Lifetime as it gets - from the damsel in distress and the red herrings to the unnecessary cast members delivering drab performances in a dull script leading to a somber conclusion. At the same time, it feels unfair - 'Deadly Second Chances', albeit first out five years ago, wasn't made with farsight. It certainly is timeless as most Lifetime movies go with their plots and treatment of the film, but it is not so in other ways like its writing.
Even actors like Williamson feel a little off in some scenes, while Morrison tries too hard to fit in. There are also one too many extra characters that add no value to the script, the storyline or their fellow characters but are only utilized in the movie to ensure an easy conclusion.
'Deadly Second Chances' is not an impressive film by any standards, if anything, the production value is really going to disappoint you because five years ago just seems like a forever now. But you'll wait for the conclusion solely to sift through the red herrings. At an hour and a half, 'Deadly Second Chances' is hardly award-winning, but it's not like it is trying to stand out.