Aftermath: A Test of Love (1991) (TV)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Glenn Jordan

Writers (WGA):

Gary Kinder (book)
Gregory Goodell (teleplay)

Release Date:

10 March 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Family Relationships | Recovery | Robbery | Torture | Shot In The Head

Cast

Richard Chamberlain	...	Ross Colburn
Michael Learned	...	Irene
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Matt
Doug Savant	...	Jeff
Lisanne Falk	...	Gretchen
Raye Birk	...	Dr. Frenzel
Darryl Hickman	...	Dr. Hayes
Scott Jaeck	...	Dr. Sands
J.A. Preston	...	Det. Boland
Denis Heames	...	Terry Colburn
Adam Biesk	...	Frank
John Cothran Jr.	...	Dr. Ochs
Marcus Giamatti	...	Luke
Cyndi James Gossett	...	Andrea
Rosanna Huffman	...	Leah

Also Known As:

Aftermath (Australia)
The Other Side of Murder (UK)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:16

Company:

ITC Entertainment

Trivia:

Based on Gary Kinder's book about the victims of the Hi-Fi murders that took place in Ogden, Utah on April 22, 1974.

graphic and disturbing

I had the opportunity to catch this film on Court TV today. On April 22, 1974 there took place in Ogden Utah one of the most horrible crimes imaginable. To this day, this murder case is the most infamous in the state of Utah. Two airmen Selby and Andrews robbed a Hi-FI Shop and took the five people inside hostage. They were all shot in the back of the head execution style after being made to drink drain cleaner! Sixteen year old Cortney Nesbitt (they give him a different name in the film) and the stores manager were the only two who survived. Dead were the managers teenage son Stanley Walker, Michelle Ansley who worked in the store and Cortney's mother Carol. I read the book upon which this movie is based Victim by Gary Kinder and it chilled me to the bone. Richard Chamberlin gives a great performances as Courtney's father. He plays a simple loving man determined to hold his family together and overcome the loss. One thing that really made me sad was Courtney's parents had a terrible argument before she went out to search for him and stumbled into the holdup. They show a later scene where Chamberlin stands at her grave and asks forgiveness. My gripe with this film is the fact so it so graphically recreates the murders, it is so stomach turning I can imagine they had some trouble getting it past the censors!The young actor playing Cortney does a fine job as well (they use some pretty gruesome makeup on his face to simulate the acid burns). The two monsters who committed this terrible crime weren't executed until 1987 and 1992! By the way, the film tries to make it out like Cortney recovered and was able to live a normal life. That is not true! I corresponded with a woman who knew him and she said he was never the same and was permanently disabled. I told her that Cortney would have been better off if he had died that terrible night and she agreed. Sadly, Cortney Nesbitt died in 2002 at the age of 44, he suffered a living hell for 28 years. No happy ending folks.