Trade-Off (TV 1995)

Tom and Karen are unhappy, planning to divorce after they sell their house. At work, a ruthless colleague is pushing Tom aside. At a bar, Jackie enchants him, and they begin an affair. She ... See full summary »

Director:

Andrew Lane

Writers:

Ed Fitzgerald, Paul Koval

Stars:

Theresa Russell, Adam Baldwin, Barry Primus

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Theresa Russell	...	Jackie Daniels
Adam Baldwin	...	Thomas Hughes
Barry Primus	...	Detective Gold
Megan Gallagher	...	Karen Hughes
Pat Skipper	...	Kirk Daniels
Rod McCary	...	Will Hoffman
Richard K. Olsen	...	Jack
Julie Upton	...	Susan
Sandra Thigpen	...	Kathleen
Tom Celli	...	Bixby
Brett Rice	...	Angry Drunk
Norman Max Maxwell	...	Workshop Leader
Fredrica Duke	...	Grieving Woman
Jack Swanson	...	Workshop Attendee
Ann Kraft	...	Workshop Attendee

Storyline

Tom and Karen are unhappy, planning to divorce after they sell their house. At work, a ruthless colleague is pushing Tom aside. At a bar, Jackie enchants him, and they begin an affair. She complains of an abusive husband, he complains of unfulfilled dreams. She suggests that each murder the other's spouse. When Karen drives her car off a bridge and no body is found, Jackie claims credit for murder and pushes Tom to do his share. He's appalled, but after her husband beats her again, Tom's resolve stiffens and he heads to her place; her husband's identity surprises him. Meanwhile, in the background, are a dutiful cop, a dogged insurance agent, and a neighbor in trouble.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | affair | unfaithful husband | adultery | shot in the back | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality, and for language and some violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 April 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aljas indokból

Filming Locations:

Jacksonville, Florida, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gibraltar Entertainment, Infinite Entertainment, Showtime Networks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Totally unsympathetic protagonist destroys promising thriller

The problem I had with this movie was basically very simple - I found the protagonist, played by Adam Baldwin, absolutely loathsome. Now this wouldn't necessarily be a problem... many excellent movies have been made about horrible people. Unfortunately this movie seems to have been constructed firmly on the basis that the audience would identify with this guy and sympathise with the situations he finds himself in. Since this wasn't remotely true for me, the film completed failed to work in my experience. If this guy showed up at my door, I'd slam it in his face. If he sat near me in a public place, I'd change seats to get away from him. Do you remember the movie "A Shock to the System"? Somewhat similar to this movie, in a way... but there Michael Caine succeeded in invoking empathy as the central character, and hence the movie worked. Whereas... well one of the taglines for "Shock to the System" was something about "die yuppie scum" - and that's pretty much how I felt about Adam Baldwin's character in "Trade Off". Theresa Russell is a pleasure to watch... she has a strange, rather flat kind of affect, but I've always enjoyed her work. Unfortunately every single scene she's in also has Baldwin's repulsive yuppie in, thereby effectively ruining it. An unfortunate case where the failure of one character realisation ruins the whole film... which otherwise had some promise (sort of "Strangers on a Train" redone with an erotic relationship between the strangers thrown in, and extra twists).