Point of Origin (2002) (TV)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Newton Thomas Sigel

Writer (WGA):

Matthew Tabak (written by)

Release Date:

22 June 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

When fire becomes an obsession... truth becomes stranger than fiction.

Plot:

Fact-based drama about an arson investigator (Ray Liotta) searching for the perpetrator of a string of deadly fires in 1980s California. |

Plot Keywords:

Arson | Fire | California | Arson Investigator | 1980s

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Ray Liotta	...	John Orr / Aaron
John Leguizamo	...	Keith Lang
Colm Feore	...	Mike Matassa
Cliff Curtis	...	Mike Camello
Ling Bai	...	Wanda Orr
Illeana Douglas	...	Kate
Ronny Cox	...	Chief Gray
Trent Gill	...	Marty
Ingrid Rogers	...	Ambria
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Angela Alvarado	...	Mexican Woman
Graham Beckel	...	Clarence Hyde
Sophia Bush	...	Carrie Orr
Mike Camello	...	Glen Lucero
Lisa Chang	...	Excuse Me Lady
Maree Cheatham	...	Gabby Finn
Joe Colligan	...	Lawyer
Shashawnee Hall	...	Lt. Tom Hines
Ashly Holloway
Madeleine Lindley	...	Waitress in diner
Marshall Manesh	...	Store Manager
Bill Moseley	...	Task Force Officer
Gwendolyn Oliver	...	TV reporter
Lynette Ruiz	...	Sketch Artist
Anne von Herrmann	...	Reporter
Nora Zehetner	...	Trish

Also Known As:

In the Heat of Fire (Europe: English title) (DVD title)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (FotoKem)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 | Netherlands:16 (VHS/DVD rating) | Germany:16 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

HBO Films

Trivia:

During filming in the hardware store set, located behind Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel, a special effects technician suffered first and second degree burns over 40 percent of his body.

A seriously missed opportunity

This confused and confusing movie tries to be based both on the real case of the worst serial arsonist in California history, and on a book by John Orr, a former arson investigator for the city of Glendale.

The script is clumsy and ill-formed, and plays a foolish trick on the audience regarding two of the characters, the arsonist and John Orr. Nothing is gained by this particular trick; in fact, a great deal of possible audience involvement is completely sacrificed.

The real case is depicted with some accuracy, but also some pointless fiction is inserted, and a potentially fascinating story is badly undercut.

The director is ordinarily a superlative cinematographer, and there's some good cinematography here, too. But there's also a great deal of silly camera trickery -- there's even a shot looking upward at two people (one a very minor character) from >under the foot< of one of them. The fire scenes are deeply unconvincing, and needn't have been.

One odd touch: two of the real-life arson investigators are depicted in the film, and one of them plays the OTHER one. And the other one also appears. Very complex and almost funny.