A news reporter investigating the police and DA's office about a cover up of a police beating is framed for murder. The first half of SMOKE SCREEN, a Lifetime Network murder mystery-slash-odd-couple romance flick, is somewhat successful, as we follow TV news personality Britt Shelley after she wakes up in bed alongside a corpse and remembers nothing. Two laconic police detectives figure Britt as the primary suspect, but meanwhile Britt is targeted by those responsible for a series of similar frame-up killings. The filmmakers decide to rely on perky Jamie Pressly, one of the few actresses around who could inject some vulnerability into the aggressive beat-reporter character, to carry this implausible flick. Sadly, the movie's suspense breaks down with the introduction of an unlikely romance between Britt and Raley, another victim of a similar frame-up. Raley is a disgruntled and disenfranchised city firefighter, played by Currie Graham (who manages to look like Kevin Spacey playing Jason Lee as Earl, the redneck hero of the "My Name is Earl" TV comedy series, which incidentally also stars Pressly). Raley has a big chip on his shoulder and is first seen kidnapping Britt. Later, he complains angrily that she ruined his career by her negative TV news reporting of the scandal. Britt then seems to fall in love with her kidnapper, though -- which is strange enough -- but then she teams up with him to expose the real murderer, even though he frequently goes off on her, drugs her (twice), and has a back story that may implicate him in the murder conspiracy. The unbelievability of the romance subplot is intrusive, and despite some cleverness in revealing who did it, the movie slowly collapses in a heap -- despite noble attempts at chemistry by Pressly and Graham.
Review of Smoke Screen
Smoke Screen
(2010 TV Movie)
Where's There's SMOKE SCREEN, There is No Fire
3 September 2011
Warning: Spoilers