Deadly Matrimony (1992)

Alan Masters is a despicable businessman with his hands in organized crime. He marries Diane, a kind and gentle woman, and abuses and batters her viciously. Sergeant John Reed has had ... See full summary »

Director:

John Korty

Writers:

Barbara Schaaf (unpublished manuscript Shattered Vows), Andrew Laskos

Stars:

Brian Dennehy, Treat Williams, Embeth Davidtz

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brian Dennehy	...	Sergeant John Reed
Treat Williams	...	Alan Masters
Embeth Davidtz	...	Dianne Masters
Xander Berkeley	...	Kozolowski
Lisa Eilbacher	...	Nina Sloane
John M. Jackson	...	Chief Michael Corbitt
Kerrie Keane
Terry Kinney	...	Jim Mihkalik
George Morfogen	...	Vic Scalisi
Robert Picardo	...	Prosecutor
Lois Smith
Susan Ruttan	...	Arlene Reed
Sean McCann	...	Defense Attorney
Ron White	...	Roy
James Rebhorn	...	Lieutenant Lloyd Butler

Storyline

Alan Masters is a despicable businessman with his hands in organized crime. He marries Diane, a kind and gentle woman, and abuses and batters her viciously. Sergeant John Reed has had enough of his city's organized crime and, against the wishes of his dirty-cop superiors, tries to get evidence against Alan Masters. After Alan finds out that Diane has been helping Reed, he beats her to death...and its up to John Reed to put him away for it, and clean up the dirty cops that want to stop him. Part I starts with Diane's death and then, in a flashback, details her struggles against abuse and Reed's struggles as he coaches her to gather evidence against Alan. Part II deals with Reed's struggles with intimidating cops.

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Plot Keywords:

two part tv movie | police | murder | police corruption | corruption | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 November 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shattered Promises

Filming Locations:

61 Binscarth Rd, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hamdon Entertainment,Multimedia Motion Pictures,Steve Krantz Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

182 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Followed by Jack Reed: One of Our Own (1995)

User Reviews

Excellent Chicago police corruption thriller

This film, also released as SHATTERED PROMISES, is a gripping TV movie about the corrupt police force of South Chicago. Brian Dennehy plays the honest cop, and what a struggle he has! Everyone, from the police chief to the judges, is being bribed by a mobster named Scalesi, whose right hand man is slickster lawyer Alan Masters, played with sinister undertones by Treat Williams. Masters is married to a beautiful woman named Dianne, played by Embeth Davidtz. Davidtz was in the first eight episodes of MAD MEN and was brilliant in JUNEBUG (2005, see my review). She is a very underrated actress, perhaps because her name is rather difficult to spell. Masters murders his wife because she discovers that he is corrupt as well as being a psycho. This film is said to be based on a true story, and that is not at all hard to believe, as Chicago has been notorious for a century or more as the most corrupt city in America. Isn't it interesting that Barack Obama is a product of the Chicago political machine? No one ever satisfactorily explained how he afforded that huge house in Chicago when he wasn't earning very much. But maybe Brian Dennehy can tell us.