When the Bough Breaks (1994)

Police detectives investigate the apparent serial killing of several children, after finding severed hands.

Director:

Michael Cohn

Writer:

Michael Cohn

Stars:

Ally Walker, Martin Sheen, Ron Perlman

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ally Walker	...	Special Investigator Audrey Macleah
Martin Sheen	...	Captain Swaggert
Ron Perlman	...	Dr. Douglas Eben
Tara Subkoff	...	Jordan Thomas / Jennifer Lynn Eben
Robert Knepper	...	Lt. Jimmy Creedmore
Scott Lawrence	...	Sergeant Footman
John P. Connolly	...	Sergeant Belvin
Dick Welsbacher	...	Coroner Vince Hess
James Medina	...	Sergeant Delarand (as Jimmy Medina)
Ron Recasner	...	Dr. Singer
Juan Antonio Devoto	...	Danny
Christopher Doyle	...	Howard Speckett
Mark Daneri	...	Detective Sam
Michael Raysses	...	Sonar Technician
Taylor Brock	...	Anchor

Storyline

On July 4th, in Houston, a teenager finds a human hand in the sewer. Captain Swaggert is investigating the discovery of seven hands, found over several years, each one precisely severed and with a number tattooed on the palm. At this point, he has no leads. The highly qualified Special Investigator, Audrey Macleah, is assigned to join the team and give support to the investigation. When the police department receives a call from a medical doctor in an institution, Audrey meets with the doctor and the doctor introduces an autistic boy Jordan Thomas. There she sees seven hands that the boy had drawn on the wall. Audrey dedicates her attention to Jordan and discovers that he is connected to the serial-killer.

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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | female police officer | child murder investigation | handprint | severed hand | 

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Taglines:

Can a child's telepathic mind help find a serial killer?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gina Philips's debut role.

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Quotes

Audrey Macleah: Well, it seems to me that you don't have a crime scene. And, you don't have any identifiable remains unless you make some assumptions. Now, in order to go forward and profile a suspect, you need a victimology. I mean, without that as a base you really don't have anything, do you?

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Connections

Followed by Perfect Prey (1998)

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Soundtracks

I CAN'T STOP
Written and Performed by Ed Tomney

User Reviews

It's got a beat, but you still can't dance to it.

When the Bough Breaks sets an all-time record for unresolved loose ends: scars on the back, birth defects, numbers on the palms, role of the full-time ice cream clown, and on and on. Of course, there are suggestions of untold stories that parallel and bisect the story. But there's enough here to feed a decade-long TV series. (Oops. There goes my chance to make a killing on the spin-offs.)

There are signs of a heart beat in the characters of Audrey Macleah and Jordan/Jenny--but the pulse is weak.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 May 1994 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

When the Bough Breaks

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Osmosis, Osmosis Productions Inc., Prism Entertainment Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color