Unlike many adaptations of best-selling crime novels, Michael O'Hara's slick reworking of James Patterson's thriller feels neither padded or excessively condensed; it also preserves the book's feminist slant without feeling didactic.
San Francisco detective Lindsay Boxer's (Tracy Pollan) first priority is career; neither her health nor the cultivation of stable, long-term relationships occupies much of her time. Her latest case involves the slaying of
a bride and groom in the bridal suite of the Royal Marquis Hotel; much to her r surprise, Lindsay's new partner turns out to be her current fling, Captain Chris Raleigh (Gil Bellows). As Boxer and Raleigh juggle their professional and personal relationships, the serial killer of newlyweds strikes again and again. In addition to shooting a couple at a honeymoon inn, he executes a Goth bride and groom at their Cleveland hotel wedding reception. Simultaneously, Boxer's physician diagnoses a rare blood disorder that could slow her down considerably. Fortunately, she can rely on the friendship and guidance of associates like assistant D.A. Jill Barnhart (Megan Gallagher) and Chief Medical Examiner Claire Washburn (Pam Grier). The self-styled "Women's Murder Club" even welcomes a new member, cub reporter Cindy Thomas (Carly Pope) into the fold, and sifts through the evidence as a team. Cindy locates a photo that links the slain Cleveland bride to popular novelist Nicholas Jenks (Robert Patrick), a misogynistic control freak who's written an unpublished manuscript that echoes certain aspects of the current case. Boxer also investigates Jenks' former wife, Joanna Wade (Sean Young), and his current spouse, Chessy Jenks (Angie Everhart). When the police arrest Jenks on what appears to be irrefutable evidence, he claims to have been implicated on false grounds and Boxer must sort out both her medical crisis and the question of who's framing whom. The richly detailed relationships between the crime-solvers anchor Patterson's outlandish plot, and director Russell Mulcahy zigzags deftly between bizarre crime scenes and Boxer's tumultuous private life. --Robert Pardi
