I am not all for made-for-TV movies. More recent TV movies like Sharknado are awful. But there was a time when they were actually great. So great that they should have Academy Award wins. This 1989 TV movie is one of those that should be treated like a blockbuster. It is up to par with Raging Bull, Sophie's Choice, and others.
I discover this movie while watching E! True Hollywood Story's episode about The Facts of Life show. The Facts of Life is one of my favourite shows and Nancy McKeon's character of Jo is one of my favourite TV characters in general. When they moved to McKeon's post-Facts life, they talked and showed footage from this movie. It caught my attention and I really wanted to see it. Jo was a serious character in the Fact of Life and there was lots of seriousness in the show, but it was a family sitcom that was mostly funny. A Cry For Help would be McKeon's departure from family-friendly stuff and into more serious and darker things. Sadly, she did not transition well into the big screen.
A Cry For Help is the true story of domestic abuse and failure of police help in Connecticut in 1983. What happened is now a law known as the Thurman law for any marital abuse. I wish it was federal. McKeon plays young Tracey who worked as a motel maid in Florida. She dropped out of high school to support her dying mother. There is a scene that shows before her mother died that is sad enough. She tells Tracey that she will find happiness and marry a wonderful person that will take care of her and live a perfect life. She meets a rugged construction worker named Charles "Buck" Thurman (Dale Midkiff) and they hit it off. He has a gambling problem which she does not like, but feels she should give him a chance. She gets to see his temper, but it is nothing much. He explains that he was heavily abused by his mother growing up, which explains a lot. She gets pregnant and the abuse begins. He feels terrible about hitting her and promises to change, and he explains that his immediate thought was that the baby was not his. She reluctantly accepts his hand in matrimony. His gambling problem gets worse and the abuse grows. It is a little bit hard to watch for some. She leaves him for good, taking their son and stays with her friends in Connecticut. He follows her and moves there himself getting a job as a dishwasher where constantly stalks her. She calls the police numerous times and they don't take her seriously since she's still legally married. I read that she called the police 19 times, give or take. Buck says "If we can't raise our son together, nobody will," as well as uttering threats of killing her. Up until this point, the movie is more of a horror/thriller in my book. Buck is a scary nutcase on the loose. The day he says the quote above is when tragedy ensues: he jumps Tracey and stabs her 13 times in the neck, face, back and chest then gives a booted kick and stomp to her head. The cop that showed up was really overwhelmed and unprepared. It totally pisses me off to see how dumb he was. Hellen Keller at age 6 could have done a better job. He pretty much allowed Buck to continue harming Tracey. He retired soon after, and I read that fellow cops were saying he was grieving with extreme guilt until that day he died. GOOD!! That scene is one of the most heartbreaking and saddest scenes ever filmed. They show it all. Midkiff plays Buck as such an insane character that needs many tranquilizer guns in him. It takes about 5 cops to arrest him. I'm pretty sure that Buck really was like that. When I recommend people seeing this, I should also caution you by telling you to fast forward the entire stabbing scene. It is that intense. After the attack is when it becomes a straight-up drama/courtroom drama. The attack caused Tracey to be a technical quadriplegic: she can move one side of her, but can't feel it and feel one side, but can't movie it. She successfully sues the state for $2 million, and Buck gets a 20 year maximum sentence and vows to finish the job.
It is somewhat rare for a movie to be phenomenal with just acting being the biggest thing. This is one of those. Nancy McKeon, Dale Midkiff and Tracey's lawyer deserved Emmy and Golden Globe wins, but none were even nominated. It wasn't a shock that the characters could play serious roles, I knew they could watching E!. Nancy McKeon's portrayal of Tracey after the attack is phenomenal as a quadriplegic. She was the best one and had the biggest robbery.
Aside from this having great acting, it is very informative and educational. it gives great insight on marital abuse, restraining orders and police protection. Anybody in law enforcement should see this as it is very informative on a potential case they could be assigned to.
A Cry For Help is just about 100% accurate. Tracey stills lives in Torrington remarried and still fears Buck's return. He is not allowed in the city. A full interview about Tracey's present and the case can be found here:
http://www.rep-am.com/videos/tracey/
A recent report on Buck can be seen here:
http://www.rep-am.com/articles /2008/07/07/ news/doc484b306d21de9364166174.txt?p=5
4/4
I discover this movie while watching E! True Hollywood Story's episode about The Facts of Life show. The Facts of Life is one of my favourite shows and Nancy McKeon's character of Jo is one of my favourite TV characters in general. When they moved to McKeon's post-Facts life, they talked and showed footage from this movie. It caught my attention and I really wanted to see it. Jo was a serious character in the Fact of Life and there was lots of seriousness in the show, but it was a family sitcom that was mostly funny. A Cry For Help would be McKeon's departure from family-friendly stuff and into more serious and darker things. Sadly, she did not transition well into the big screen.
A Cry For Help is the true story of domestic abuse and failure of police help in Connecticut in 1983. What happened is now a law known as the Thurman law for any marital abuse. I wish it was federal. McKeon plays young Tracey who worked as a motel maid in Florida. She dropped out of high school to support her dying mother. There is a scene that shows before her mother died that is sad enough. She tells Tracey that she will find happiness and marry a wonderful person that will take care of her and live a perfect life. She meets a rugged construction worker named Charles "Buck" Thurman (Dale Midkiff) and they hit it off. He has a gambling problem which she does not like, but feels she should give him a chance. She gets to see his temper, but it is nothing much. He explains that he was heavily abused by his mother growing up, which explains a lot. She gets pregnant and the abuse begins. He feels terrible about hitting her and promises to change, and he explains that his immediate thought was that the baby was not his. She reluctantly accepts his hand in matrimony. His gambling problem gets worse and the abuse grows. It is a little bit hard to watch for some. She leaves him for good, taking their son and stays with her friends in Connecticut. He follows her and moves there himself getting a job as a dishwasher where constantly stalks her. She calls the police numerous times and they don't take her seriously since she's still legally married. I read that she called the police 19 times, give or take. Buck says "If we can't raise our son together, nobody will," as well as uttering threats of killing her. Up until this point, the movie is more of a horror/thriller in my book. Buck is a scary nutcase on the loose. The day he says the quote above is when tragedy ensues: he jumps Tracey and stabs her 13 times in the neck, face, back and chest then gives a booted kick and stomp to her head. The cop that showed up was really overwhelmed and unprepared. It totally pisses me off to see how dumb he was. Hellen Keller at age 6 could have done a better job. He pretty much allowed Buck to continue harming Tracey. He retired soon after, and I read that fellow cops were saying he was grieving with extreme guilt until that day he died. GOOD!! That scene is one of the most heartbreaking and saddest scenes ever filmed. They show it all. Midkiff plays Buck as such an insane character that needs many tranquilizer guns in him. It takes about 5 cops to arrest him. I'm pretty sure that Buck really was like that. When I recommend people seeing this, I should also caution you by telling you to fast forward the entire stabbing scene. It is that intense. After the attack is when it becomes a straight-up drama/courtroom drama. The attack caused Tracey to be a technical quadriplegic: she can move one side of her, but can't feel it and feel one side, but can't movie it. She successfully sues the state for $2 million, and Buck gets a 20 year maximum sentence and vows to finish the job.
It is somewhat rare for a movie to be phenomenal with just acting being the biggest thing. This is one of those. Nancy McKeon, Dale Midkiff and Tracey's lawyer deserved Emmy and Golden Globe wins, but none were even nominated. It wasn't a shock that the characters could play serious roles, I knew they could watching E!. Nancy McKeon's portrayal of Tracey after the attack is phenomenal as a quadriplegic. She was the best one and had the biggest robbery.
Aside from this having great acting, it is very informative and educational. it gives great insight on marital abuse, restraining orders and police protection. Anybody in law enforcement should see this as it is very informative on a potential case they could be assigned to.
A Cry For Help is just about 100% accurate. Tracey stills lives in Torrington remarried and still fears Buck's return. He is not allowed in the city. A full interview about Tracey's present and the case can be found here:
http://www.rep-am.com/videos/tracey/
A recent report on Buck can be seen here:
http://www.rep-am.com/articles /2008/07/07/ news/doc484b306d21de9364166174.txt?p=5
4/4