Desperate Justice

Last updated
Desperate Justice
Also known asA Mother's Revenge
GenreDrama
Crime
Written byJohn Robert Bensink
Richard Speight
Directed by Armand Mastroianni
Starring Lesley Ann Warren
Bruce Davison
Shirley Knight
Missy Crider
Allison Mack
Music by Laura Karpman
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers Carla Singer
Maj Canton (co-executive producer)
ProducerJoan Carson
Production locations Phoenix, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Cinematography Paul Onorato
Editor Philip Sgriccia (as Phillip J. Sgriccia)
Running time89 minutes
Production companies Carla Singer Productions
World International Network
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseNovember 14, 1993 (1993-11-14)

A Mother's Revenge (aka Desperate Justice) is a 1993 American film starring Lesley Ann Warren, Bruce Davison, and Shirley Knight. The teleplay adaptation was written by John Bensink .

Contents

It was based on the novel (published:1989) of the same name by Richard Speight from Nashville, Tennessee (father of American actor Richard Speight, Jr.). The original novel may have been based on true story, as Speight was a Tennessean criminal attorney. [1] According to Barnes & Noble author information, "He (Speight) taught trial law at Vanderbilt University for 14 years, and was a Writer in Residence at Belmont University for five years." [2]

Plot

The film opens with Arizona housewife and mother Carol Sanders enjoying a morning run through the neighborhood with her 12-year-old daughter, Wendy. As they return, Carol's husband Bill reveals that he's managed to land an important business deal, though the happy mood is cut short after realizing that the couple's rebellious teenage daughter, Jill, has overslept again. Wendy offers to wake her, but a minor argument ensues between the two sisters after she does so, though Carol quickly defuses it.

Later that day, Carol must cover for a co-member of her women's club and host a club luncheon; however, the luncheon runs late, leaving her unable to pick up Wendy (who's staying after school to work on a science project). Since Bill is in Los Angeles for a meeting concerning his aforementioned business deal, Carol calls Jill at the record store where she works and asks her to pick Wendy up, but Jill inadvertently forgets about it until 10 minutes after she was supposed to be at Wendy's school.

However, once on the road, Jill runs into a traffic jam and doesn't get there until much later. Not finding Wendy anywhere on the school grounds, she hurries home and tells her parents the news; Bill returns to the school with her, but they are still unable to find Wendy, and the police are called, who soon discover the presence of blood and suspect it might be hers.

Unable to sleep that night, Bill and Carol receive a visit from one of the detectives on the case, who found Wendy on the side of the road after being raped and badly beaten, which left her in a coma. She is brought to the local hospital's ICU while the police try to determine if the crime was committed by a school faculty member or a stranger. A tearful Jill says she feels like what happened was her fault, but Bill assures her that is not the case.

Two days later, a suspect is arrested: Frank Warden, the janitor at Wendy's school. As it turns out, Frank had two molestation charges in California, but they did not show up on his background check. While detectives assure Bill that they have a slam-dunk case, a number of discrepancies soon come to the surface in court, culminating in a solid alibi from Frank's mother, Bess, who testifies that her son was dining with her in a restaurant when the crime occurred, and the case is dismissed as a result. Seeing Frank smiling and laughing about the decision, a grief-stricken Carol suddenly snaps, pulls out a gun, and shoots Frank in open court, critically wounding him.

After Carol is released on bail following her arrest, Wendy emerges from her coma, though a doctor reveals that it will take time for her to recall the traumatic events she went through, and that she'll need support from her family and psychiatric help. In the meantime, Carol attempts to secure a defense attorney and approaches Ellen Wells, who had represented Frank Warden, but she is unable to do so, as Frank is still alive.

Desperate for assistance, Carol then tries to approach Frank's mother, but Bess angrily turns her away, revealing that Frank died in the hospital an hour earlier. Later that day, a tearful Wendy has suddenly learned about everything her mother has been through, along with her own ordeal (as Jill had filled her in), and in an emotional scene, Carol does her best to help her understand. However, this decision later sets off an argument between Jill and Carol, during which Jill accuses Carol of blaming her for what happened to Wendy and wishing it had happened to her instead.

Now having managed to secure Wells' service, the two prepare for Carol's case, but the unexpected twists and turns soon complicate things. To top it off, Carol returns home to find Jill and her boyfriend Brian making out in his car, and after Carol makes a scene about it, another argument ensues. Angrily, Jill repeats her earlier claim that Carol blames her for Wendy's ordeal, as well as not having any time for her, culminating in Jill storming out of the house.

By the next morning, Jill has still not returned home, causing Carol to miss her first court appearance, much to the presiding judge's annoyance. Finally, she finds Jill sitting by Wendy's hospital bed, and the two have a heart-to-heart talk where Carol admits that Jill was right: despite Carol's repeated denials, in trying to blame someone because of her overwhelming pain, she unfairly scapegoated Jill because she didn't want to blame herself.

However, Jill now sees the validity in what Bill told her earlier, and assures her mother that none of them are at fault. A short time later, Wendy has finally come home and the family has a "welcome home" party in her honor, but she admits to Jill that she's feeling "scared" and "different" from her family and friends, and wonders if they'll still like her. Jill assures Wendy that not only will they still like her, they'll like her more for the strength and courage she showed the whole time. Satisfied, she emerges from the house with Jill, and is warmly received by their family and the invited guests.

Not long after Wendy comes home, the trial finally begins, with Carol attempting to prove that she had lost control of herself in the moment she shot Frank Warden. However, the jury ultimately returns a guilty verdict on the charge of manslaughter, and a sentencing date is set for two weeks later, but realizing that any further strain would not be good for Carol or the family, Wells makes a motion for a more immediate sentence, which is granted, and the date is moved up to the following day.

Just before the sentence can be handed down the next day, a voice from the gallery requests to address the court: Bess Warden, who admits to having provided a false alibi for her son at his original trial, thinking the courts could prove Frank's crime without her help. Realizing everything Wendy has been through, and knowing jail time will neither bring back her son nor make what he did to Wendy go away, she asks for leniency in Carol's sentencing. Moved by her statement, the judge reduces his originally planned 6-year sentence to just three years (which can be reduced to two for good behavior), and also grants weekend visitation rights to Carol's family.

Cast

DVD release

Desperate Justice was released on DVD in the UK on 8 October 2001.

Although the film never received a DVD release in the United States, it has been frequently seen on both Lifetime and sister channel Lifetime Movie Network since its original airing.

In 2014, a theatrical adaptation of the film/novel was produced in Japan by Gekidan Touhai production. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jill St. John</span> American actress (born 1940)

Jill St. John is an American actress. She is best known for playing Tiffany Case, the first American Bond girl of the James Bond film franchise, in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever. Additional performances in film include Holiday for Lovers, The Lost World, Tender Is the Night, Come Blow Your Horn, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination, Who's Minding the Store?, Honeymoon Hotel, The Liquidator, The Oscar, Tony Rome, Sitting Target and The Concrete Jungle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Fowler</span> Fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders

Arthur Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Bill Treacher from 1985 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Windsor</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Scott Windsor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale. From 1993 to 1996, Scott was played by Toby Cockerell. In 1996, Scott left the village to join the army and when he returned in 1998, Ben Freeman took over the role and played Scott until early 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Sugden</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Andy Sugden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Emmerdale, played by Kelvin Fletcher. He made his first on-screen appearance on 4 July 1996. Andy is the son of Billy Hopwood and Trisha Hopwood and the adoptive son of Jack Sugden and Sarah Sugden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Ashworth</span> UK soap opera character, created 2005

Josh Ashworth, played by Sonny Flood, is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks. His first appearance was on 3 October 2005. Josh's storylines have included attempted murder, underage sex, drugs, drinking and joyriding. Flood returned to filming as Josh for three episodes airing in May and August 2012 after a two-year break.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Buchanan</span> Soap opera character

Jessica Eugenia Buchanan is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. She is the daughter of Victoria Lord and Clint Buchanan. She is the fraternal twin sister of Natalie Buchanan, and is born on-screen in the episode first-run on September 23, 1986, with the birth year later revised to 1978.

<i>Houdini</i> (1953 film) 1953 film by George Marshall

Houdini is a 1953 American Technicolor biographical film from Paramount Pictures, produced by George Pal and Berman Swarttz, directed by George Marshall, that stars Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. The film's screenplay, based upon the life of magician and escape artist Harry Houdini, was written by Philip Yordan, based on the book Houdini by Harold Kellock. The film's music score was by Roy Webb and the cinematography by Ernest Laszlo. The art direction was by Albert Nozaki and Hal Pereira, and the costume design by Edith Head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willy Roper</span> Fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders

Willy Roper is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael Tudor Barnes. The character appears on-screen in episodes originally broadcast between 1 June 1995 and 20 June 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jill Saward</span> English campaigner and author

Jill Saward, also known by her married name Jill Drake, was an English campaigner on issues relating to sexual violence.

<i>Mandy</i> (comics) British comic book for girls

Mandy was a British comic book for girls, published weekly by DC Thomson from 21 January 1967 to 11 May 1991. The majority of the stories were serialized, typically into two or three pages per issue, over eight to twelve issues.

<i>The Babymaker: The Dr. Cecil Jacobson Story</i> 1994 television film

The Babymaker: The Dr. Cecil Jacobson Story is a 1994 American made-for-television drama film directed by Arlene Sanford. The film is based on the true story of Cecil Jacobson, who used his own sperm to impregnate patients, without informing them. The film was criticized for not giving a clear portrayal of Jacobson, but George Dzundza was praised for his performance.

<i>When Friendship Kills</i> 1996 television film by James A. Contner

When Friendship Kills is a 1996 American made-for-television drama film directed by James A. Contner. The movie is a part of the Moment of Truth franchise and deals with the danger of anorexia nervosa among teens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Arridy</span> Mentally disabled American man wrongfully executed for murder

Joseph Arridy was an American man who was falsely convicted and wrongfully executed for the 1936 rape and murder of Dorothy Drain, a 15-year-old girl in Pueblo, Colorado. He was manipulated by the police to make a false confession due to his mental incapacities. Arridy was mentally disabled and was 23 years old when he was executed on January 6, 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank L. Roberts</span> American politician

Frank Livezey Roberts was an American politician from the state of Oregon. A Democrat, Roberts served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. He served two terms in the Oregon House of Representatives and most of five terms in the Oregon Senate before resigning due to poor health. Roberts was married three times, including to Barbara Roberts, who was the first woman to serve as Governor of Oregon, and to Betty Roberts, who was the first woman to serve as a justice of the Oregon Supreme Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide of Amanda Todd</span> Suicide of a Canadian student in 2012

Amanda Michelle Todd was a 15-year-old Canadian student and victim of cyberbullying who hanged herself at her home in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. A month before her death, Todd posted a video on YouTube in which she used a series of flashcards to tell her experience of being blackmailed into exposing her breasts via webcam, and of being bullied and physically assaulted. The video went viral after her death, resulting in international media attention. The original video has had more than 15 million views as of May 2023, although mirrored copies of the video had received tens of millions of additional views shortly after her death; additionally, a YouTube video by React has a video of teens reacting to Todd's video which has garnered 44.7 million views as of May 2023, and various videos from news agencies around the world regarding the case have registered countless millions more. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and British Columbia Coroners Service launched investigations into the suicide.

References

  1. Voros, Drew (1993-11-12). "Review: 'A Mother's Revenge'". Variety. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
  2. Noble, Barnes &. "Desperate Justice". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
  3. "劇団東俳50周年記念公演 むげん工房「法廷の銃声」". www.g-tohai.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2015-05-20. Retrieved 2016-06-02.