An Evil Slog
Caitlyn Conner (Natalie Zea) and her husband Jamie (Chad Connell - Double Wedding) were not only happily married but were both detectives who enjoyed their jobs. That is until a serial killer, Kyle Randall (Ricky Mabe), killed Jamie before being caught and sent to prison for his crimes. Except prison can't contain Kyle and he is soon out and has kidnapped the daughter of a Senator. Knowing of Caitlyn's involvement with the killer the senator demands that she is put on the case which she accepts despite warnings from a psychologist friend who says it could lead to emotional issues and conflict. As Caitlyn sets about trapping the killer the killer enjoys luring her into his series of games. But as Caitlyn goes after Kyle she discovers things are not as simple as she thought.
Over the years I have watched a lot of TV movies which come under the thriller heading and quite honestly the modern made for TV thrillers whilst visually cleaner are not a patch on those from the 90s and earlier. That brings me to "Burden of Evil" a modern TV movie which is a thriller but is typical of so many modern TV movies which end up feeling like they are more of a showcase for their attractive cast rather than the drama of the story. As such the storyline to "Burden of Evil", that of a widowed detective drawn into a game of cat and mouse with the guy who killed her husband, is incredibly generic. And sadly it lacks atmosphere to make it exciting as we go from watching Caitlyn's initial loved up happiness dissolve into mourning before she ends up on the trail of a killer who is toying with her. It doesn't help matters that as a cop story the number of contrivances and gaping holes make it ridiculous.
But as I said "Burden of Evil" is typical of modern TV movies and is dominated by its look and in particular the attractiveness of Natalie Zea as Caitlyn with her big blue eyes and perfect hair. It becomes a distraction as every scene featuring Zea feels like it has been constructed to highlight how she looks rather than the character. When it does focus on the character, such as being able to handle herself, it all seems forced and unbelievable.
Now in truth I tend not to expect a great deal from modern TV movies which fall under the thriller heading but I do hope for more than what is served up in "Burden of Evil". It constantly under whelms with its lack of realism and frequently ends up comical due to the ridiculous contrivances it expects us to accept. Maybe "Burden of Evil" works for those who want something to watch whilst they are cooking or doing a crossword but it is certainly not the sort of movie which demands your undivided attention.
What this all boils down to is that whilst "Burden of Evil" is typical of modern TV movies, which aim to be thrillers, it is disappointing. And through no fault of her own Natalie Zea dominates the movie but more because of her attractiveness than because of the character or what happens to her.
