Review of Dead Before Dawn

Introduction

No, this isn`t a horror movie as the title might lead you to believe. It`s a TV movie based on a true story, and voiceover man makes sure we know before the film actually starts. All I can say is that the subject of a battered woman reclaiming her life - while commendable - doesn`t make for riveting movie watching. Cheryl Ladd plays the attractive middleclass mother in question in this 93 minute film.

Video

Presented with a fullframe, the video transfer isn`t too bad. There are signs of dirt and one or two scenes seem a little soft, but it doesn`t detract any. Colours are balanced and detail seems sufficient though I did notice one or two scenes where the film jumps slightly. This was a little off putting and while this only lasts for a few seconds, it should have been corrected. There are some minor video problems with black and white scenes (simulating photo taking scenes).

Audio

This is presented with DD2.0 and isn`t worth writing home about. It`s a story driven movie and the dialogue is clear and serves well enough.

Features

Apart from Scene Selection, there`s a trailer, biographies, credits and trailers for three other Odyssey DVDs. This seems to be standard in the way of features for Odyssey DVDs and is barely average. For those who might need subtitles, this disc doesn`t have any.

Conclusion

Cheryl Ladd specialises in TV movies, and is quite endearing in her part here as the troubled wife. The rest of the cast however are pretty average. There`s nothing in this story that hasn`t been told a thousand times before, all featured in a TV movie somewhere in the world. This is meant to be about a woman in real trouble, who has a contract out on her life, and how she survives, but there`s nothing gritty in this story at all. The story, as real as it is, is pretty predictable and is all gloss. I let it play out the first time and it was just about watchable. There were wasted moments lending to ideal tension in there too so this could have been a better film.

Dead Before Dawn is not a film that lends itself particularly well to repeated viewing. It`s another TV movie from Odyssey, the disposable type you watch just once only to forget about and do something else afterwards. The fact that it`s based on a true story doesn`t really make much difference either. The finale is anti-climactic and I was quite disappointed that there wasn`t more action to spice up the drama. I wouldn`t think there would be any appeal to own this DVD so I`d suggest spending your money elsewhere.