Very nicely done for a TV movie. It's a real shame that there aren't more Alex/Milo movie adaptations. God knows we have enough King/Critchton/Grisham/Clancy adaptations to last a lifetime. Danson and Masur are very genuine and accurate in their portrayals of the dynamic dick/shrink duo. Good pathos at the end scene. Direction is rather typical Movie of the Week fair, but it follows the investigation progress and plot twists very lucidly and at a good pace. Supporting cast is rather mediocre, but well suited to the genre. I have rarely seen Danson this serious in a role, and was very surprised at how good he is. Masur is very much Milo, both capture the bantering dialog that is the duo's hallmark. I bought a cheap VHS copy of this on Amazon, and was glad I did. Too bad it's not on DVD. If you like the Alex Delaware mysteries by Jonathan Kellerman, you'll enjoy this!
4 Reviews
Your dead man! You and your coconut girlfriend!
sol-kay5 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
**SPOILERS** After his indictment accused child molester Stuart Hickle is lead out on $250,000.00 bail. Protesting his innocence to the end. Hickle is later found dead in child psychiatrist Alex Delaware's, who was a state witness at his trial, office with a suspicious self inflicted gunshot wound to the temple.
Shook up over his involvement with the Stuart Hickle trial Alex calls it quits and retires to the hills outside of L.A in order to get his head back together. It's some time later when his friend Det. Milo Sturges comes to visit Alex asking him to help in a double-murder where the only witness is a seven year-old girl Melody Quinn. It turns out that Melody has no recollection of who the killer or killers , of school teacher Elina Vargus and her friend Dr. Kennedy, is since it so traumatized her to the point where Melodys mind had completely shut down to who he, or they, looked like.
Getting a line on Dr. Kennedy's patients Alex and Milo track down a Murray Bruno who disappeared just after Dr. Kennedy and Elina's murder. It turns out that Bruno himself was murdered with his body fond badly decomposed in his suburban L.A home. Alex is so taken by this string of murders that he takes it upon himself to solve this very case only to find out, to his shock and surprise, that the're all connected to the late Stuart Hickle! It turns out that Hickle was involved with this group, all upstanding members of the community, called the Gentleman's Brigade.
The Gentleman's Brigade is run by this half-a**ed phony Reverend Vicar McCaffrey who helps runaway young children get their lives back together with a camp he started called El Pueblo De Los Ninos. It turns out that El Pueblo De Ninos is really a front that has well respected and high profile persons, judges politicians and members of law enforcement, do their thing with the unsuspecting and innocent children there. These powerful persons are closet pedophiles, like the late Stuart Hickle, and not only abuse the children in their care but will go so far as murder, like they did Hickle, anyone who will be foolish or brave enough to try to expose them.
With the help of Elina's girlfriend and fellow elementary school teacher Raquel Santos Alex tracks down Gentleman's Brigade members Tim Kruger who, after working him over, spills the beans on McCaffrey and his band of well placed and influential child molesters that includes Melody's doctor the creepy Dr.Towel. Towel has been shooting Melody up with drugs to keep her from coming out of her traumatic state in order to keep Melody from remembering who killed, McCaffrey's henchmen, Dr. Kennedy and his his patient and girlfriend Elina Vargus.
It's now that Alex knows that Melody and her mother Mrs. Quinn, who were kidnapped by McCaffrey's hoods, lives are in danger that he throws caution to the wind. Alex goes back, with Dr. Towle as a willing hostage, to El Peblo De Los Ninos to rescue Melody and her mom only to get side swiped by the now crazed and homicidal McCaffrey. It's the revelation by Alex that McCaffrey murdered Dr. Towel's wife and frame him for it, in order to keep Towel in line, that turns the emotionally destroyed doctor against him. It also helped Alex that his friend Det. Milo Sturges showed up just in time to clobber the out of control McCaffrey, with his handgun, just as the monstrous looking phony Reverend, he must have weighed well over 300 pounds, was about the squeeze the life out of him!
Shook up over his involvement with the Stuart Hickle trial Alex calls it quits and retires to the hills outside of L.A in order to get his head back together. It's some time later when his friend Det. Milo Sturges comes to visit Alex asking him to help in a double-murder where the only witness is a seven year-old girl Melody Quinn. It turns out that Melody has no recollection of who the killer or killers , of school teacher Elina Vargus and her friend Dr. Kennedy, is since it so traumatized her to the point where Melodys mind had completely shut down to who he, or they, looked like.
Getting a line on Dr. Kennedy's patients Alex and Milo track down a Murray Bruno who disappeared just after Dr. Kennedy and Elina's murder. It turns out that Bruno himself was murdered with his body fond badly decomposed in his suburban L.A home. Alex is so taken by this string of murders that he takes it upon himself to solve this very case only to find out, to his shock and surprise, that the're all connected to the late Stuart Hickle! It turns out that Hickle was involved with this group, all upstanding members of the community, called the Gentleman's Brigade.
The Gentleman's Brigade is run by this half-a**ed phony Reverend Vicar McCaffrey who helps runaway young children get their lives back together with a camp he started called El Pueblo De Los Ninos. It turns out that El Pueblo De Ninos is really a front that has well respected and high profile persons, judges politicians and members of law enforcement, do their thing with the unsuspecting and innocent children there. These powerful persons are closet pedophiles, like the late Stuart Hickle, and not only abuse the children in their care but will go so far as murder, like they did Hickle, anyone who will be foolish or brave enough to try to expose them.
With the help of Elina's girlfriend and fellow elementary school teacher Raquel Santos Alex tracks down Gentleman's Brigade members Tim Kruger who, after working him over, spills the beans on McCaffrey and his band of well placed and influential child molesters that includes Melody's doctor the creepy Dr.Towel. Towel has been shooting Melody up with drugs to keep her from coming out of her traumatic state in order to keep Melody from remembering who killed, McCaffrey's henchmen, Dr. Kennedy and his his patient and girlfriend Elina Vargus.
It's now that Alex knows that Melody and her mother Mrs. Quinn, who were kidnapped by McCaffrey's hoods, lives are in danger that he throws caution to the wind. Alex goes back, with Dr. Towle as a willing hostage, to El Peblo De Los Ninos to rescue Melody and her mom only to get side swiped by the now crazed and homicidal McCaffrey. It's the revelation by Alex that McCaffrey murdered Dr. Towel's wife and frame him for it, in order to keep Towel in line, that turns the emotionally destroyed doctor against him. It also helped Alex that his friend Det. Milo Sturges showed up just in time to clobber the out of control McCaffrey, with his handgun, just as the monstrous looking phony Reverend, he must have weighed well over 300 pounds, was about the squeeze the life out of him!
Outstanding!
Kosh226022 October 1999
This movie based upon the Jonathan Kellerman novel of the same name(which introduced the Alex Delaware character) is an outstanding work. The characters are true to the novel, the interaction between Ted Danson's Delaware and Richard Masur's Milo is at times humorous and others deadly serious.
In a bit of Irony, Danson played a Child Psycologist and in the movie "There's Something About Amelia" Danson portrayed a child molester.
In a bit of Irony, Danson played a Child Psycologist and in the movie "There's Something About Amelia" Danson portrayed a child molester.
Kellerman
BandSAboutMovies19 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
If you ever associated Ted Danson and Richard Masur with child abuse, thanks to Danson being in Something About Amelia and Masur in Fallen Angel, this film will redeem both of them, as they are chasing an entire cabal of abusers.
Based on the Jonathan Kellerman novel of the same name, this tells the story of Alex Delaware (Danson, who also executive produced). A Los Angeles-based psychiatrist, Delaware is testifying against an accused child murder who soon dies in a suspicious manner. However, when detective Milo Sturgis (Masur) takes the case, he soon learns that things are much deeper than that.
Rachel Ticotin (Arnold's love interest in Total Recall), James Noble (the governor on Benson), David Huddleston (Santa from Santa Claus: The Movie and The Big Lewbowski himself), Merritt Butrick (Death Spa), Charles Lane (Arsenic and Old Lace), Scott Paulin (Cat People) and Deborah Harmon (Used Cars) all show up in this.
For a mid-80's show, it's pretty great that Masur's character is gay and not mincing or a stereotype. The ending is pretty intense as well and probably one of the few times you'll see Ted Danson in an MMA-style situation.
Based on the Jonathan Kellerman novel of the same name, this tells the story of Alex Delaware (Danson, who also executive produced). A Los Angeles-based psychiatrist, Delaware is testifying against an accused child murder who soon dies in a suspicious manner. However, when detective Milo Sturgis (Masur) takes the case, he soon learns that things are much deeper than that.
Rachel Ticotin (Arnold's love interest in Total Recall), James Noble (the governor on Benson), David Huddleston (Santa from Santa Claus: The Movie and The Big Lewbowski himself), Merritt Butrick (Death Spa), Charles Lane (Arsenic and Old Lace), Scott Paulin (Cat People) and Deborah Harmon (Used Cars) all show up in this.
For a mid-80's show, it's pretty great that Masur's character is gay and not mincing or a stereotype. The ending is pretty intense as well and probably one of the few times you'll see Ted Danson in an MMA-style situation.
See also
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