User Reviews

This is without a doubt the most horrifying story of domestic abuse I have ever seen. As another reviewer commented, this is definitely not a movie for the fainthearted, but it was very well acted and the story was very moving and disturbing.

It is a true story. Tracey Thurman is an abused wife and the police are less than enthusiatic about protecting her from her husband. Unlike some abused women she finally does leave and get a restraining order against him. This leads to the violent confrontation that is a main theme of the movie.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD--depends on what you know about the case!



The scene of Buck's final, near fatal attack on Tracey is extremely violent and a almost TOO long. Buck Thurman chases Tracy down, throws her to the ground and stabs her repeatedly. As she lays helpless on the ground, he kicks her, jumps on her head and screams at her that she MADE him do all this, its all her fault (isn't that what the abuse always says)--stopping a couple of times and wandering a few feet away only to return and continue his attack. During this time, a police officer stands there, and as he says later "I continued to observe the situation". The only action he takes during the attack is to try and restrain the boyfriend (maybe husband?) of Tracey's friend when he attempts to aid her and picking up Buck's dropped knife and locking it in the trunk of his car. The only reaction we see from him is when Buck attempts to grab his son--then the officer rouses himself a bit.

It is this handling of the attack that leads Tracey to sue the police department on the grounds that they failed to offer her equal protection under the law.

SPOILERS END

First of all, my 8 out of 10 does not take into account that this was a made-for-TV movie. It should have been a feature and more people should have seen it. It's a cautionary tale for all women, regardless of race, education, or socioeconomic status. Nancy McKeon is unforgettable as the young woman drawn in by a charismatic but ultimately viciously abusive man intent on owning every facet of her life. It would be a mistake to dismiss this movie as a throw-away, Lifetime stereotype. The weaving of the story, which is to say the unraveling of Thurman's world, is excellent and without obvious sentiment. The truth of this case as a representation of the systematic control by an abuser is without question. However, the real story behind it is the response of the law enforcement community to Thurman's case. Thankfully, in the last 20 years since this movie was made, law enforcement agencies have updated their procedures and strategies in direct response to cases like Tracy Thurman's. But there is more to be done and this movie is still relevant. The pattern of the abuser's manipulation has not changed. Young women can learn a great deal from learning about this case. Finally, this movie has made a permanent impression on me. So much so, in fact, that I am in the process of studying to be a forensic nurse - someone trained to treat medically, and collect evidence from, domestic abuse victims, child abuse victims, and victims of sexual assault. The forensic nurse also represents their evidentiary findings in court. I'm doing this for future women who need help. Because Tracy Thurman sure could have used someone on her side.

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

A true story of horrific domestic violence by an ex-husband, even with a restraining order, that also ended up in a lawsuit against the city for ignoring numerous police reports of violence. The domestic abuse law was the result, and the only positive outcome of this horrific tragedy perpetrated by the "boys" network of local police who liked and knew the ex-husband.

I have never seen such an riveting showing of domestic violence shown on screen. Dale Midkiff's performance deserving of an Emmy award, and I am stunned none of these actors weren't nomiated. This is indie film grit, this is a high quality film. I did not move once during the attack scene. I still am shaking. I can't believe the police allowed this to happen to Tracey.

Even more, that Buck was only charged with assault? He literally said "I killed her" and attempted to block the ambulance from taking her away. I wish police took all women seriously.

It is heartbreaking that her son, CJ would go on to be arrested for domestic violence years as well. Buck really deserved a long sentence.