Maternal Instinct (TV Movie 2017) Poster

(2017 TV Movie)

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6/10
About Average
jcgoodwin226 November 2017
A policewoman takes in a teenage witness and bonds with her during the investigation.

Being a fan of relationships like this, I was pretty excited for the film, but I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. The problem is that, for the most part, the kid lacks likable qualities and the relationship feels rushed, as the girl is an extreme crybaby who clings to the heroine from the very start. Perhaps this can be called realistic, but the creators forget to make it engaging. In other words, I need more reason to sympathize with a character than the mere fact that they've endured trauma, and I usually prefer to see a relationship develop in phases. A good example of what I'm describing can be found in the film adaptation of Iris Johansen's 'The Killing Game,' a somewhat similar tale which handled its characters and their bond in much better fashion.

The action and the conflict driving it are decent. High points include nice performances by Laura Mennell as the dedicated detective and Marcus Rosner as her teammate.
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4/10
Could have been so much better
RodMartinJr23 October 2020
Bad, bad, bad writing. Lack of continuity check and motivation. After the first few gaffes, it does get a little better, but not much.

Main character says one thing and does another, repeatedly, like, "I'll get the report to you before I leave," then "Let's go..." Short-term memory loss?

Some acting was fair to horrible. Some was good, but overall a mixed bag.

And the doctor not letting the daughter stay with the mom even though there was no immediate danger? I've known doctors like that, and they are a hazard to society. He was going to pull the plug, but the daughter showing up makes the mother stronger. Dumb!

This is exactly how you take a good idea and mangle it just enough to make it barely watchable. A better writer could have made it all so much better, even with the poorer acting.
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3/10
B Grade even for an TV Movie
pub-2124 April 2019
I fully understand you can't make much of a movie for $0.8M but I have seen better $50K movies. Acting performances sucks as does the story line. It's riddled with flaws that make it unrealistic. The only reason I give it the third star, is that I did manage to see it through to the end!
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2/10
Amateur Hour
glaziersa17 June 2022
Completely armature B grade movie at best, movie starts out with an informant wired up to do a deal with a criminal in a car park while one undercover police officer monitors the deal from blocks away, yes you read right, one undercover officer from miles away, not a team of officers, no cctv monitoring, just one undercover in a car sitting blocks away. When the first 3 minutes of a movie smacks of this much ridiculousness, you will probably struggle to sit through another 10mins let alone 90mins.
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2/10
Bad acting, editing fails
Coyotelovesme15 June 2021
Laura Mennell is such a bad actress in this. And her character is creepy.

Seriously if someone kissed and caressed a young girl the way she did, they'd be on a register.

It was her character and her terrible portrayal that made this a bad movie.

The editing fails... so many bloopers added to make this film from being just bad to terrible .
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8/10
Scarface, Wonder Woman, and the Cowboy
lavatch6 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
By unfortunate happenstance, Gail Walker is driving with her daughter Sarah in Portland when they blunder into a crime scene in which an informant is killed by the thug Hayden Stalzy. Gail is seriously wounded, and both she and her daughter are witnesses to Stazy's shooting of the informant. Stalzy has an ugly, distinguishing mark of a scar on his face, so he is not difficult to ID. The film unfolds the harrowing story of little Sarah protected from Stalzy by a kind female detective while her mother lies in critical condition in hospital.

The maternal instinct of the film's title is emotional reaction of Detective Heather Parker, who takes young Sarah under her wing. They receive support from Detective Travis Lancaster, and a romantic intrigue unfolds between the cowboy Travis and Heather. A risky visit to the hospital for Sarah to see her mom places Heather's career in jeopardy, yet defines her humanity. In a number of scenes with solid fight choreography, Heather proves herself to be Wonder Woman.

An especially interesting character was the neighborhood gossip, Lois, who befriended little Sarah and offered her fudge. Unfortunately, Sarah also allowed Sarah to use her computer, which allowed Scarface to track their whereabouts. One of the most moving scenes of the film was Lois's resolve in refusing to reveal to Stalzy the whereabouts of Sarah and Heather.

The most touching part of the film was the bonding of the detective, who admits that she doesn't like children, and the youngster. The performances were first-rate, and there was an effective denouement in which the hard-as-nails Captain Nichols was able to exonerate Detective Parker and give his blessing for her budding romance with the cowboy.
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10/10
Lovely Thrilling Movie
towhidmahee18 May 2020
Very good movie ! Enjoyed every single moment . The girl is so cute
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