Competent mystery movie telling the murder of the wife of a well succeed young executive (Mc Carthy)which investigation leads to the belief that he is the main suspect. Full of surprises, although some of them not very well explained and with a final solution plausible, at least. I give this a 6 (six).
17 Reviews
Decent little film
Sebastian-2016 July 2001
Warning: Spoilers
Note: May contain possible spoilers!
Richard Ramsey gets a phone-call from a man who claims that Richard's wife hired him to kill him for $10,000. When he meets him one evening, the hitman is shot to death himself. Not much later his wife Sarah Ramsey is also murdered, and Richard is the main suspect. After that the story gets more complicated, and there are several people who could have murdered both. For example Abe Shinoda, a Japanese partner of Richard's. Also Richard's stepfather Owen Jessop could have had his reasons to do it. And then you have Leslie Bullard, a friend of Sarah and Richard. As I said, complicated.
Overall a decent little film, with nice acting by (for example) Paul Sorvino (Lt. Farrand), Connie Britton (Leslie Bullard), Kate McNeil (Sarah) and Andrew McCarthy (Richard), one of the less fortunate Bratpackers. I rate this film a 7/10!
Richard Ramsey gets a phone-call from a man who claims that Richard's wife hired him to kill him for $10,000. When he meets him one evening, the hitman is shot to death himself. Not much later his wife Sarah Ramsey is also murdered, and Richard is the main suspect. After that the story gets more complicated, and there are several people who could have murdered both. For example Abe Shinoda, a Japanese partner of Richard's. Also Richard's stepfather Owen Jessop could have had his reasons to do it. And then you have Leslie Bullard, a friend of Sarah and Richard. As I said, complicated.
Overall a decent little film, with nice acting by (for example) Paul Sorvino (Lt. Farrand), Connie Britton (Leslie Bullard), Kate McNeil (Sarah) and Andrew McCarthy (Richard), one of the less fortunate Bratpackers. I rate this film a 7/10!
Pleasantly Surprising
richard-29110 January 2004
I was cajoled into watching this TV movie by the wife, who has very positive nostalgic memories of Andrew McCarthy (Mannequin, Pretty in Pink, St Elmo's Fire) and found it to be actually rather good.
It may not have the budget of The Usual Suspects, but it's intriguing none the less as the nice plot gradually plays out. Some of the whodunnits are very obvious, as McCarthy tries to piece together who killed his wife and why, like the supposed friend and work colleague or the father in law, but overall this is one worth sticking with to the end.
Good performance by the guy of The Sopranos and also look out for the laughingly titled magazine 'Dungeon Bitch' - used to put the colleague in the frame.
As long as you don't expect too much, you'll enjoy.
R
It may not have the budget of The Usual Suspects, but it's intriguing none the less as the nice plot gradually plays out. Some of the whodunnits are very obvious, as McCarthy tries to piece together who killed his wife and why, like the supposed friend and work colleague or the father in law, but overall this is one worth sticking with to the end.
Good performance by the guy of The Sopranos and also look out for the laughingly titled magazine 'Dungeon Bitch' - used to put the colleague in the frame.
As long as you don't expect too much, you'll enjoy.
R
Surprise, surprise, its really pretty good.
Doctor_Bombay4 March 1999
Grabbed this one purely because I needed a Kate McNeil fix. Getting harder and harder to find her these days.
The poor early dialogue and overdone exposition made me think this is another cheesy cable drama, but once the story begins to unfold (and the dialogue lessens) it really rolls out into a darn good thriller. Many different suspects (the parents, the friend, the lover, the co-worker), lots of motives keep you guessing.
Its no frills, you won't have anywhere near the production value of Seven, Silence of the Lambs, or even Kiss the Girls. And try not to pay too much attention to Andrew McCarthy, or Paul Sorvino for that matter, as their minimalist approach to character will only distract you from the story.
Too bad this little script ultimately found itself in the low-budget land of straight-to-video. A little TLC and a few bucks could have paid big dividends here.
All in all a very pleasant surprise.
The poor early dialogue and overdone exposition made me think this is another cheesy cable drama, but once the story begins to unfold (and the dialogue lessens) it really rolls out into a darn good thriller. Many different suspects (the parents, the friend, the lover, the co-worker), lots of motives keep you guessing.
Its no frills, you won't have anywhere near the production value of Seven, Silence of the Lambs, or even Kiss the Girls. And try not to pay too much attention to Andrew McCarthy, or Paul Sorvino for that matter, as their minimalist approach to character will only distract you from the story.
Too bad this little script ultimately found itself in the low-budget land of straight-to-video. A little TLC and a few bucks could have paid big dividends here.
All in all a very pleasant surprise.
not great
blanche-23 February 2014
"Escape Clause" from 1996 is a low-budget film starring Andrew McCarthy, Kate McNeil, and Paul Sorvino.
McCarthy is Richard Ramsey, an insurance adjuster and quite well-known in the industry for the "Ramsey Curve" used by insurance companies. He seems to have a great sex life with his wife (McNeil), but out of bed, they have a few problems. One day he receives a phone call from someone who says that Richard's wife hired him to murder him for $10,000. For $20,000, he'll forget about him.
When Richard finally goes to meet him, someone shoots the hit-man. Shortly afterward, his wife is found dead.
Richard finds himself under suspicion by the lead detective (Paul Sorvino) and tries to find out who is responsible for his situation. There are a few suspects, including his wife's best friend, who has always had a crush on Richard. There is also a Japanese partner who works in the firm and seems to be the new golden boy. Meanwhile, his wife's parents are trying to get custody of his children.
I actually thought Andrew McCarthy was pretty good. The character is very volatile and erratic. You could easily see him going off the rails and killing his wife. I could have used a little more back story. Paul Sorvino is good as well. Kate McNeil has a great figure and shows it off.
The denouement of this movie is ridiculous. Just know what you're getting into before you watch it.
McCarthy is Richard Ramsey, an insurance adjuster and quite well-known in the industry for the "Ramsey Curve" used by insurance companies. He seems to have a great sex life with his wife (McNeil), but out of bed, they have a few problems. One day he receives a phone call from someone who says that Richard's wife hired him to murder him for $10,000. For $20,000, he'll forget about him.
When Richard finally goes to meet him, someone shoots the hit-man. Shortly afterward, his wife is found dead.
Richard finds himself under suspicion by the lead detective (Paul Sorvino) and tries to find out who is responsible for his situation. There are a few suspects, including his wife's best friend, who has always had a crush on Richard. There is also a Japanese partner who works in the firm and seems to be the new golden boy. Meanwhile, his wife's parents are trying to get custody of his children.
I actually thought Andrew McCarthy was pretty good. The character is very volatile and erratic. You could easily see him going off the rails and killing his wife. I could have used a little more back story. Paul Sorvino is good as well. Kate McNeil has a great figure and shows it off.
The denouement of this movie is ridiculous. Just know what you're getting into before you watch it.
Who Done It?
shiannedog25 May 2021
I like to think that movie makers take a good story and put it together into a good film. But sometimes they don't. Here it seems they wanted the ending to be undetectable so they twisted the story into knots and attached an ending to it that leaves you dazed and confused and wondering why you chose to watch it. The acting is ok but the screenplay is not. It's kind of like playing a game of Clue by yourself. 5/10.
Convoluted mediocrity
=G=24 August 2001
"Escape Clause", with MacCarthy at the center, is a whodunit with the look and feel of a low budget made-for-tv soap. Everything in this flick is too pat to be real which takes some of the umph out of the big climax at the end. Nonetheless, may be worth a watch for those into mysteries with nothing better to do on a rainy night. Catch this very ordinary flick on tv.
skip on by.....
jb057912 February 2013
This movie is Oh-so-bad. A young executive (played by the ever-over-reaching Andrew McCarthy) finds that his wife is plotting to kill him for the obvious ($). All of the sudden the tables are turned and this young exec finds himself embroiled in this murder for hire scheme. McCarthy turns in the same performances this over-rated B actor he's always been. A so-so shot from Paul Sorvino is this movies only hope, and though he tries, it just doesn't pan out. Plot-wise, and with some production and directing chops, this could have been a great Harrison ford type thriller. As it is, it's not worth your time. I had a hard time keeping up - not because it was so difficult to follow, but because it was just so boring! I'd skip it - watch patriot games again or arrange your sock drawer...
Pure Melodrama
lavatch29 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
"Escape Clause" is a slick made-for-television thriller that is filled with melodramatic twists. An insurance executive named Richard Ramsey (Andrew McCarthy) receives a troubling phone call from a man who claims that Ramsey's life is in danger and that his wife is plotting his death. But it is the wife who is subsequently murdered.
The plot is filled with hints that suggest anyone in the cast could be the murderer-extortionist. Police Lieutenant Farrand (Paul Sorvino) is the detective investigating the crime. One of the most nefarious of the characters is Ramsey's father-in-law, the powerful former deputy director of the CIA. The one genuine ally of Ramsey is Leslie Bullard, effectively played by Connie Britton. Leslie was attracted to Ramsey when they were students. Is her motivation to help him genuine? The film finds a way to make almost every one of the professions appear as corrupt. They include the insurance industry, psychiatry, the CIA, and the police force. Virtually every character associated with those fields of endeavor is sleazy and unethical.
One of the staples of nineteenth-century melodramatic theater was the cliché device of a victim strapped to the railroad tracks as the train is hurtling toward him or her on a deadly collision course. The writers of "Escape Clause" have somehow found a way to bring back that old convention for a thrilling ending that wraps up the mystery in a tidy package.
This is a "guilty pleasure" type of film that includes suspense, but also some laughs, as it brings back the popular melodramas of yore.
The plot is filled with hints that suggest anyone in the cast could be the murderer-extortionist. Police Lieutenant Farrand (Paul Sorvino) is the detective investigating the crime. One of the most nefarious of the characters is Ramsey's father-in-law, the powerful former deputy director of the CIA. The one genuine ally of Ramsey is Leslie Bullard, effectively played by Connie Britton. Leslie was attracted to Ramsey when they were students. Is her motivation to help him genuine? The film finds a way to make almost every one of the professions appear as corrupt. They include the insurance industry, psychiatry, the CIA, and the police force. Virtually every character associated with those fields of endeavor is sleazy and unethical.
One of the staples of nineteenth-century melodramatic theater was the cliché device of a victim strapped to the railroad tracks as the train is hurtling toward him or her on a deadly collision course. The writers of "Escape Clause" have somehow found a way to bring back that old convention for a thrilling ending that wraps up the mystery in a tidy package.
This is a "guilty pleasure" type of film that includes suspense, but also some laughs, as it brings back the popular melodramas of yore.
A Crescendo of Yuppidom 1996
filmalamosa24 January 2013
This opaque thriller was a made for TV movie in 1996. It opens with a sex scene between a happily married couple of 10 years or so. I should have stopped watching it right then as was my instinct. Yes, it gets worse...every yuppie icon of the 80s and 90s is expressed at 500 proof.
The tasteful area rugs the people too young to own the kind of house they do...everyone has gone to Harvard. The feminist angle is in lights with a wife that wants to go back to work after taking a refresher class in art---- at Harvard of course; she wants to open an art gallery. Bore Gaggg Ugghhh ...
The yuppie era started with Love Story and hopefully 1996 was about it's crescendo. I am waiting for it's decline and fall. I have OD'd on PC upper middle class wannabe overkill.
OK, the movie. The main character is told by a hired killer that his wife paid him to kill him (he won't kill him if he pays him double). But then the wife herself ends up dead. There is a truly obnoxious "Japanese" character who is a red herring... The ending is just plain stupid. This thing is opaque and trys to be much more than it is. It is not suspenseful you feel like you were left in the dark to make to make the story line work.
AVOID THIS THING especially if you are allergic to yuppidom.
The tasteful area rugs the people too young to own the kind of house they do...everyone has gone to Harvard. The feminist angle is in lights with a wife that wants to go back to work after taking a refresher class in art---- at Harvard of course; she wants to open an art gallery. Bore Gaggg Ugghhh ...
The yuppie era started with Love Story and hopefully 1996 was about it's crescendo. I am waiting for it's decline and fall. I have OD'd on PC upper middle class wannabe overkill.
OK, the movie. The main character is told by a hired killer that his wife paid him to kill him (he won't kill him if he pays him double). But then the wife herself ends up dead. There is a truly obnoxious "Japanese" character who is a red herring... The ending is just plain stupid. This thing is opaque and trys to be much more than it is. It is not suspenseful you feel like you were left in the dark to make to make the story line work.
AVOID THIS THING especially if you are allergic to yuppidom.
Good Escape
Richie-67-48585210 September 2015
Here we have the old fashioned formula for suspense, mystery and thrills based on the ordinary mans successful life and what can go wrong? Hidden within the story is a story and then another and the points of view from the different players all keep you guessing as if to ask...are they what they are representing to be or is their more to what we see and hear. It follows in the best footsteps of the who dunnit and surely at some point, no one is above suspicion. I personally thought the sex scenes totally unnecessary and overdone and of course there are those that will now watch this for that reason. But those scenes distract and that is not why I gave this a ten. It is a gripper, edge of your seat, pay attention to what's happening type movie. Popcorn, sunflower seeds or tasty snack recommended to keep fingernails out of mouth. Include a tasty drink...enjoy
It makes no sense
benny-rigaux-bricmont12 June 2022
Surprisingly good
wee_honey20023 March 2004
My main interest in seeing this film was Andrew McCarthy, as I have been a fan since I was a kid.
I found the film to have a good story, occasionally predictable, but you will still want to watch till the end to see how everything plays out.
Easily watchable, and Andrew McCarthy is brilliant as always. Paul Sorvino puts in a good turn as the cop, although the children are a bit wooden.
As long as you dont have high expectations, it will surprise you.
I found the film to have a good story, occasionally predictable, but you will still want to watch till the end to see how everything plays out.
Easily watchable, and Andrew McCarthy is brilliant as always. Paul Sorvino puts in a good turn as the cop, although the children are a bit wooden.
As long as you dont have high expectations, it will surprise you.
Santa Claus 3 was a better Escape Clause
movieman_kev26 May 2013
Richard (Andrew McCarthy), a shady insurance claims adjuster, finds his wife and her hired killer both dead and must figure out who did it as the police suspect himself in this boring, uninvolved, vapid little tale.
As predictable as it is asinine, badly acted by all involved and simply hard getting through all 99 minutes or so. But always one to look on the bright side (as small as that might be), The Santa Clause 3 is now not the worst film to be saddled with The Escape Claus moniker. So kudos for that rather dubious honor I guess.
Eye Candy: Kate McNeil and Laura Catalano get topless
As predictable as it is asinine, badly acted by all involved and simply hard getting through all 99 minutes or so. But always one to look on the bright side (as small as that might be), The Santa Clause 3 is now not the worst film to be saddled with The Escape Claus moniker. So kudos for that rather dubious honor I guess.
Eye Candy: Kate McNeil and Laura Catalano get topless
Love it! Great Connecticut Thriller
CoffeeHouseAdam12 January 2018
I love this movie, the acting is very strong by Andrew McCarthy. It's awesome to see a movie take place in Connecticut and specifically feature places like Elizabeth park, Hartford, Essex and you can even see Hartford Whalers stuff in the house. its not common to see a movie with a connecticut setting. its not filmed there but that does not matter to me. its the setting that makes it interesting to me as well as the story line and emotions involved.
Scheiss Dreck
nomad47200230 March 2004
Warning: Spoilers
This is really a pretty good story. It's a good mystery that has you wondering who dunnit, at least for he first hour and a half. The letdown comes at the end, with a totally implausible ending that's pretty-much an anti-climax.
Note: Possible spoilers ahead...
There's one really lame part where one cop holds up a semi-automatic pistol and declares, "It's a ballistics match, with three shells expended..." There is no way to know on an auto-loading pistol how many 'shells have been expended', unless you have found the 'shells' at the scene. Simply deducting the remaining cartridges from the capacity is not enough to determine this, as it is unknown how many cartridges were loaded in the first place.
The whole premise of the movie with respect to the 'curve' is not plausible...
I don't buy the motivation of the killer.
It's a good time waster, but the ending will be a letdown.
Note: Possible spoilers ahead...
There's one really lame part where one cop holds up a semi-automatic pistol and declares, "It's a ballistics match, with three shells expended..." There is no way to know on an auto-loading pistol how many 'shells have been expended', unless you have found the 'shells' at the scene. Simply deducting the remaining cartridges from the capacity is not enough to determine this, as it is unknown how many cartridges were loaded in the first place.
The whole premise of the movie with respect to the 'curve' is not plausible...
I don't buy the motivation of the killer.
It's a good time waster, but the ending will be a letdown.
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