SMOKE SCREEN

US, 2010, 90 minutes, Colour.
Jaime Pressly, Currie Graham, Larissa Laskin, Blu Mankuma, Zak Santiago, Martin Cummins.
Directed by Gary Yates.

Smoke Screen is an average telemovie, interesting because of the mystery and the focus on a corrupt police force.

Crack reporter, Britt, played by Jamie Pressly, wakes to find a dead body beside her in the bed, does not remember anything, suspects that she was given a date rape drug. She reports the crime to the police, is interviewed, suspected, but she is abducted by a man who had a similar experience five years earlier and was pursued in the press by Britt. He was a fireman at the scene of the fire and was friendly with the police but set up to be shamed with the dead body. She explains the situation to him, has to listen to him, realises that she was severe on him.

The dead man was a hero in a fire in the police station five years earlier. Several of the police were praised as heroes. However, as the plot unfolds, it is revealed that the son of one of the police was of a homosexual orientation, had been bashed in a park, and the assailant, who had a record, was tortured and bashed to death – with the fire lit as a cover-up and the interrogators carrying the attacked man to safety, although they knew he was dead. The murdered man in the bed was about to reveal the truth to the reporter and so was killed.

The film focuses on one of the police, who has married a wealthy woman, is still in the power of the boss, and, it seems, also wants is to confess. When he is confronted by the two, they realise that the friend from the past, the judge who is going for re-election, was present, endorsed the cover-up, has control over the police and has thugs hired to do her murdering work.

The romance comes very early and is not quite psychologically plausible and seems intrusive at that moment in the film.

1. Television film, crime and mystery, corrupt police, murders, resolution?

2. The city setting, the police force, camaraderie, the judge due for re-election? The fire in the police precinct? Heroism? Newspapers? Television news and reporting, hounding? Cover-ups and justice?

3. The plausibility of the plot? The villain behind the cover-up and the murders? Her unmasking? Her hold over the other police? Friendships from the past? Ruthless? The final confrontation, Britt and Raley, her assistant and his distrust of her?

4. The opening, Britt, the dead body, the police, the interrogations and the detectives not believing her, the post-mortem, the drugs? The frame up?

5. Britt, reputation, everybody knowing her, meeting with Jay, the drink, waking up, the dead body, suspecting the drug, not remembering anything, the antagonism of the police? Her being abducted by Raley, his questioning her, wanting to know the truth? Her explanations, listening to him, realising that she had been played, her career based on this success? Her phoning the television station, her being put on hold for the time being?

6. Raley story, being invited to the party, the drug addict, her sexual approach, been found dead in the bed? Raley and his fiancee, not wanting him to push, leaving him? his disappearing and living alone?

7. The flashbacks to the fire, the heroism, the Fire Brigade, bringing the man out, his being dead? The cover-up of the wound to his head, his father knowing nothing about it when interrogated by Britt?

8. George, his marriage, Britt doing the research, the wealthy wife, their discussions, her knowing the truth? The research about the other police? The young Pat, his wife and family, his sexual orientation and going to the club? Britt following him?

9. The investigations, computer work, Pat getting his injury in the park, his being wounded by the aggressive homophobic man, the interrogation, the bashing, the cover-up?

10. The confrontation with Pat, his being shot in the car chase?

11. The presentation of the judge, her presence of mind, position in society? The revelation of the truth?

12. The suddenness of the romance between Britain and Raley, exploitative touches? But satisfyingly credible in the end, Raley challenging Britt about her life, her fears, ambitions, and her moving towards success?