Yvaughn
This is one of the rare Lifetime movies that I've watched more than once. It's by no means a mystery -- as another reviewer mentions, the movie shows us at the very start that the victim's preacher-husband is not being straight with the EMTs he calls after supposedly finding his wife dead in their bedroom. I approve of that directing choice. We all know that, most of the time, "the husband did it." So instead of a Whodunnit, "Sins of the Preacher" becomes more of a Howdunnit. What really happened to Debbie, and will her mother, cousin, and aunt manage to prove it in a court of law? That may be the aspect I most like about this film. Obviously, a murdered-woman film cannot have a "happy" ending, especially not one based on a true story. And yet we see a great deal of female strength and determination as Debbie's family investigates her death after the police too quickly rule it a suicide. The title of my review, "Love Trumps Evil," refers to the contribution of another helpful woman off- screen. In too many of these stories, the family never even gets closure of a body. This family, while it can't get their loved one back, at least has that.I also appreciated that, while the preacher is obviously hypocritical, religion itself is not vilified, unless you see the Bible's bit about wives submitting to their husbands as leading too directly to Debbie's death. All the women in Debbie's family are seriously religious (though her mother understandably has her questioning-God moment at one point). The preacher doesn't end up seeming like he represents all Christians. If you like this movie, I recommend you read the book on which it is based: Deadly Little Secrets, by Kathryn Casey. You'll end up even more frustrated with the bumbling police and judge. And the preacher ends up seeming even more evil, especially as pertains to the suspicious circumstances under which his daughter died. There are even more levels of sins from this preacher!
edwagreen
Gail O'Grady goes in record time as a woman who will not listen to other relatives that her son-in-law killed her daughter, to one that leads a crusade against him.The preacher Andrew appears to be totally off-the-wall practicing his religion in a devout way, but at the same time implicated in the sexual assault of a woman and the ultimate murder of his wife when he takes up with a woman in the town.You could say that Andrew is remarkable throughout the night of the incident,shedding no tears. One might think he is keeping a bold face for the sake of his two young daughters, now not having a mother.The family really does a great job in accumulating evidence against him. Why the police and other officials didn't fully investigate is a question.
xxxloroxxxx
Sins of the Preacher is a TV movie described as a thriller. The main problem is that it's not very thrilling at all. Almost since the very beginning it's apparent that Debbie Martin's death is a murder case and not a suicide as it's been ruled. It's also very clear who the murderer is, so the only suspense left for us to chew on is whether or not the victim's mother, Susan Parker, will succeed in bringing the culprit to justice. The acting is uneven. While Gail O'Grady and James McDaniel give worthy performances in the roles of Susan Parker and attorney Wade Thompson respectively, Christopher Gartin and Taylor Cole are not believable in their roles as Pastor Andrew Martin and his lover Brianna Daniels. This is in great part due to writer-director John Stimpson's failure to develop both characters in depth. The devious killer Andrew Martin is simply not threatening enough. As a villain you would expect him to pose a threat to those investigating him but you never fear for the lives or safety of those trying to bring him down. His lover Brianna, which we see too little of till the later part of the film, looks more like a Playboy bunny than a reverend's love interest. Most of the limitations of this flick come from the fact that it is based on a true story and has not been fictionalized enough to bring you to the edge of your seat. So if you're looking for excitement and suspense you'll be disappointed, but if you're okay with an ordinary family drama with a predictable ending, then it becomes a watchable picture.
AD
