Occasionally, here on IMDb, you start clicking on some names and then you continue clicking on some more names, and then you suddenly stumble upon a film title you never heard about before but instantly want to see. Deep down you realize there's probably a very good reason why this film is totally unknown, but nevertheless you fanatically track it down because it just *might* be a hidden gem. Sounds familiar? Well, it happened to me a couple of times already, like with "W".
And, moreover, for about 2/3 of the running time, it also actually seemed as if I did stumble upon a hidden treasure! The plot is simple but effective and compelling, the cast contains a few fabulous names (Twiggy, John Vernon, Eugene Roche), and the freak accidents/sabotages that overcome the young couple in the first half are genuinely suspenseful.
Careless couple Katie and Ben live happily, with their two dogs, in a beautiful house with ocean view. Out of nowhere, they both become the targets of a series of vile attacks, and the letter "W" is always left behind as a sort of signature. It turns out Katie wasn't always called Katie and was previously married to a violent and abusive man named Willian "Billy" Caulder. She disappeared and started a new life, but Caulder got accused of her murder and sentenced to prison. Has he escaped and found Katie? They can't go to the police, since Katie never came forward to admit her former husband is not guilty of murder at all.
"W" becomes even better with the abrupt and unpredictable introduction of the new character of a private detective, Charles Jasper, who spontaneously offers his services to the desperate couple. His reasoning makes sense, and several little details indicate he's a professional private eye, but can he really be trusted? Personally, I was very impressed with how the story was unfolding and with the creative angles featuring in the script, but then - alas - follows a hectic, illogical, contradictory, and massively disappointing finale. Caulder eventually shows up, but he surely isn't the evil mastermind-schemer he was made out to be throughout the entire film thus far. Quite the opposite, in fact, he - as depicted by Dirk Benedict - comes as mentally unstable and pathetic, and all the built-up mystery and credibility vanishes in the blink of an eye. Very, very sad.
And yet, based on the first 80 or so minutes, "W" is definitely a mystery/thriller worth tracking down, and it deserves better ratings and friendlier comments that the ones given by my fellow reviewers around here.
And, moreover, for about 2/3 of the running time, it also actually seemed as if I did stumble upon a hidden treasure! The plot is simple but effective and compelling, the cast contains a few fabulous names (Twiggy, John Vernon, Eugene Roche), and the freak accidents/sabotages that overcome the young couple in the first half are genuinely suspenseful.
Careless couple Katie and Ben live happily, with their two dogs, in a beautiful house with ocean view. Out of nowhere, they both become the targets of a series of vile attacks, and the letter "W" is always left behind as a sort of signature. It turns out Katie wasn't always called Katie and was previously married to a violent and abusive man named Willian "Billy" Caulder. She disappeared and started a new life, but Caulder got accused of her murder and sentenced to prison. Has he escaped and found Katie? They can't go to the police, since Katie never came forward to admit her former husband is not guilty of murder at all.
"W" becomes even better with the abrupt and unpredictable introduction of the new character of a private detective, Charles Jasper, who spontaneously offers his services to the desperate couple. His reasoning makes sense, and several little details indicate he's a professional private eye, but can he really be trusted? Personally, I was very impressed with how the story was unfolding and with the creative angles featuring in the script, but then - alas - follows a hectic, illogical, contradictory, and massively disappointing finale. Caulder eventually shows up, but he surely isn't the evil mastermind-schemer he was made out to be throughout the entire film thus far. Quite the opposite, in fact, he - as depicted by Dirk Benedict - comes as mentally unstable and pathetic, and all the built-up mystery and credibility vanishes in the blink of an eye. Very, very sad.
And yet, based on the first 80 or so minutes, "W" is definitely a mystery/thriller worth tracking down, and it deserves better ratings and friendlier comments that the ones given by my fellow reviewers around here.
