THE KILLING GAME (Lifetime) – Lifetime premiered its latest crime mystery, THE KILLING GAME, based on the book of the same name by Iris Johansen tonight. The Killing Game stars Laura Prepon as Eve Duncan, a reconstructionist/forensic sculptor who cannot get past losing her young child to the hands of a serial killer. Although Eve has tried to move on, someone wants to draw her into a game of cat and mouse, with her daughter Bonnie’s bones as bait.
There were two reasons I wanted to see The Killing Game. The first is that I am generally fond of Iris Johansen’s books. They provide the type of escapism blended with reality that I enjoy. I am a sucker for FBI procedurals where they are after a serial killer. The second reason was Laura Prepon. Since her days on That 70s Show, I have been willing to watch anything she has been cast in. She never disappoints me. This movie, however, did.
Although Laura brought the right mixture of torment, determination, sensitivity and strength to her role as Eve, the writers and directors did not bring the right amount of suspense or mystery to the plot as a whole. The viewer is supposed to believe that someone other than the person that killed Eve’s child now wants to recreate that event with a new child, someone Eve does not even know. As quick as the killer expects Eve to care and love the girl she does not know is just as quick that the viewer is thrown into the story without much explanation or background.
I quickly figured out who I thought the killer was and, although I was wrong, the instant I found out I was, I had identified the real killer. It was just that easy and uneventful. In the midst of this “mystery” was a love story that I could not follow as I at first thought Eve’s friend was her mother’s boyfriend. To see a relationship escalate with lightning speed and still be confused as to its origins is not good writing.
Overall, the movie was kind of a dud. It never seemed to gain the momentum needed for the suspense necessary for anyone to care about who the killer was or what his motive for the killing was. In fact, I am not sure I even know the motive despite having watched the entire movie. However, if you are a Laura Prepon fan, this movie provides an entire hour and a half of almost entirely Laura time.
What do you think? Did you like The Killing Game? Did you find it suspenseful? Did you find yourself caring less about the killer and more about the dog from the farm? Tell me down below.
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