Prolonged Exposure

There is also a superfluous traumatic backstory. Through letters narrated by Lane, it is explained that he suffered some traumatic sexual assault at the hands of a woman and that this incident was a driving force in the deterioration of his marriage. However, this comes to have no bearing on the unfolding events whatsoever and doesn’t seem to have an effect on Lane’s behavior at all. He only vaguely references it once at the beginning in a hypothetical presentation as a way to relate to a client’s trauma. Then again, near the end of the film in an off-handed way, devoid of context that could imply almost anything. Without the voice overs, we would have no idea such a thing happened at all, which begs the question; if it had no role in the story, then why include it?

“While it starts slow, the movie frequently becomes jarring to behold...”

But the most glaring issue of this film, its “Smoking Gun,” is a magic gun. After Lane’s “Aha!” moment over the phone, the now confirmed perpetrator enters the room apparently none the wiser. Lane plays off the phone call and acting as though nothing is amiss,  invites them to take a seat. They do, placing their hands on the armrests of the chair. Two sequences later and they materialize a pistol in their hand seemingly out of thin air. Yet its sudden appearance is not the most egregious sin regarding the firearm.

While this conversation is held, the gun audibly racks three times. Now my knowledge of guns is rudimentary at best, but I am reasonably certain you cannot rack a handgun multiple times without firing it. A glaring inaccuracy in a project already rife with hindrances. But ultimately, it’s Cain’s involvement that is the upside of this film. So unless you are a diehard Dean Cain fan and feel the need to consume every title of his filmography, I would give this movie a pass.