Portrait of Murder (The Rendering)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent acting wasted on a B-movie!
Review: Warning, this is a frank and honest review of this movie; and even though I am slightly biased, as a Shannen Doherty fan, I intend to be as honest as possible for the benefit of other customers.

This is one of a string of B-movies Shannen Doherty has recently filmed in Canada, the others being 'Striking Poses' and 'Another Day'. In 'The Rendering', Shannen Doherty plays a young artist named Sarah, who gets stabbed by a lunatic named Theodore, played by Peter Outerbridge. 10 years later, Theodore's ready to get out of the slammer, and blackmails Sarah into speaking well of him at his parole hearing. He's framed her husband, Michael, to get him into jail, where Theodore supposedly runs the show, and can have Michael killed at his will. As soon as he gets out, the story begins...

Admittedly, the storyline does sound unlikely. However, it works, it makes you think, and provides for a decent two hours of entertainment. Shannen Doherty does an excellent job with her character (although it seems that she tends to play the same character in all her B-movies) and develops her well. I've always enjoyed her acting; those unbelievers who claim she's a horrible actress need only watch this movie, and watch any episode of 'Charmed' or 'North Shore' to see her talent. She might not be Meryl Streep, but if you put her up against Hilary Duff or Paris Hilton (ugghh), she's the greatest actress to have ever lived. Peter Outerbridge does a terrific job as well; he plays a believable psychopath and contributes well to the suspense of the film. I wasn't all that pleased with John Brennan as Michael, but I do admit that he is a very good actor.

What would I have changed about the movie? Perhaps, perhaps, Shannen's job as an interior designer 10 years later. It's okay, she acts the job out well, and it seems like something Shannen could be doing, but somehow that job doesn't fit into the movie properly -- it seems like it exists just to give Shannen a job. It doesn't tie into the storyline of the movie at all.

However, this was a very minor glitch. All in all 'The Rendering' is a great movie, with a terrific cast that seems almost wasted as a B-TV-movie. Is it worth the approximately $20? If you're a Shannen fan, yes. If you're bored with nothing to do, and feel like watching a suspense film, it's probably a rental.