The Charge

Some lives refuse to be erased.

The Case

Elizabeth Rohm (Law and Order) stars as Jennifer, a successful video editor who's living a great little life with her awesome boyfriend. Alas, this mirth is not be everlasting, as Jennifer's beau is killed one night in a car crash. This wrecks her, completely and viciously, and she fears she may be slipping in and out of sanity. Why? When she watches her old boyfriend videos, it seems like he's talking to her from beyond the grave.

Try as she might to put her life back together—in no small part thanks to the tenacity of her friends and their desire to make sure she doesn't go completely bananas—Jennifer is continually pulled back into a world of emotional and mental trauma, which might be caused by the supernatural.

Okay, this isn't bad. I've lost count of the sheer number of ghostly psychological thrillers I've encountered in my life. When all is said and done, Ghost image will likely retreat from the brain and sit on the bench with the multitude of other movies I've forgotten about. But for the next couple of paragraphs, Ghost Image, you're the belle of the ball.

This is a plot-heavy tale, which builds up steadily to the big reveal of what exactly is driving Jennifer bat-@#$% crazy. As a piece of storytelling, Ghost Image succeeds. The twist is well-played and caps a satisfyingly paced crescendo, which began with a flash-forward of the last scenes.

What doesn't hold up as well is Elizabeth Rohm's performance. I was never a big fan, impatient with her wooden demeanor on Angel and Law and Order. My desire to see her act again has not been raised by this film. She's not actually wooden, quite the opposite—a blubbering, crying mess who alternates between blasting out phlegm-soaked, grief-stricken wailing over the loss of her boyfriend, and screaming at the top of her lungs, while menaced by an unseen force. In fairness to her, that's the role, but it doesn't mean I'm any less enamored.

A mixed bag, but nevertheless successful, based primarily on the strength of the story. The lovely Stacey Dash doesn't hurt either.

The DVD is no-frills: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, 5.1 surround, no extras.

The Verdict

Not Guilty, but the bench isn't necessarily trembling with joy.

Similar Decisions

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• A Murder Of Crows
• Say Nothing
• The Harvest

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