Veiled Truth (2006)

That was an excellent one.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The story has been done repeatedly. Innocent young girl who is homeless and hungry is suddenly befriended by a good looking and generous man who blindly brings the young girl home for initial grooming and then turns her in to a prostitute. The pimp gets arrested and jailed and when he gets out he seeks vengeance on the undercover cop and his "ho".I would say this adaptation of the prostitute who turns her life around is a pretty good story mainly because of the good performances by the three (3) lead actors Emmanuelle Vaugier, Bruce Ramsay, and George Newbern.I would recommend this film as a decent drama/thriller with good acting and a decent story line.

Prostitute Carolyn 'Angie' Owens is recruited by undercover cop Kimberly in a sting against her pimps, Jake and Duane. Duane is killed and Jake is arrested. Eleven years later, Carolyn (Emmanuelle Vaugier) is married to politician Andy in Spokane, Washington. Jake is released from prison and blackmails her.This is all rather Lifetimey. The production is second tier. The story needs more tension and the pacing has too much filler. While Vaugier is top shelf, nobody else is at that level. It needs to be stylistically darker but it is only a TV movie.

Carolyn is the best caterer in Spokane, Washington (or one of its suburbs; we never really are told). Her husband Andy is running for Senate (but is it U.S. or state?), and judging from how nice his office is, he must be doing well in his job. Another sign the couple is doing well: 12-year-old Josh and his younger sister Amanda go to Gilmore Academy. They're not doing all this on Carolyn's salary, judging from comments made about how new her business is.Jake is out of prison after 12 years. He was Angie's boyfriend and pimp in New York City, and he has tracked Angie down even though her name is now Carolyn. He wants enough money to go straight, plus revenge because Angie got her brother Dwayne killed. If he doesn't get what he wants, Jake will tell Andy about her secret past as a prostitute ... or worse.Also, Angie's former best friend Kim is dead, and while police think it was a suicide, there is evidence she was murdered. The murder was, in fact, the first thing we saw.Flashbacks to Angie's past life are shown. Angie was somehow reduced to begging on the street, and that's how Nick found her and rescued her.Bruce Ramsay does a very good job as the man who is blackmailing Carolyn. And Nick Mancuso does very well as a major crime figure who Jake owes in a big way. He seems suave, sophisticated and even kind, but when he doesn't get what he wants, watch out.But Emmanuelle Vaugier gives the best performance of all. I say that because Carolyn clearly doesn't want to do what Jake demands, and yet Carolyn totally convinces us that she is happy and even enthusiastic in her actions as she works hard and suffers through indignities to protect her family.The kids are quite good too, but kids shouldn't watch just because of them.It's really worth seeing.

Emmanuelle Vaugier (she played the gorgeous Jasmine in "Secondhand Lions," the superior movie with Duvall, Caine and Osment) - is one of the most attractive and pleasant persons on-screen in some time. This story, while not an artistic piece of writing, revealing a woman's secret past, and told countless times before (in scores of variations) - still tightly holds your interest. The performances are all good - better than in many more highly-touted, 9-figure productions. And it would be a pleasure to watch this leading young Canadian actress if she were just filmed, on-screen, simply watching a painted wall dry. Bruce Ramsay, as her smarmy "ex" from her jaded past, and the fine character actor, Nick Mancuso (as the Russian mobster, with a heart at least partially made of gold) give very good performances - and their characters ring true. That is one of this small film's appeal. Despite not being the most original of story lines, and the type of production where you're not surprised by mediocre acting and characters which are overdrawn and overplayed - this film provides superior performances, and wholly-balanced characters. There is also a kind of old-fashioned happy ending, after all the turmoil (except for Mr. Ramsay).