Into the Arms of Danger (2020 Lifetime)
Cast: Cathy Moriarty, AlexAnn Hopkins, Laurie Fortier
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Synopsis (via Lifetime)
Two paramedics arrive at the site of a car accident to transport an injured 17-year-old girl to the hospital. But instead of taking her there, the strangers bring her to the home of a woman who’s grieving over the loss of her daughter.
Thoughts
A woman with an adorable ponytail and less adorable dress is limping through the woods to get away from a muscle man. She thinks she is clear from danger, but she limps right into the ARMS OF DANGER and is tackled by the man.
Next, we see Jenny at a party. She is bonding with a Jame Dean looking guy, Drake, who is in a band. Jenny is impressed and calls him a “Renaissance Man” He invites her to his show and gives her a flyer. Jenny realizes that she missed curfew and tries to leave the party, but she runs into car trouble. Drake helps her fix the car and continues to invite her to his show. They have a romantic moment, but Jenny’s mom, Laura, interrupts the mood and is very worried. Things between the mother and daughter are tense since Jenny’s father died. Laura is overprotective but leaves for a work conference.
With her mom out of town, Jenny drives to the concert alone. When Laura calls to check on her daughter, she is horrified to learn Jenny is driving so far. It gets worse when Jenny swerves off the road and hits a pole with Laura on the phone. Jenny hits her head on the steering wheel, and Laura is screaming into the phone, asking if everything is okay. Jenny calls the paramedics, and Laura stays on the phone until the ambulance arrives.
The ambulance pulls up, and some sketchy looking men check Jenny for a concussion and then sedate her. She wakes up in a ROOM FULL OF DOLLS! There is a device strapped to her leg. The greasy-haired man who kidnapped her his named Clyde and his voice might be sexy? He tells her that he faked being an EMT, gives her the ugly dress to put on, and takes her to meet Momma.
Momma (Played by Acadamy Award Nominee, Cathy Moriarty from Raging Bull) thinks that Jenny is her daughter Lizzie and is trying to recreate her family. When Jenny shows Momma a picture and calls them all insane, Momma slaps the shit out of Jenny. They then pray at the table and then eat fried chicken like a typical family. Well, until Jenny pulls a knife on them and tries to escape franticly. The family doesn’t even stop eating; they totally ignore Jenny’s hysteria. Momma soothes Jenny in her bed and tells her she is glad she is finally home. Momma is more of a helicopter mom than Laura.
Speaking of Laura, she is trying to find her daughter. Laura screams at the paramedics and the police. “ MY DAUGHTER IS MISSING!” She does this for most of the movie and is the least exciting part.
Jenny finds the diary of the REAL Lizzie that includes entries like:
“Oh my god! Tommy and I did it. It hurt, but it was so nice.”
Other entries summarize that Momma didn’t approve of Lizzie’s boyfriend, Tommy, so Lizzie ran away.
The journal inspires Jenny to also runaway. She hits Clyde in the face with a frying pan and runs off into the woods. We supposed to think we are at the scene from the beginning of the movie, but the dress is a different color. Jenny hits an electrical fence and is disabled with jolts of electricity. Jenny is brought back to the house and forced to continue to be Lizzie.
Jenny finds some old dispatch equipment and learns from Lizzie’s nicer brother Guy that there has already been one replacement, Lizzie. She didn’t make it because Momma put her in the basement with the rats.
Laura shows up at the house with a missing person flyer. Momma and Laura are face to face, and it is tense. Momma plays it cool but is put off by Laura’s questions. Jenny is held at knifepoint to keep from screaming for help. Then Momma forces Jenny to record a voicemail to call off Laura from searching for her. She includes one coded message. “Tell dad I said hi.” Laura knows she was coerced to leave the message.
Jenny starts playing into the role of Jenny and makes amends for Lizzie’s mistakes. She also appeals to Guy and attempts to seduce him. Jenny kisses him, and Momma catches them in the act. Momma drags Guy by his hair to the basement and threatens to throw him in. Whatever is down there, he is terrified.
Without the sheriff’s help, Laura goes to Drake and gives him the voicemail audio. Drake determines that the voice mail was recorded in a house near a train. Drake finds the home and the fake ambulance. He sees his flyer in the truck and knows that Jenny is in the house. Drake knocks Guy out with some wood and sneaks into the house. He frees Jenny, and they run off Drake but is caught by in a bear trap. He begs Jenny to leave him, and she runs to his car. Drake gets killed by Clyde with a rock, and Guy stops Jenny from driving off.
Jenny is thrown in the basement because Momma realizes that she is not Lizzie. In the basement, Jenny finds a trunk with Lizzie’s body in it. (Gross!)
Laura finds a similar missing person case and goes to talk to the mother. The mother gives Laura a gun and tells her to avenge her daughter’s death. Laura pretends to be a teen in trouble to lure Jenny’s kidnappers. It works. Guy and Clyde get in the ambulance and drive to the scene. When they arrive and find nothing, they leave, leading Laura back to the house.
Set on saving her daughter. Laura locks Clyde in a garage and gets out her itty-bitty gun. She forces Guy to let her daughter out of the basement. Jenny tells Guy that Lizzie’s body is in the trunk downstairs. He is devastated.
Clyde breaks himself out of the garage and attacks Laura. Jenny saves her mom by putting the electrical collar on Clyde and turning it full blast. Momma grabs the gun and does her villain monologue. Guy knows that his momma killed Lizzie, and they struggle as a gun goes off. Momma shoots Guy dead.
The police finally show up and suddenly care. Momma is taken into custody as Jenny and Laura are reunited. They, obviously, decline paramedic treatment.
Finally, Jenny and Nicole are off for college. Laura and Jenny have a healthier relationship. Well, a healthier one than Momma and her kids.
Momma is in a prison cell primping and excited to make dinner for the next “Lizzie.”
Side Note
Minority Report: Nicole, Real Paramedic, a few police officers.
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Overall rating
🔪🔪🔪 (3 Knives)
🍷🍷🍷 (3 glasses of wine required.)
*Photo Credit: © Google Images
no copyright infringement is intended
It says this movie is based on a true story. What story is it based on?
Trying to find out myself! I can’t find anything about any kidnapped girl like this?!
Worst movie I have ever seen
No, the worst LMN movie yet is Deadly Mile High Club
What true story is this based off of? There is nothing to be found on this and usually on true lifetime movies they put at the end of the movie where so and so is currently spending however many years in whatever prison and what the victim is currently doing. This makes me believe this entire movie was just a made up story.
Terrible. The acting was a complete fake not even convincing. The story line was good if there had been a decent cast. Momma was better than the rest but they need more classes. Some of these Lifetime Movies need NOT be shown.