Director Mark Gantt’s sophomore Lifetime offering A Deadly Price for Her Pretty Face, as you might recall, made quite the splash with me for its intense story and exceptional cast and characters. With his debut to the channel being a 2015 true crime biopic (Murder in Mexico: The Bruce Beresford-Redman Story), his first full-on Lifetime thriller proved a smashing success. So when I learned about his latest thriller The Secret Life of a Celebrity Surrogate, I was in eager anticipation. While a few issues keep it from reaching Deadly Price‘s level, there’s still plenty here to make it a worthwhile follow-up to Gantt’s previous thriller.

Something Secret Life and Deadly Price share in common is atmosphere. After a cold open that shows us how bad things will get, Secret Life quickly-but-effectively builds up its story before throwing us into a ticking bomb scenario. It doesn’t take long for Olivia to realize something is off with the Von Richters, and the viewer is left watching with bated breath to see when it’ll all hit the fan. The incredible cinematography also does a great job of setting Secret Life‘s mood. Andrew Russo finds a way to frame the beautiful Von Richter estate and the surrounding nature in a way that, despite its serene appearance, you can feel the tension brewing just beneath the surface. That tension builds up into an explosive third act, capped off with an enthralling climax that hits you with one last twist that is sure to surprise many.

With a talented cast playing well-defined characters against the backdrop of an action-packed drama, Secret Life is another great thriller courtesy of Mark Gantt–and serves as a stellar behind-the-camera debut for Courtney Henggeler.

Score: 8 out of 10 thirty-buttoned toilets.

by TREVOR WELLS 5 months ago in REVIEW

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