This is based on a true story of the Dowalibys and the murder of their 7 year old daughter, Jaclyn, for which they stand accused. What happens to them, how the "system" tries to beat them down to submission and the lengths to which the prosecutors are willing to go to win, is the basis of the movie. Shannen Doherty delivers a gripping portrayal of Cindi Dowaliby, as first she fights the system, then she has to fight her husband. This may well be her best performance. I don't know how you pick the supporting cast in this story. There were no "small" parts (I watched the movie initially because a former newscaster from my home town was in it and may have had the only small part). Ed Asner, Dixie Carter, etc., would be classified as supporting cast, I guess, and they played their roles to perfection, Asner as the retired detective and Carter as the mother-in-law who finally comes to grips with her shortcomings and discovers that she has great affection for her daughter-in-law. The circumstances surrounding the investigation, the arrests, trial, and unexpected outcome all tie together so quickly that there are no "slow moments" where your mind can wonder without losing part of the plot or the puzzle pieces. But this isn't Hollywood, this is real and you feel you're watching a retrospective news report, except for the personal exchanges between the Cindi and David. When they can't agree on how to handle the initial verdict, your not sure David will listen and it might cost him dearly. If you don't know how the situation ended (as I didn't), you might think it had a much different ending. A truly riveting movie, I found myself wishing I knew what subsequently has become of the Dowalibys. I could definitely watch it again.
Review of Gone in the Night
Gone in the Night
(1996 TV Movie)
Real life may not always be stranger than fiction, but it comes close
17 July 2005