Murder Live!
Film directed by Roger Spottiswoode
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Murder Live! is a 1997 American television film written by Chris Bertolet and directed by Roger Spottiswoode. Marg Helgenberger stars as Pia Postman, a television presenter who hosts a self-titled tabloid talk show. David Morse stars as Frank McGrath, a man who holds Postman hostage after his daughter suffered embarrassment due to a prior guest appearance on the show.
- Marg Helgenberger
- David Morse
- Peter Horton
| Murder Live! | |
|---|---|
DVD cover | |
| Written by | Chris Bertolet |
| Directed by | Roger Spottiswoode |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Gary Chang |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Jeffrey Jur |
| Editor | Dominique Fortin |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Release | March 9, 1997 |
Plot
Pia Postman (Helgenberger) hosts a self-titled tabloid talk show, a program grieving father Frank McGrath (Morse) takes offense to after his daughter commits suicide as a direct result of being humiliated on the show. He then disguises himself as a member of the audience during a live episode of the show, and takes Postman hostage wearing a bomb jacket, threatening to kill himself, Postman, and the audience if the police intervene.[1]
Cast
- Marg Helgenberger as Pia Postman
- David Morse as Frank McGrath
- Teri Garr as JoAnn McGrath
- Peter Horton as Lt. Clay Maloney
- Christine Estabrook as Dr. Christine Winter
- Lauren Tom as Marge Fong
- Neal McDonough as Hank Wilson
- Eloy Casados as Tony Grenaldi
- John O'Hurley as Hal Damon
Production
The film was inspired by the murder of Scott Amedure, a guest who was killed three days after he appeared on an episode of The Jenny Jones Show.[2]
Critical reception
Ray Richmond of Variety believed the film was "a roundly entertaining, smartly constructed piece of filmmaking", although he also claimed it was "over-the-top for its own good".[3] Tom Shales of The Washington Post criticized the film as "preachy and ponderous".[4] Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times claimed the film was just as exploitative as the tabloid talk shows it intended to criticize.[5] John J. O'Connor of The New York Times believed the film had a strong message against the tabloid talk show genre, and he praised Marg Helgenberger's leading performance.[6]
