Detective (2005)

An ex-priest turned police detective (Tom Berenger) has left his wife (Cybill Shepherd) and is having an affair with a fellow police officer (Annabeth Gish). When a series of grisly torture serial killings by a religious fanatic terrorize the ocean side town, it leads him down a dark and shocking path. Based on the novel by Arthur Hailey (AIRPORT, HOTEL), when the film focuses on the hunt for the serial killer and the murders, it's pretty riveting. Unfortunately, the film is padded with scenes of domestic turmoil which, while they payoff at the very end, dilutes the tension and drags down the story. The film pushes near the three hour mark when it should have been a tight and taut two hours at the most. The acting is pretty poor (even such reliable ones as Charles Durning) and the characters so irritating that when one of the major characters becomes a victim of the serial killer, you're almost relieved. Directed by Davis S. Cass Sr. With Rick Gomez, Wanda De Jesus, Lee Garlington and Rutanya Alda.