A Simple Twist of Fatedirected by Gillies MacKinnon | |
| Category: |
"Suspense" |
|---|---|
| Year of Release: | 1994 |
| Date Added: | 01/24/2008 |
| Date Watched: | 05/14/2005 |
| Description: | A retelling of Silas Marner. Michael McCann becomes a miserly recluse when he discovers that the baby his wife is carrying is his best friend’s. He rents a house in rural Virginia and makes furniture. He keeps all his wealth in gold coins that he keeps in a drawer. Local Millionaire John Newland is running for the senate. He pays off his kid brother Tanny to keep him from divulging a secret — John has a baby by a local heroin addict. One night Tanny gets drunk and wrecks his car. He wanders off and finds McCann’s house with Michael asleep in bed. He finds Michael’s coins and runs off. When Tanny doesn’t bring her John’s money, the addict goes looking for John. Her car runs out of gas, and she tries to walk but isn’t dressed properly and soon falls. The child wanders into McCann’s house. Michael decides the child was sent to him as a replacement for the gold and determines to keep her. Newland helps him with the adoption and keeps an eye on her, especially since his own wife keeps miscarrying. Michael names the child Mathilda. When Mathilda grows up, Newland offers to give her horseback-riding lessons. His wife soon finds out that the girl is Newland’s and talks him into trying to take her back. There’s a trial. Mathilda wants to stay with Michael, but the judge, because of Newland’s money, is about to give him to Newland. But Newland’s own greed comes back to haunt him. He has done a deal to drain the old quarry near McCann’s house to make a lake for a housing development. As the water in the quarry goes down, Tanny’s body and Michael’s gold are found. The judge allows Michael to keep Mathilda. |
| My Rating: | 8 |
Reviewed by Roger on 2008-07-31 13:16:40
