Lifetime Review: 'Ring of Deceit'

For as much flak as Lifetime gets by critics for being unoriginal, they have been known to have a few movies in their catalog with unique concepts I've yet to see put to film, made for television or otherwise. Many of these movies have come from Incendo, a Canadian company that seems to specialize in producing Lifetime flicks, with such films such as Trigger Point and Sometimes The Good Kill tackling the kinds of plots and issues that are not commonplace for Lifetime.

One of their older flicks, 2009's Ring of Deceit, also has a plot that is not a fit for any of Lifetime's classic molds. Art expert Madison Byrne (Rebecca Mader) is an employee of a successful Chicago art museum. A wealthy client, Jack Singer (Cameron Bancroft) comes in during an early unveiling of the museum's latest artifact: "The Ring of Sophia," a priceless ring that had been lost for years. Upon seeing the ring, Jack immediately identifies it as that of his great grandfather and was adamant on reclaiming it for his family.

But as Madison finds herself being romanced by the handsome and charming Jack, people begin to die and the young expert finds herself caught in a web of deception that she'll have to fight to escape from. As she delves deeper into the intricate mystery, Madison will find herself in a dark world of greed, deception, and murder...

From the moment the mystery begins with an initially unexplained murder in the film's opening, Ring of Deceit keeps the audience mostly in the dark regarding what is happening and who is behind everything. For a mystery, this is essential, as it allows the viewer's mind to run through the possibilities and wonder who could be responsible. The most important thing about writing any mystery is to make it interesting for the viewer, and Ring of Deceit does that very well.

On the other side of the plot spectrum, Ring of Deceit also devotes some time to develop the relationship between Madison and Jack. Unfortunately, this is where the plot hits a downgrade. Mader and Bancroft definitely play well off each other, but the film offers no real buildup or development to them forming a romantic attraction for each other. As a result, the relationship feels rushed and underdeveloped, thus making it harder to root for their bond to survive the film. This underdevelopment also can lead viewers to believe Madison and Jack's relationship is based solely on their looks and Jack's wealth, thus making the relationship appear insincere as well as hurried along.

The best character on the movie, however, would definitely have to be the villain, who I will have to talk about, so consider this a fair SPOILER ALERT:

The mastermind behind the murder is Carol Kinahan, the curator of the museum and Madison's boss/friend. She worked with corrupt broker, Marcus Coleman, to retrieve forgeries to be displayed in the museum and had him kill a museum employee, who was preparing to expose the Ring of Sophia as a forgery. During her well shot and intense villainous reveal, Carol proclaims that her motivation for her crimes was to preserve art history.

Her rant is the typical brand of delusional mayhem that Lifetime fans have come to love, but at the same time, this revelation gives Carol shades of morality; she mentions how she had stopped Coleman from killing Madison out of a desire to protect her and (with surprising genuineness) reveals that she believed Madison would understand why she'd done what she had. Despite her evil deeds, Carol clearly had grown to care for Madison in some capacity and displays this, even as she prepares to kill her to protect her secret. All of this combined leads up to a very enjoyable climax.

SPOILERS OVER

Despite its stumbles, Ring of Deceit stands up well as a thriller/mystery for Lifetime. Mader and Bancroft make for compelling and likable protagonists and the story will draw viewers in until the climatic revelation unfolds. If you're one for a good murder mystery (which most people tuning in to Lifetime are), I give Ring of Deceit a recommendation.

Score: 7.5 out of 10 silencers.