Lifetime Review: 'Sins and Seduction'

Compassionate and caring towards all in her congregation, Leslie Reynolds (Nicky Whelan) thrives to make everyone who comes to her church feel welcome—though her ambitions leave her wary to accept the proposal of her boyfriend, pastor John Allen (Rib Hillis). When newlywed couple Gareth and Emma Wilkinson (Brandon Quinn and Blair Bomar) begin attending Leslie's sermons, Leslie welcomes them with open arms and is charmed by Gareth's religious devotion and endless compliments.

But after going to their house to share dinner with the Wilkinsons, Leslie begins to worry the couple's marriage isn't as idyllic as it once appeared. Her fears are seemingly confirmed when Gareth comes to her in need of counsel, revealing that Emma is verbally and physically abusive to him (#MenToo). Leslie advises Gareth to leave Emma if she refuses to get help, and it later appears that all is resolved. But as Leslie and Gareth's friendship progresses, Leslie begins to see that Gareth's intents with her go beyond a pastor-parishioner relationship. Will Leslie realize the dark truth about Gareth before it's too late to save herself?

Religion is a subject rarely touched on by Lifetime's films, but Sins and Seduction (alternately titled Do Not Be Deceived) manages to tackle the unfamiliar topic fairly well. While the film (not surprisingly) avoids going deeply into religion, Sins and Seduction manages to utilize their film's religiously themed premise into the plot in a meaningful way. This religious theme also leads to a surprising moral conflict within the film's protagonist, even if it is one that is unfortunately not utilized as well as it could've been.

The cast is strong as well, with Nicky Whelan and Brandon Quinn being particularly strong together as their friendship goes from caring to complicated to toxic. While some may become frustrated with Leslie's continued attempts to help Gareth, even as his true colors come to light, Whelan makes it clear that Leslie is motivated by her desire to see the good in Gareth, especially with her belief that he's in an abusive marriage. There's also the later revelation that Leslie had experienced temptation regarding Gareth, revealing Leslie to be a woman blinded by affection as well as compassion. While her actions during the film's final act go into standard "naive protagonist" territory, Leslie remains a sympathetic and likable protagonist.

Brandon Quinn, meanwhile, plays the charming but deranged Gareth with strong zest. As the film progresses, Gareth drops slight hints to his true nature, while Quinn gives Gareth enough charm and false likability to make it believable that no one notices that side of him until it's too late. When the climax comes around and Gareth's mask finally falls, Quinn goes all out in portraying Gareth's dark and psychotic side, making him a fearsome villain that you can't help but love and hate at the same time.

Rib Hillis (who previously played a love interest in a far less intense movie) is similarly charming as Leslie's understanding and loving boyfriend, serving as a parallel to the psychotically entitled Gareth and sharing in Quinn's strong chemistry with Whelan. Blair Bomar also makes a small impact as Emma, playing her with an ambiguity that'll make you wonder if Gareth's claims against her are truthful. Lifetime regular Susan Walters is strong and likable as Leslie's friend Nancy and Dot-Marie Jones makes the most of her small role as church janitor Louise, giving her a stronger personality than most Lifetime side characters.

With a strong plot and cast, along with a suspenseful climax, Sins and Seduction delivers on all cylinders. While it's disappointing that the aforementioned moral conflict experienced by Whelan's character was not explored more deeply, it does little to diminish what is otherwise a thrilling, character driven drama.

Score: 9.5 out of 10 soup ladles.