Left for Dead (2014) (aka: Forget and Forgive) Elisabeth Röhm, Tygh Runyan, Neil Napier, Vivien Endicott Douglas, Mal Dassin, Katy Grabstas, Richard Clarkin, Claudia Besso, Raphael Grosz-Harvey Movie Review

Left for Dead (2014)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Elisabeth Röhm in Left for Dead (2014) (aka: Forget and Forgive)

Röhm's Desperate Again

Anna Walker (Elisabeth Röhm - In the Dark) comes around in hospital and is informed by the doctors that she is suffering complete amnesia which is incredibly rare. It means she doesn't recognize anyone from her husband, Tate (Neil Napier - Stealing Paradise), and daughter, Emily (Vivien Endicott Douglas), to Derek (Tygh Runyan - Hunt for the I-5 Killer), her partner on the police force. Returning home Anna discovers that they were anything but a happy family before she lost her memory and things between her and her Emily were extremely strained whilst Anna was actually on the verge of moving out. But it seems that domestic issues are not Anna's only concern as it was no accident she was in and it seems someone wants to make sure what ever she has forgotten remains forgotten, whilst internal affairs seem less than convinced that she is suffering from amnesia.

I wonder whether Elisabeth Röhm's words on receiving the script for "Left for Dead" were "not again". You see back in 2009 Röhm starred in a TV movie called "Desperate Escape" where she played an amnesia sufferer and here she plays another woman who wakes up in hospital unable to remember who she is and who the people are in her life. But "Left for Dead", which also goes by the name of "Forget and Forgive", is very different as Röhm plays a character who discovers things were not great before she was attacked and left with amnesia.

Tygh Runyan in Left for Dead (2014) (aka: Forget and Forgive)

And that is what "Left for Dead" is about for the majority of the movie, watching Anna learn how bad things in her life were before the accident; the failing marriage, the strained relationship with the daughter and that she was having an affair with her cop partner. But there is plenty more and this all builds up to Anna trying to find a young prostitute she had helped hide and a bad guy threatening to hurt Anna's daughter. Of course with Anna not remembering exactly who everyone is we don't know who is trustworthy and so don't know whether her partner is dirty or what.

On paper "Left for Dead" sounds okay because we have the whole double edged sword of amnesia as we watch Anna learn who she was but unsure of who she can trust. Unfortunately in real life that double edged sword is a bit blunt as whilst there are revelations and mystery, which eventually come together so we understand what is going on, it is never gripping enough to make you truly engrossed in the developing story.

What this all boils down to is that "Left for Dead" isn't a bad movie, in fact it has a decent idea but the execution of it fails to do it justice and so the lengthy build up till we understand what is going on becomes a bit drawn out.


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