''A Family Torn Apart'', also known as ''Sudden Fury'', is a 1993 American
crime drama
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
television film
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
directed by
Craig R. Baxley
Craig Redding Baxley (born October 20, 1949) is an American director, stunt coordinator, stunt performer and occasional actor. He is best known for his work in the action and thriller genres.
Beginning his career as a stunt performer, he was ...
, written by Matthew Bombeck, and starring
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...
and
Johnny Galecki
John Mark Galecki (born April 30, 1975) is an American actor. He played Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019) for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, and David Healy in the ABC sitcoms '' Ro ...
. The film is based on the 1989 non-fiction book ''Sudden Fury: A True Story of Adoption and Murder'' by
Leslie Walker. It aired on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
on November 21, 1993.
Plot
The film begins with an unknown person hiding an axe covered with blood in the woods. It then focuses on Brian Hannigan, a teenager who contacts the police after the death of his adoptive parents, a double homicide. The investigators immediately see Brian as a suspect, because he was in the house when the murders occurred, is thought to have been too calm considering the circumstances, while also claiming to have heard nothing during the night his parents were murdered. Chris Hannigan, Brian's 7-year-old adoptive brother, tells the police that he saw his other adoptive brother, 17-year-old Daniel, an aggressive patient at a mental hospital, walking away from the house only seconds after the tragedy. Although Daniel denies having been at the house around the time of the murder, he becomes the prime suspect.
Tom Kelley is an attorney who believes in the sons' innocence and starts to collect information himself. Brian tells him that he was adopted at age six, shortly before Daniel was adopted as well. He reveals that although they seemed to be the perfect family, their parents were abusive towards Daniel because he was always getting into trouble. When blood is found on Brian's shoes, the court orders him to be separated from his brothers. He is taken into the Kelley home, much to the fear of Tom's wife Liz. Brian admits that he was always too afraid to speak his mind and describes a conversation between his adoptive mother Maureen and her best friend Barbara, in which Maureen expressed her anger when things do not go the way she wants them to, referring to Daniel's behavior.
Brian describes that Daniel came to him later that day, expressing the hatred he feels towards his parents. He was kicked out of the house shortly after and sent back to foster care. Three months later, Daniel was caught while breaking into a house and ended up in a reform school. Although Maureen became very overprotective of him and her recently adopted son Chris, Brian found a way to secretly contact Daniel. Back in present life, Chris tells the police that the guy walking away from the home after the murder wasn't Daniel, but Brian. Criminal attorney, Ken Pierson, also discovered that according to the phone records from the last three months, a dozen calls were made to Daniel including the night of the murders. Investigators start to think that Brian and Daniel were both responsible for their parents' death. Kelley then meets Barbara, who took Brian to church, and tells him that Brian's birth mother abandoned Brian for days until the state took custody of him putting him into a foster care system like Daniel. Barbara then said that Daniel had five different families and Brian had six. When Kelley tells Brian that the police are going to ask him a lot of questions, he finally reveals what really happened that night.
On the evening before the murder, Brian arrived home late after going out with Lisa Kensington, a girl who is known at school for being promiscuous. His parents found out and reacted furiously, blaming him for becoming just like Daniel. Brian then calls up Daniel who tells Brian to leave the house, but Brian refuses fearing that Maureen and Joe will do the same thing to Chris. Later that night he overheard his parents agreeing about sending him away too. Upset and enraged, he stabbed both his parents in the basement with a butcher knife. Maureen was almost able to get away, but he followed her in the backyard and killed her with an axe without noticing that Chris was watching him from his window. After his confession, Brian stated he never told Daniel about this and that he never told anyone what was happening in the house because whenever he spoke up when he was little, he would get moved. Brian is then arrested and Kelley returns home disappointed. In the epilogue, it is stated that Brian served eight years in the
Patuxent Institution
The Patuxent Institution is located in Jessup, Maryland one mile east of U.S. Route 1 on Maryland Route 175. It is a treatment-oriented maximum-security correctional facility. With a maximum static capacity of 987 beds, it offers the most diver ...
in Maryland and that Daniel remained having trouble with the law several times and is sent to prison and that Chris got adopted by a loving family.
Cast
*
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...
as Brian Hannigan
*
Johnny Galecki
John Mark Galecki (born April 30, 1975) is an American actor. He played Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom ''The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019) for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, and David Healy in the ABC sitcoms '' Ro ...
as Daniel Hannigan
*
Linda Kelsey
Linda Jean Kelsey is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Billie Newman on the CBS drama television series '' Lou Grant'' (1977–1982), which earned her three Golden Globe Award nominations and five Primetime Emmy Award nom ...
as Maureen Hannigan
*
John M. Jackson
John Murice Jackson (born June 1, 1950) is an American actor, best known for playing Rear Admiral A. J. Chegwidden on the CBS series '' JAG'' and also as a special guest star on its spinoff '' NCIS'' and recurring cast to its spinoff '' NCIS: ...
as Joe Hannigan
*
Lisa Banes
Lisa Lou Banes (July 9, 1955 – June 14, 2021) was an American actress known for more than 80 film and television roles, as well as stage appearances on Broadway and elsewhere.
Banes won a 1981 Theatre World Award for her performance as Alison ...
as Barbara Forester
*James Handy as Det. Stockman
*
Tim Kelleher as Det. Cahill
*Timothy Bass as Ken Pierson
*
Eric Lloyd
Eric Lloyd (born David Eric Lloyd Morelli; May 19, 1986) is an American actor, musician, and producer. Lloyd is best known for work as a child actor in such roles as Charlie Calvin in The Walt Disney Company, Disney's The Santa Clause (franchise ...
as Chris Hannigan
*
Gregory Harrison
Gregory Neale Harrison (born May 31, 1950) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Chandler in the 1987 film ''North Shore (1987 film), North Shore'', as Dr. George Alonzo "Gonzo" Gates, the young surgeon assistant of Dr. Trapper John ...
as Tom Kelley
*Larry Black as D.A. Norman Crowley
*
Rhoda Griffis
Rhoda Griffis (born January 9, 1965) is an American actress who has played supporting roles both in independent and mainstream films and television.
Life and career
Griffis appeared onstage in ''Angels in America'', '' Proof'', '' Collected Sto ...
as Liz Kelley
*Kathy Larson as Lisa Kensington
Production
Filming took place in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
.
Reception
''Variety'' said, "Harris and Galecki also turn in strong, effective performances as the extremely troubled teens, with Harris, who starred as child doctor extraordinaire on "Doogie Howser, M.D.," getting the chance to look downright diabolical."
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Family Torn Apart, A
1993 television films
1993 films
1993 crime drama films
1990s American films
1990s English-language films
American crime drama films
American drama television films
American films based on actual events
Crime films based on actual events
Crime television films
Drama films based on actual events
Films about adoption
Films about dysfunctional families
Films about murderers
Films based on non-fiction books
Films directed by Craig R. Baxley
Films scored by Gary Chang
Films set in Maryland
Films shot in Atlanta
NBC network original films
Sonar Entertainment films
Television films based on actual events
Television films based on books