''Heart of the Storm'' is a 2004 American

made-for-television 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 fo ...

action thriller Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include lif ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Charles Wilkinson Charles Wilkinson may refer to: * Charles Wilkinson (MP) (1725–1782), English Member of Parliament *Charles Edmund Wilkinson (1807–1870), acting Governor of British Ceylon * Charles Wilkinson (cricketer) (1813–1889), English cricketer and cle ...

, starring

Melissa Gilbert Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1963) is an American actress, television director, producer, politician, and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous co ...

and

Tom Cavanagh Thomas Cavanagh (born October 26, 1963) is a Canadian actor. He is known for a variety of roles on American television, including starring roles in '' Ed'' (2000–2004), ''Love Monkey'' (2006) and '' Trust Me'' (2009), and recurring roles on ...

. The film originally aired on the Lifetime cable network on November 22, 2004.

Plot

The story focuses on a prison break that occurs during a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

. Three convicts – Juke, Tad and their leader Simpson – seek refuge in a family's small house and decide to hold them captive. The family begins to get along with the escaped prisoners until Tad and Simpson get into a fight. Simpson ends up shooting Tad, incapacitating him. When the father of the family comes home, he is also shot by Simpson. Juke tries to help the family escape Simpson's treachery, only to be wounded by a

gunshot A gunshot is a single discharge of a gun, typically a man-portable firearm, producing a visible flash, a powerful and loud shockwave and often chemical gunshot residue. The term can also refer to a ballistic wound caused by such a discharg ...

as well. The group decides to ignite hairspray with fire in an attempt to kill Simpson. Simpson survives the attack but has his face severely injured in the process, resulting in him tumbling over a staircase

balcony A balcony (from it, balcone, "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. Types The traditional Maltese balcony ...

to his death.

Cast

as Cassie Broadbeck *

as Simpson *

Brian Wimmer Brian Wimmer (born October 1, 1959) is an American actor. He is probably best known for his role as Cpl. Boonie Lanier in the TV series ''China Beach'', which ran from 1988 until 1991. He also regularly appeared on ''Flipper'' (1995-1996) and ha ...

as Wayne Broadbeck *Ritchie Montgomery as Tad *Marcus Lyle Brown as Juke * Azure Parsons as Hayley Broadbeck (credited as Azure Dawn) *CiCi Hedgpeth as Nicole

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0427342, title=Heart of the Storm 2004 television films 2004 films 2004 action thriller films American action thriller films Lifetime (TV network) films American drama television films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films