''Mayerthorpe'', also known as ''Menace'' or ''To Serve and Protect: Tragedy at Mayerthorpe'', is a Canadian dramatic television film which was directed by Ken Girotti and broadcast by CTV in 2008. The film is a dramatization of the Mayerthorpe tragedy of 2005, in which four

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

officers were shot and killed while executing a search warrant against an illegal

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

growing operation on the Mayerthorpe,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, farm of James Roszko.Ryan Cormier, "Mayerthorpe massacre comes to small screen". ''

Saskatoon Star-Phoenix ''The StarPhoenix'' is a daily newspaper that serves Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and is a part of Postmedia Network. The ''StarPhoenix'' puts out six editions each week and publishes one weekly, ''Bridges''. It is also part of the canada.com ...

'', February 9, 2008. The film stars Brian Markinson as Roszko, and Henry Czerny as Cpl. Alex Stanton, a fictional character who was inserted into the story to provide a narrative centre. Its dramatic focus laid the blame squarely on Canada's justice system for inadequacies in dealing with repeat criminal offenders due to Roszko's prior criminal record.Andrew Chung, "Taking aim at the courts; Tonight's CTV film about Mayerthorpe gives Mounties a pass". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', February 10, 2008. The cast also included Ben Cotton, Ty Olsson,

Adam MacDonald Adam MacDonald (born May 16, 1977) is a Canadian actor, writer, and director. He is known for portraying Josh MacIntosh on the CBC show ''Being Erica'', Peter McGregor on '' Wild Roses'', and Detective Steve Peck on ''Rookie Blue'', and for hi ...

and

Gord Rand Gord Rand is a Canadian actor and playwright. He is most noted for his recurring role as Det. Marty Duko in the television series ''Orphan Black'', for which he was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Performance in a Guest Role in a Dramatic ...

as the murdered officers Leo Johnston, Brock Myrol, Peter Schiemann and Anthony Gordon,

Diane Ladd Diane Ladd is an American actress. She has appeared in over 120 film and television roles. For the 1974 film '' Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore'', she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy A ...

as Roszko's mother, and

Waneta Storms Waneta Storms is a Canadian dramatic actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Isobel Lambert in the CTV series '' The Eleventh Hour'' (2003–2005). Storms has also appeared in the Showcase series '' Naked Josh'', Peter Benchley's ''Amazo ...

Landon Liboiron Landon Liboiron (born March 10, 1991) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for playing Declan Coyne in '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' and his lead role as Peter Rumancek in Netflix's original series ''Hemlock Grove'' (2013–15). Early life ...

Shaun Johnston Shaun Johnston is a Canadian movie and theatre actor best known for his role as Jack Bartlett on the CBC drama ''Heartland'', which debuted in October 2007. He co-founded the Shadow Theatre in Edmonton and made his first professional forays i ...

Peter MacNeill Peter MacNeill is a Canadian film and television actor and voice-over artist who has starred in numerous television series and films. His film credits have included '' The Hanging Garden'' (for which MacNeill won a Genie Award for Best Support ...

and

Dan Petronijevic Daniel Petronijevic (born March 28, 1981 in Scarborough, Ontario), known professionally as Dan Petronijevic, is a Canadian actor who has appeared in various feature films, including the '' American Pie'' franchise, and in TV shows such as '' 19- ...

in supporting roles. It was shot in Alberta, in and around the towns of

Cochrane Cochrane may refer to: Places Australia *Cochrane railway station, Sydney, a railway station on the closed Ropes Creek railway line Canada * Cochrane, Alberta * Cochrane Lake, Alberta * Cochrane District, Ontario ** Cochrane, Ontario, a town wit ...

and Irricana. The families of the slain officers were given a private advance screening of the film.Alexandra Burroughs, "Emotions drove Mayerthorpe; Filmmakers, families shared tears". ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The ...

'', February 9, 2008. The film was broadcast by CTV on February 10, 2008.

Awards

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0978766 2008 films 2008 television films Canadian drama television films Canadian crime drama films English-language Canadian films Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Television Film or Miniseries winners Canadian films based on actual events Films shot in Alberta Films set in Alberta 2000s Canadian films CTV Television Network original films