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''The Pretender 2001'' (also called ''Pretender 2001'') is an 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 for ...
action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
film and the first of '' The Pretender'' franchise of movies to air after the series was cancelled by
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 ...
. It was originally released on American cable channel
TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...
on January 22, 2001, written by Steven Long Mitchell and Craig W. Van Sickle, directed by
Frederick King Keller Frederick King Keller (born 1954 in Buffalo, New York) is an American director, producer, and screenwriter for film and television. He is also credited under the names Frederick K. Keller, Fred K. Keller and Fred Keller. He is the son of actor/ ...
and starring
Michael T. Weiss Michael Terry Weiss (born February 2, 1962) is an American actor known for his role as Jarod in the television series '' The Pretender''. Early life Michael Terry Weiss was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 2, 1962. His father was a steel i ...
.


Plot

The story reunites the entire cast from the series, effectively picking up where the season four
cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...
ended. Jarod (Michael T. Weiss), Ethan, and Miss Parker (Andrea Parker) are alive after the bomb explosion on the train. Jarod is now posing as an agent of the
National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...
; he is part of a task force assembled to find the "Chameleon", a killer who displays all the adaptive traits of a Pretender. The Centre is forced to put its hunt for Jarod on hold after its administrator, Mr. Parker (Harve Presnell) is abducted. Miss Parker discovers that William Raines (Richard Marcus) is still alive, despite allegedly being shot dead by her father. Her brother, Mr. Lyle (James Denton), attempts to finish Raines off, but Miss Parker manages to spirit him away and hide him in her house. In return, Raines agrees to shed light on who might have kidnapped her father. Jarod begins receiving taunting clues from the Chameleon, which leads him to believe that the killer holds a grudge against him personally. This revelation takes Jarod back to the days leading up to his escape from the Centre; he did not originally plan to leave alone. Jarod hatched a plan with two fellow Pretenders, including a man named Alex (Peter Outerbridge), to escape from the facility together. Unfortunately, Alex was captured during their escape. He was swiftly sent out of the country and endured hideous torture by his captors; Alex now wants revenge on Jarod as a result. Observing that Jarod's search for his biological family has allowed the Centre to continue to dominate him, Alex took the opposite path by finding his own family and then murdering them. From his perspective, this has 'freed' him from the Centre's control; however, he is still not satisfied and
kidnap In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...
s Mr. Parker with the intent of killing him too. After incriminating evidence that points to Jarod is left behind by Alex, Jarod's partners at the NSA suspect him of being the "Chameleon." The Centre's programmer, Broots (Jon Gries), is on Jarod's trail when he is swept up in the NSA investigation and thrown into an
interrogation Interrogation (also called questioning) is interviewing as commonly employed by law enforcement officers, military personnel, intelligence agencies, organized crime syndicates, and terrorist organizations with the goal of eliciting useful informa ...
room. Jarod immediately recognizes Broots, but decides to cover up for him rather than risk exposing them both. As Jarod is escorting Broots out of the NSA building, Jarod's partners move in to arrest them both. Jarod flees in a vehicle with Broots in tow, then later ditches him by the side of the road. At the climax, Jarod thwarts Alex's next
assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...
and helps free Mr. Parker. Before he commits
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
, Alex gloats that the truth of Jarod's true identity will die with him. Mr. Parker is injured during the struggle and rendered
catatonic Catatonia is a complex neuropsychiatric behavioral syndrome that is characterized by abnormal movements, immobility, abnormal behaviors, and withdrawal. The onset of catatonia can be acute or subtle and symptoms can wax, wane, or change during ...
. As Jarod and Miss Parker exchange words over the phone, both of them receive an anonymous email simultaneously; the message contains an image of two women, the mothers of Miss Parker and Jarod, standing together. The email is revealed to have been sent by Mr. Raines himself, apparently as a show of thanks for rescuing him.


Cast

*
Michael T. Weiss Michael Terry Weiss (born February 2, 1962) is an American actor known for his role as Jarod in the television series '' The Pretender''. Early life Michael Terry Weiss was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 2, 1962. His father was a steel i ...
as Jarod *
Andrea Parker Andrea N. Parker is an American film and television actress. She is known for her roles on '' ER'', '' The Pretender'', ''Less than Perfect'', ''Desperate Housewives'', and ''Pretty Little Liars''. Career Her first documented film role was at ...
as Miss Parker/Catherine Parker *
Patrick Bauchau Patrick Nicolas Jean Sixte Ghislain Bauchau (born 6 December 1938) is a Belgian actor best known for his roles in the films ''A View to a Kill'', '' The Rapture'' and ''Panic Room'', as well as the TV shows '' The Pretender'' and '' House''. ...
as Sydney *
Jon Gries Jonathan Gries ( '; born June 17, 1957) is an American actor, writer, and director. He is best known for the role of Uncle Rico in '' Napoleon Dynamite '' for which he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male, an ...
as Broots *
Harve Presnell George Harvey Presnell (September 14, 1933 – June 30, 2009) was an American actor and singer. He began his career in the mid-1950s as a classical baritone, singing with orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States. His career re ...
as Mr. Parker *
Richard Marcus Richard Marcus (born September 19, 1945) is an American actor who is best known for his roles in '' St. Elsewhere'', '' Tremors'', and '' The Pretender''. Actor Richard Marcus' first role was on the television show '' The White Shadow'', guest ...
as William Raines *
James Denton James Thomas Denton Jr. (born January 20, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Mike Delfino on ABC's comedy-drama series ''Desperate Housewives'' (2004–2012) and Dr. Sam Radford on Hallmark Channel's comedy ...
as Mr. Lyle (as Jamie Denton) * Tyler Christopher as Ethan *
Peter Outerbridge Peter Outerbridge (born June 30, 1966) is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as Ari Tasarov in the CW action series ''Nikita'', Dr. David Sandström in the TMN series ''ReGenesis'', Henrik "Hank" Johanssen in ''Orphan Black'', Bob Corbett ...
as Alex * Cynthia Dale as Agent Andrea Zane *Derwin Jordan as
NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...
Agent *
Yannick Bisson Yannick Denis Bisson (born May 16, 1969) is a Canadian film and television actor and director best known to international audiences for playing Detective William Murdoch on the series ''Murdoch Mysteries''. Early life Bisson was born in Montrea ...
as NSA Agent Edward Ballinger *
Paul Dillon Paul Dillon is an American character actor who began his career in show business in Chicago. His film career began in 1994 with the film '' Blink'' in which he played the role of Neal Booker. He played Paddy O'Brien in '' Austin Powers: Interna ...
as Angelo


Reception

The movie earned a 4.4
Nielsen rating Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
, and 5.538 million viewers making it one of the top ten primetime shows on cable for January 2001.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pretender 2001 2001 television films 2001 films TNT Network original films Television series reunion films