''True Crime'' is a 1996 American psychological thriller film directed and written by Pat Verducci and starring

Alicia Silverstone Alicia Silverstone ( ; born October 4, 1976) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller ''The Crush (1993 film), The Crush'' (1993), earning the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and gained further prom ...

and

Kevin Dillon Kevin Brady Dillon (born August 19, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Johnny "Drama" Chase on the HBO comedy series ''Entourage'', Bunny in the war film ''Platoon'', and John Densmore in the musical biopic ''The Doors ...

Plot

Mary Giordano is a beautiful and intelligent Catholic-school senior in Burlingame, California. She is addicted to mystery novels (graphic and otherwise), film noir and detective magazines (hence the movie's title). All of this has inspired her to become a police officer, like her father who was slain in the line of duty years ago. Mary's ambition to this end amuses her siblings John and Vicky, as well as their widowed mother Celia. Mary gets wind of a case involving the serial killer of several teenage girls, including a handful of her classmates. She launches her own investigation, which gets her in trouble with her late dad's partner, Detective Jerry Guinn. Guinn wants Mary as far away from the field as possible...ostensibly because she just doesn't have what it takes to be a cop, but also out of concern for her well-being. Undaunted, Mary enlists the aid of police cadet Tony Campbell to sniff out the murderer; gradually, the two fall in love. Ultimately, the name "Tony Campbell" is revealed to be an alias; his real name is Daniel Henry Moffat, and he proves to be the killer both Mary and Guinn are looking for. Moffat outwits and kills Guinn, only to be outwitted by Mary and left hanging for his life. Despite Moffat’s pleads for help, a tearful Mary chooses not to save him, allowing Moffat to fall to his death. Just weeks after graduation from the 12th grade, she is seen in a police uniform - having succeeded in her aspiration of following in her father’s footsteps and joining the police department.

Cast

as Mary Giordano *

as Cadet Tony Campbell / Daniel Henry Moffat *

Bill Nunn William Goldwyn Nunn III (October 20, 1953 – September 24, 2016) was an American actor known for his roles as Radio Raheem in Spike Lee's film ''Do the Right Thing'', Robbie Robertson in the Sam Raimi ''Spider-Man'' film trilogy and as Terre ...

as Detective Jerry Guinn * Michael Bowen as Earl Parkins *

Marla Sokoloff Marla Lynne Sokoloff (born December 19, 1980) is an American actress. She is known for playing Lucy Hatcher on the legal drama television series ''The Practice'', and Gia Mahan on ''Full House'' and '' Fuller House''. She has also appeared in fi ...

as Vicki Giordano * Ann Devaney as Sherry Tarnley * Joshua Shaefer as John Giordano *

Jennifer Savidge Jennifer Savidge is an American actress, best known for her role as Nurse Lucy Papandrao in the NBC medical drama series, '' St. Elsewhere''. She is married to actor Robert Fuller. Career Savidge has appeared in a number of television shows. Fr ...

as Celia Giordano *

Tara Subkoff Tara Lyn Subkoff (born December 10, 1972) is an American actress, conceptual artist, director, and fashion designer. Subkoff made her film debut in the thriller '' When the Bough Breaks'' (1994) opposite Martin Sheen, and has had supporting roles ...

as Liz McConnell * David Packer as Sergeant Collins * Alissa Dowdy as Kathleen Donlevy *

Aimee Brooks Aimee Brooks (born November 19, 1974) is an American former actress. She is mostly known for her roles in horror movies, including the lead protagonist in ''Critters 3''. Her most recent film is '' Closed for the Season'' in 2010. Aimee Brooks a ...

as Margie Donlevy

Production

The film was produced on location at John Marshall High School in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Though not released until 1996, the film was actually shot a few years earlier when Alicia was under the age of 18. Other titles for the film are ''Dangerous Kiss'' and ''True Detective.'' It was released directly to video instead of in theaters.

References

External links

* * * 1996 films 1996 direct-to-video films 1996 thriller films 1990s psychological thriller films American police detective films American psychological thriller films Trimark Pictures films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{psychological-thriller-film-stub