Lifetime Review: 'No Good Deed Goes Unpunished'

Since losing her husband to cancer, Karen (Michelle Borth) has struggled with the pressure that comes with being a single working mother, trying to balance keeping the bills paid and raising her young son Max (Noah James Turcotte) as best she can. But one night, a trip to the drug store takes a turn for the worst when Karen finds herself caught in an attempted robbery. During the fray, Karen comes to the aid of a man being threatened by the gunman, saving him when the man fires a shot at him.

Afterwards, Karen hopes to put the event behind her, but she soon finds herself face to face with the man she saved: Jeremy Felling (Mark Rendall), who wants to do whatever he can to repay Karen for her heroism. As Karen begrudgingly allows Jeremy into her life, however, he begins to prove that there are no lengths he won't go to in order to help improve Karen's life. What consequences will this act of a good Samaritan bring?

As my reviews of some of Incendo's other Lifetime contributions (such as All My Husband's Wives and Abducted on Air) have shown, their recent movies have become distinguishable due to their slow-boil-paced plots, which have proved to be mixed in terms of effectiveness. A slow boiled plot has the challenge of walking a tightrope when it comes to pace, having to make sure the deliberate pace doesn't send the audience into a slumber. In the case of No Good Deed Goes Unpunished (previously given the shortened title No Good Deed by Incendo), the film mostly does well to avoid falling into monotony, though anyone expecting another histrionic addition to Lifetime's stalker movie collection will find themselves unsatisfied.

Unlike most of Lifetime's stalker thrillers, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished is a film that largely allows you to sympathize with the protagonist and antagonist equally. Played by Michelle Borth, Karen is a heroine who is impossible not to sympathize with. As the film displays in subdued detail, Karen's life was already a wreck well before she got involved in that robbery and attracted Jeremy's obsessive attention: being undervalued and underpaid at work, distanced from her son, and struggling to keep up with bills thanks to her work issues and an unruly tenant. Borth brings palpable emotion to Karen's strife, while the script also allows her to remain strong against the obstacles working against her and vigilant when it comes to the creepy vibes being given off by Jeremy.

Speaking of, Mark Rendall proves to be the shining star of No Good Deed Goes Unpunished, with his portrayal of Jeremy bringing to mind Penn Badgeley's performance as Joe Goldberg in You--albeit, with Jeremy as a far more likable version of an emotionally complex stalker. Rendall brings an emotional and earnest quality to Jeremy's obsession with Karen and Max, allowing you to believe in his intention of helping them, even as his methods become increasingly deranged. As we get a glimpse of the lonely life Jeremy was leading before his chance encounter with Karen, it's hard not to understand why he would become so attached to her after she saved his life, and why he would become so fixated on returning the favor. As the story goes on, Rendall brings a poignancy to Jeremy's desperation to keep Karen in his life, crafting him into a rare Lifetime movie stalker you feel more pity for than disgust.

New-to-the-scene Noah James Turcotte proves to be a solid child actor for me, bringing a likable charm to Max and sharing strong chemistry with Rendall as Max and Jeremy become friends. Jason Deline and Oliver Price are effectively scummy and irritating as arrogant co-worker Lance and entitled tenant Calvin, and Cristina Rosato is effectively charming as Karen's sister-in-law Sophie during her character's better moments, particularly Sophie's more emotionally charged moments with Karen. Unfortunately, Rosato suffers from Sophie's various bouts of unsympathetic moments, particularly her unnecessarily snippy attitude with Jeremy when he's (for all she knows) nothing more than a socially awkward man trying to be a helping hand for the woman who risked her life to save his.

The only major criticism I have for No Good Deed Goes Unpunished has to do with its ultimate conclusion. While the final scene of the movie does have a nice bit of subtle humor that Lifetime fans are sure to appreciate, it comes at the cost of allowing the film's compelling storyline to end on a fulfilling note. But apart from that and a few spots where the pace may have a viewer's attention wandering, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished is an engaging drama with a compelling antagonist, strong performances, and a plot that more times than not will keep you watching to see just how twisted Jeremy's "gratitude" will get.

Score: 8 out of 10 colorful sneakers.