Lifetime Review: 'Sleeping with Danger'

When flight attendant Grace Tanner (Elisabeth Röhm) found herself having a midlife crisis, she never imagined romance would be the cure. But upon meeting nutritionist Paul Carter (Antonio Cupo) and joining his health program, Grace feels an unexpected spark for the handsome and charismatic doctor. A passionate love affair begins between the two, and at first, things couldn't be better as far as Grace is concerned.

But soon, Grace begins to see that Paul is not the perfect man she initially thought he was. While Paul's occasional bouts of jealousy and rage scare her, Grace is convinced she can save their relationship and that the man she fell in love with is still there. But soon after Paul proposes to her, things come to a head and Grace's life becomes one gripped by fear. Will Grace be able to escape Paul's clutches--or will she lose her life to the man she once loved?

Domestic abuse is a topic that Lifetime has been covering in their movies since the beginning. Even if the films don't specifically call their central relationship abusive, the countless Lifetime flicks about women finding out their boyfriends/husbands are closeted psychopaths could arguably fit into the "Domestic Abuse Thriller" category. Sleeping with Danger (based off the late Ann Rule's 2008 novel Mortal Danger and Other True Cases) is a more straightforward tale of an abusive relationship, and thanks to a strong script and cast, becomes an enthralling tale that speaks to a real-world concern.

The script not only keeps the action of the film from hitting a dry spell, but it allows for Sleeping with Danger to be a nuanced look into an abusive relationship. In the hands of writers Richard Blaney and Gregory Small (working off Rule's original text), Paul Carter isn't just a charming man who abruptly becomes violently unstable at the first provocation. Instead, we see smaller warning signs appear in Paul's behavior with Grace, which build up to Paul's final descent off the deep end. Until then, we get to see Paul and Grace's relationship develop from a chance encounter to something more. Along with the pace allowing this development to feel realistic and consistent, Elisabeth Röhm and Antonio Cupo's chemistry keeps you invested in Grace and Paul's romance--and makes you cringe when it starts to show signs of what it's slated to become. Even as Paul begins to show the textbook signs of domestic abuse, his established relationship with Grace and Cupo's performance leave you wondering: is Paul truly beyond redemption, or is there still a sliver of humanity and love for Grace inside him? That ambiguity is what brings depth to Sleeping with Danger, and what keeps it from becoming a cliched look at a serious issue.

(The film also wisely doesn't show Paul's abuse towards Grace as being solely physical. In fact, a good 70% of the abuse we see Grace receive from Paul is psychological. It's a nice touch that prevents Sleeping with Danger from depicting its subject matter in a narrow light)

In addition to Cupo's stellar portrayal of Paul, Röhm is a similar force of nature as Grace Tanner. As we see her relationship with Paul go from idyllic to rocky to terrifying, Röhm poignantly sells Grace's gradual collapse under the strain of Paul's abuse. Along with bringing her all to Grace's more emotional moments, Röhm brings subtle power to her character's quieter (but nevertheless powerful) scenes. Such scenes include Grace's visible apprehension at Paul's proposal and moments where Grace's shame-driven unwillingness to admit to being abused is given focus. Röhm giving Grace such poignant vulnerability only serves to make you root for her more as she fights to escape Paul (showing some nice bits of cleverness in the process) and bring him to justice.

The supporting cast for Sleeping with Danger is similarly strong, with some even helping bring more emotional edge to an already impactful film. Alison Araya shares great chemistry with Röhm as Grace's best friend Sheri, bringing heartbreaking weight to their friendship as it becomes jeopardized by Paul. Veena Sood maintains a strong presence as the determined Detective Brooks despite her late appearance in the movie, as does Leslie Hendrix as domestic abuse shelter leader Heather Bridges.

Fellow late-arriving players Marlie Collins and Hiro Kanagawa also bring their A-game to the proceedings. Both also work with Cupo to end Sleeping with Danger on a brutal finale that deviates heavily from the Lifetime formula and from what the film appeared to be building up to. Receiving the short straw is Christie Burke as Paul's daughter Natasha, who despite giving a solid performance, is stuck playing a goldmine of a character who isn't used nearly as effectively as she could've been. Natasha's character could've allowed for another facet of Paul's personality to unfold, but unfortunately, no such development happens and Natasha fades into the background for most of the film.

But apart from that minor misstep, Sleeping with Danger makes for an excellent start to Lifetime's planned set of five new Ann Rule-inspired films. The strong cast is complemented by a remarkable script that brings appropriate realism to the issue of relationship abuse, along with bringing to life an attention-grabbing thriller with a heart-stopping finale. After the recent disaster that was The Wrong Stepfather, Sleeping with Danger was definitely what the doctor ordered.

Score: 9.5 out of 10 health shakes.