Mary Higgins Clark's 'You Belong to Me'

Dr Susan (Lesley Anne Down) is a practicing psychologist who also hosts a radio program. Naturally, the talk show tries to help listeners with personal problems. One day, Dr Susie hosts an author who has written a book on women who disappear. Also a doctor, this man talks of lonely women who are vulnerable to preying gentlemen. As a part of the show, a lady calls in and relates a story from a cruise she took. Separated from her husband at the time, "Karen" says a handsome man romanced her at various departure stops along the cruise and gave her a ring inscribed with the words YOU BELONG TO ME. In secret, she was supposed to leave the cruise and meet him in Algiers. However, her husband called and begged her to return. So Karen never went to Algiers. BUT, Dr Susan is also counseling a mother whose daughter disappeared from a cruise and who received the same ring, found with her luggage. Wow! Could Karen meet the Dr and bring the ring? She tries, but is pushed into traffic, envelope snatched from her hands, and is in a coma. More witnesses bring more death. Dr Susan works hard with Detective Tom to find the killer. Among the suspects are the author, the grieving mother's lawyer and the husband of Karen. Meanwhile, a rich philanthropist takes an interest in beautiful Susan. Will they find the evil man? This strong film version of Clark's great novel has great suspense, fine performances and lovely scenery. Best of all is Down who is enchanting as the leading lady. You belong in front of the screen so arrange to view this fine mystery flick fans!

Strange movie indeed. A radio show that turns deadly because it brings up a case of international serial killing that had escaped the attention of the police, of many polices. It is this sloppiness that is surprising. The film is based on this sloppiness as a normal syndrome with police forces. They jump to the easiest explanation, always, as if the profiling technique did not exist or was too hard to use for simple-minded crime collectors, or is it human trash collectors? But this film, the third of a series, seems to carry a pattern: the criminal is some kind of rather inactive and idle person, rich by heritage and thus able to do nothing, except to run after his neurotic paranoia about rich women who are not interested in him, though he is rich. But here Clark uses again the psychologist that is writing a book, this time on a particular type of women who disappear in cruises. But this time, and this is a change with the case in the second film of the series (Loves music, Loves to dance), he is not the criminal. But we seem to be turning around the same evil in society, as if idleness bred and nurtured crime. Decent entertainment but too simple to be fascinating or outstanding. Unluckily, because serial killers are a lot more complex than that. In fact they are not simply psychotic or neurotic, at least not in that paranoid plain way. They need a very complex and rich mental and virtual construction that turns their criminal acts into acts of justice. Is a song enough for that kind of crime? I don't believe it. It has to be deeper and more sophisticated because serial killers are super brains, or they would not even succeed in their first attempt at killing someone. And they are repetitively successful. So. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine & University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne

I don't know the story behind PAX picking up the distribution TV rights (or at least now showing) to/a bunch of Mary Higgins Clark TV movies. You Belong to Me is one of the better ones. There is one scene about 10 minutes in that sets up the main characters (2 sisters, and a possible rich lover the two will me interested in). The one problem I have with the scene and the film is that just previous we see a foldout and hear talk of a cruise. The scene also appears to be on a cruise and unless you listen very carefully, the setting kind of throws you off track (i.e. was that a flash back I just saw?) Suffice it to say, the story is told strait forward and dispite thinking you know the killer all along, a neat red herring is thrown in. The ending isn't a complete surprise (since there are really only say 7 possible murderers (i.e. only 7 men in the picture with any screen time and you can basically not count the 2 store owners)), but the story balances the line between giving you enough clues to follow the story and not enough clues to totally figure it out. If you are a fan of Mary Higgins clark, you may be disappointed that the movie has a TV look and you may wish for a big screen treatment of some of her work, but in terms of mystery you won't be disappointed. Rating: 7