It Was Him or Us

Last night, I watched an old television movie called It Was Him or Us on YouTube.  Yes, I watched a whole movie on YouTube.  I'm unemployed and paying more than $500/month for medical insurance, and YouTube is free.  Having to watch a movie in three pieces is a small price to pay.

Richard Grieco was not at his most attractive in this movie.

 

 

Okay, this may be a little unfair.  It wasn't his best moment in the film, happening as it did moments before (spoiler upcoming only if you've never seen a movie before--otherwise, you see this coming as soon as you read the one-paragraph description) Ann Jillian shot him multiple times to save her family.

 

It wasn't a great movie, to be sure, but honestly it put a mark in the slightly-plus column in my Quest to Figure Out Whether Richard Grieco Can Act.  I have quite a bit of experience (professional) with abusive men, and he was convincing in his charming moments and when he snapped with little warning and when he totally lost control. 

 

I'm still reserving judgment, though, because a) I haven't seen enough of his work and b) this movie didn't call upon him to do anything but be charming and seductive and then crazy violent.  I'm pretty sure that at least two of those things come quite naturally and I don't know about the third, so I'm not sure how much acting was actually taking place.

 

Time (and more viewing) will tell.  I watched The Apostate this evening, and I'll tell you about that tomorrow. Meanwhile, if you want to watch It Was Him or Us yourself, here's the first installment: