Witness Protection (film)

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DVD cover

Witness Protection is a 1999 American television movie directed by Richard Pearce. The teleplay by Daniel Therriault is based on a New York Times Magazine article entitled The Invisible Family by Robert Sabbag. It was broadcast by HBO on December 11 and released on videotape in Portugal (Protecção de Uma Testemunha), Argentina (Protejan al testigo), and Iceland the following year.

1 Plot synopsis
2 Principal cast
3 Principal production credits
4 Critical reception
5 Nominations
6 Reference
7 External link

[edit] Plot synopsis

South Boston career criminal Bobby Batton, facing execution by the mob, is offered a deal by the FBI: immunity from prosecution for several serious crimes in exchange for testimony against his partners, after which he and his family will join the Federal Witness Protection Program. Batton accepts the offer, and he, his wife Cindy, his Harvard-bound son Sean, and young daughter Suzie spend five days with federal marshal Steven Beck, who coaches them in their new identities in preparation for their relocation to Seattle. Trying to cope without money, friends, relatives, pets, possessions, or any semblance of a past existence proves to be more difficult than any of them anticipated, and when the family slowly begins to disintegrate under the weight of recriminations and frustration, Bobby wonders if his freedom is worth the sacrifices his loved ones have been forced to make.

[edit] Principal cast

Tom Sizemore ..... Bobby Batton
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio ..... Cindy Batton
Forest Whitaker ..... Steven Beck
Shawn Hatosy ..... Sean Batton
Skye McCole Bartusiak ..... Suzie Batton

[edit] Principal production credits

Executive Producer ..... Henry S. Schleiff
Original Music ..... Cliff Eidelman
Cinematography ..... Fred Murphy
Production Design ..... Patrizia von Brandenstein
Art Direction ..... James F. Truesdale
Costume Design ..... Hope Hanafin

[edit] Critical reception

Caren Weiner Campbell of Entertainment Weekly rated the DVD release a B and added, "With its moody Sopranos vibe, this modest made-for-cable drama begins gracefully but bogs down a bit during the family's orientation, during which Whitaker, as the feds' liaison, gives a performance so subdued he almost seems to be sleepwalking." ^[1]