Texas is a majestic and wide state, and it offers plenty of room for Diane Ackers to maneuver her way out of a pickle. Diane lost her fortune and her husband to a financial scammer named Mitchell Thompson.
Now, they both are using aliases, Dee Dee Martin and Mark Taylor after Mark left town with $500,000 of the Ackers money and Diane left flat broke. Now, a Texas-style cat-and-mouse game ensues with an especially clever screenplay.
Desperate to pay off her car repair bill, Dee Dee takes a job as a waitress at a diner in Midland, Texas. By happenstance, Mark Taylor shows up as a customer. Dee Dee then plots to expose him as a con artist. She receives help from Nando, a deputy officer, who turns out to be in cahoots with Taylor, both having served in the 92nd Airbourne in Desert Storm. But the quick-thinking Dee Dee never gives up, listening carefully to the master hustler to learn the techniques of a true confidence man.
Everybody loved Peta Wilson in the role of Dee Dee. As Diane Ackers, Wilson effectively created the urbane wife of an investor in the early scenes. She then switched gears to play the down-to-earth Dee Dee as the waitress. She received support from another waitress, Cerise, and a local grease monkey. The final scene at the airport was terrific as the blue collar version of a "Mission: Impossible" team moved into action.
"False Pretenses" was great fun, and there was a good theme of developing a scam, turning a big profit, and getting "Texas in my rear view mirror." That is exactly what Dee Dee pulled off with a little help from her friends.
Now, they both are using aliases, Dee Dee Martin and Mark Taylor after Mark left town with $500,000 of the Ackers money and Diane left flat broke. Now, a Texas-style cat-and-mouse game ensues with an especially clever screenplay.
Desperate to pay off her car repair bill, Dee Dee takes a job as a waitress at a diner in Midland, Texas. By happenstance, Mark Taylor shows up as a customer. Dee Dee then plots to expose him as a con artist. She receives help from Nando, a deputy officer, who turns out to be in cahoots with Taylor, both having served in the 92nd Airbourne in Desert Storm. But the quick-thinking Dee Dee never gives up, listening carefully to the master hustler to learn the techniques of a true confidence man.
Everybody loved Peta Wilson in the role of Dee Dee. As Diane Ackers, Wilson effectively created the urbane wife of an investor in the early scenes. She then switched gears to play the down-to-earth Dee Dee as the waitress. She received support from another waitress, Cerise, and a local grease monkey. The final scene at the airport was terrific as the blue collar version of a "Mission: Impossible" team moved into action.
"False Pretenses" was great fun, and there was a good theme of developing a scam, turning a big profit, and getting "Texas in my rear view mirror." That is exactly what Dee Dee pulled off with a little help from her friends.