Every 9 Seconds
{{Infobox television
| image =
| caption =
| director = Kenneth Fink
| producer =
| writer = Adam Greenman
| narrator =
| starring = Gail O'Grady
Amy Pietz
Christopher Meloni
| music =
| cinematography = Ken Kelsch
| editor = Paul Dixon
| company =
| network = NBC
| released = {{Start date|1997|10|12}}
| runtime = 96 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
}}
Every 9 Seconds is a 1997 television film directed by Kenneth Fink. It stars former NYPD Blue co-star, Gail O'Grady, Amy Pietz, and former Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star, Christopher Meloni. The film debuted on NBC on October 12, 1997 at 9/8c. It occasionally re-airs on Lifetime as well as its sister channel Lifetime Movie Network.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}
Background
The film's title refers to a statistic suggesting that in the United States, a woman is battered every nine seconds.{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Daryl H |title=Important Topics, Formulaic Approaches |agency=Los Angeles Times |date=11 October 1997}} Its October release coincided with National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and NBC heavily promoted it as a means of bringing awareness to domestic violence and to the National Domestic Hot Line.{{cite news |last1=Saunders |first1=Dusty |title=Abuse Film More Potboiler Than PSA |agency=Rocky Mountain News |date=12 October 1997}}
Plot
Carrie Breiter (Amy Pietz) is a journalist who goes undercover as a crisis line worker. Her work connects her with Janet (O'Grady), an abused woman who calls the hotline trying to proclaim revenge against her abusive ex-husband, Richard (Christopher Meloni), and Missy, a teen who declines help from the crisis center and is attacked not long after by her abusive boyfriend. Richard, who had been jailed for domestic abuse, is released early and shows up at Janet's house, menacing her. Breiter, against colleagues' advice, determines to intervene and save Janet.
Cast
- Gail O'Grady as Janet
- Amy Pietz as Carrie
- Christopher Meloni as Richard Sutherland
- Emily Hampshire as Missy
- Michael Riley as Ray
- Scott Speedman as Greg
- Sean McCann as Mike McConnell
- Mimi Kuzyk as Carol
Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews. The Los Angeles Times called the plot "absurdly formulaic" and argued that the film cheapened its subject of domestic violence. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, although also finding the film familiar and exploitative, wrote: "If it encourages women in an abusive relationship to seek help, or get out, it's certainly worth network air time."{{cite news |last1=Pennington |first1=Gail |title=George Eliot's 'Mill': A Murky Tale |agency=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=12 October 1997}} New York magazine praised the "first-rate performances" by its cast, particularly Christopher Meloni.{{cite news |last1=Leonard |first1=John |title=John Leonard's Television Notes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LegCAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22every+9+seconds%22+%22review%22+%22gail%22&pg=PA141 |access-date=23 May 2023 |agency=New York Magazine |date=13 October 1997}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title|id=0127545|title=Every 9 Seconds}}
Category:1997 television films
Category:1990s English-language films
{{US-tv-film-stub}}