The latest woman in jeopardy movie arrives in Till Death Do Us Part from Novus Content Footage Films & 51MM Productions. Till Death Do Us Part is the brainchild of music producer turned director Chris Stokes & singer turned scriptwriter Marques Houston. Stokes & Houston, who, in addition to their numerous musical collaborations, have also worked together on five previous films. Previously, the duo has tackled genres ranging from horror to romantic comedies or dance flicks, decided to step outside of the box, and try their hand at a domestic violence thriller with Till Death Do Us Part.
Madison (Annie Ilonzeh) seems to have the perfect life with her wealthy & loving husband Michael (Stephen Bishop). Madison, who gave up her nursing dream to be a homemaker, seems to initially support Michael's old school mindset that the husband works while the wife stays at home. Madison desperately wants children, while Michael doesn't. He feels that his wife will forget about him once a baby comes into the picture. Early on, Michael admits he is a control freak. The signs are clear to the audience, which leads to a reveal in his behavior when Madison confronts him about a secret he's been keeping.
Naturally, in Hollywood fashion Madison becomes pregnant and Madison no longer wanting to be a victim, devises a plan with the help of a friend to escape the abuse and start a new life as Kate. Basically, the film is a remake of the early nineties Julia Roberts flick, Sleeping With The Enemy. However, while Till Death Do Us Part follows a formula we've seen before, Stokes & Houston tend to get the best from their cast. Bishop, who I can't recall ever playing a villain, handles Michael's role with ease. Given the right material, he may have found his niche playing bad guys.
Ilonzeh, who was one of the better parts of this past summer's mediocre Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez on Me, brings her A-game to the role of Madison. Her transition from wife to victim to survivor flows naturally. When Madison does become "Kate," the survivor, Houston's script makes the wise choice to show that even though she has survived, the wounds are still there. I also give credit to Houston's screenplay for the handling of the Taye Diggs character, Alex. As Kate's new love interest and neighbor, Alex is just a good man who wants to know Kate.
Naturally, with this being a thriller, Michael does find out he's been duped and tracks Madison down, which leads to a by the numbers showdown we've seen before in numerous movies.
Similar to No Good Deed & The Perfect Guy before it Till Death Do Us Part is a formulaic by the numbers thriller that some will love and others not so much. I've always found movies like these to be nothing more than a guilty pleasure. While I wouldn't say you rush out to see Till Death Do Us Part, the film is worth a matinee or a Netflix stream.
Final Grade C+
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