Das Beben

FAULTLINE isn't your usual made-for-TV disaster movie: no, it's even cheaper than that! Most of the budget was spent on filming on location on some islands off the coast of Florida, so instead of the usual city-wide shenanigans, much of the film focuses on a group of survivors trapped in the ruins of a building. Whether they make it or not supplies the majority of the supposed drama, as the writers attempt to elicit suspense out of the scenario.

It's not particularly good but not the absolute nadir the genre has to offer either. At least the pacing is decent, with lots of incident and conflict to keep the cauldron bubbling away. DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES star Doug Savant takes the heroic role, playing the husband above around who runs around and tries to figure out the best way to save those trapped below. I've always liked Savant, finding him quite charming, but the talents of the other cast members are less impressive.

The disaster scenes are a particular disappointment, failing to impress throughout. A few extras have some rubble fall on them but otherwise the earthquake is depicted with lots of camera shake, like on an old episode of VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. Still, this genre is notorious for the appalling films it churns out, so I wasn't too disappointed with the whole thing.