A woman goes after a crooked DA in "The Witness Files," a 1999 film starring Yancy Butler, David Newman and Barry Flatman. Butler plays a victim of domestic violence, Sandy Dickinson, who killed her husband and was sent to prison. She is promised early parole by the DA who put her there (Newman) if she will pose as a witness to help him put away a mob boss. In order to be with her son, she agrees. Since she's a former actress, she's able to disguise herself as a street person and tell the police that she saw the mobster commit murder. Everything goes smoothly until someone tries to kill her.
This is a far-fetched story but nevertheless absorbing, with the beautiful, throaty-voiced Butler handing in a fine performance as Sandy. David Newman is extremely likable as Dennis, the detective who falls in love with Sandy without knowing her true identity. And this is a plot hole - when it is learned that Sandy is missing, why did a detective working with the DA never look at a photo of her and realize she was the woman he fell in love with? As stated above, the story is a little out there.
A good rental.
