Witness Protection (film)

Witness Protection
VHS cover
Based on	New York Times Magazine article entitled The Invisible Family by Robert Sabbag.
Screenplay by	Daniel Therriault
Directed by	Richard Pearce
Starring	Tom Sizemore Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio Forest Whitaker Shawn Hatosy Skye McCole Bartusiak
Music by	Cliff Eidelman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producer	Henry S. Schleiff
Cinematography	Fred Murphy
Production company	HBO NYC Productions
Distributor	HBO
Release
Original release	December 11, 1999 (1999-12-11)

Witness Protection is a 1999 American television movie directed by Richard Pearce and starring Tom Sizemore, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Forest Whitaker, Shawn Hatosy, and Skye McCole Bartusiak. The teleplay by Daniel Therriault is based on a New York Times Magazine article entitled The Invisible Family by Robert Sabbag. It was broadcast by HBO on December 11, 1999 and released on videotape in Portugal (Protecção de Uma Testemunha), Argentina (Protejan al testigo), and Iceland the following year.

Plot synopsis[]

South Boston career criminal Bobby "Bats" Batton (Tom Sizemore), facing execution by his partner in crime. Theo Cruise, a Charlestown mobster, whom the FBI wants behind bars for a double murder. Bobby is offered a deal by the feds: immunity from prosecution for several serious crimes in exchange for testimony against Theo Cruise, after which he and his family will join the Federal Witness Protection Program.

Batton accepts the offer, and he, his wife Cindy (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), his Harvard-bound son Sean (Shawn Hatosy), and young daughter Suzie (Skye McCole Bartusiak) spend five days with federal marshal Steve Beck (Forest Whitaker), who coaches them in their new identities in preparation for their relocation to Seattle.

Trying to cope without money, friends, relatives, pets, possessions, or any semblance of a past existence proves to be more difficult than any of them anticipated. When the family slowly begins to disintegrate under the weight of recriminations and frustration, Bobby wonders if his freedom is worth the sacrifices his loved ones have been forced to make.

Principal Cast[]

• Tom Sizemore as Bobby "Bats" Batton
• Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Cindy Batton
• Forest Whitaker as US Marshal Steve Beck
• Shawn Hatosy as Sean Batton
• Skye McCole Bartusiak as Suzie Batton
• William Sadler as US Attorney Sharp
• Jim Metzler as US Marshal Jim Cutler
• Daniel Zacapa as US Marshal David Ramirez
• Greg Pitts as US Marshal Duffy
• Randy Thompson as US Marshal #1
• Byron Minns as US Marshal #2
• Harrison Young as Mr. O'Connor, Cindy's Father
• Joanna Merlin as Mrs. O'Connor, Cindy's Mother
• Leon Russom as Reedy
• Greg Lipari as Hit Man
• Richard Portnow as Nikos "The Greek" Stephanos (uncredited)

Principal production credits[]

• Executive Producer ..... Henry S. Schleiff
• Original Music ..... Cliff Eidelman
• Cinematography ..... Fred Murphy
• Production Design ..... Patrizia von Brandenstein
• Art Direction ..... James F. Truesdale
• Costume Design ..... Hope Hanafin

Critical reception[]

Caren Weiner Campbell of Entertainment Weekly rated the DVD release a B and added, "With its moody Sopranos vibe, this modest made-for-cable drama begins gracefully but bogs down a bit during the family's orientation, during which Whitaker, as the feds' liaison, gives a performance so subdued he almost seems to be sleepwalking."^[1]

Nominations[]

• Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film (Tom Sizemore)
• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special

References[]

External links[]

• Witness Protection at the Internet Movie Database