Servants of Twilight

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Two views of Charlie Harrison - remembering and on the job

(1991 made-for-cable movie; premiered 5/10/91 at The Cannes Film Festival; originally aired 10/14/91 on Showtime)

A solidly good adaptation of a Dean Koontz novel, Bruce Greenwood has top billing as Charlie Harrison, the private detective hired to protect a young single mother and her son from a group of religious fanatics who think the child is Lucifer's son, the anti-Christ. A suspense story with a supernatural subplot, the narrative unfolds in a series of effective flashbacks told by Charlie himself, who seems unable to reconcile what he knows with his love for the boy’s mother. A very dark tale with ominous overtones, the role of Charlie is perfect for Greenwood, who juggles two plotlines, successfully combining them into one believable character. In the main story he’s a tough but honest and entirely capable investigator, in control of a network of detectives and operatives whose mission is to protect a mother and her son. The second story has a confused, bearded and long-haired Charlie confessing his seemingly insane rantings to a psychiatrist friend. Oddly enough, it’s the more straightforward Charlie that is somewhat different for Greenwood, a role that’s a bit tougher and less glamorous than any previous assignment.

To illustrate how perfectly he was cast, Dean Koontz' description of Charlie Harrison follows:

"Come to think of it, Charlie Harrison didn't look much like a private investigator, either. She expected a PI to be tall. Charlie wasn't short like Henry Rankin, but he was only about five-ten or five-eleven. She expected a PI to be built like a truck, to look as if he could ram through a brick wall. Charlie was lean, and although he looked as if he could take care of himself well enough, he would never ram through a wall, brick or otherwise. She expected a PI to seem at least a little bit dangerous, with a violent aspect to his eyes and perhaps a tight-lipped, cruel mouth. Charlie appeard to be intelligent, efficient, capable - but not dangerous. He had an unremarkable, though generally handsome face framed by thick blond hair that was neatly combed. His eyes were his best features, gray-green, clear, direct: they were warm, friendly eyes, but there was no violence in them, at least none that she could detect.... Charlie Harrison was friendly, self-possessed, plain-spoken. He walked, turned, and performed every task with an unusual economy of motion, and his gestures, too, were neat and precise. He projected an aura of competence and trustworthiness. She suspected that he seldom, if ever, failed to do his job well. He made her feel secure."
Twilight by Dean Koontz

Belinda Bauer co-stars as the young mother (and Charlie's love interest) while child actor Jarrett Lennon does a superb job as Joey, the young innocent suspected of being the anti-Christ.

Originally made for the cable station Showtime, it was introduced first as a film at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1991. It’s long been available on video at reasonable prices and was recently released as a DVD.

Vidmark Entertainment in association with Trimark Pictures