Chris McCullers had some bad luck while on patrol with her dad. Instead of waiting for backup, Chris gave chase to a petty thief, then made the mistake of reaching for some chips when the perp got the drop on her. As a result, her father was killed and Chris received a serious leg wound. Afterwards, while assigned 911 call responding duty, Chris handles a desperate plea from a kid poorly, and when a youngster is killed, she is eventually suspended. Now, she must clear her good name.

In "911 Nightmare" (a.k.a., "Dispatch"),the action is brisk and well-paced. There were some creative directorial choices in camera angles, location filming, and close-ups. There was also a good romantic interest with Chris and a fellow cop named Tim.

Another strength of the film was in the portrayal of the villain. Instead of the obvious psychopath, a disheveled janitor named Kyle, the perp is unexpectedly mild-mannered and, on the surface, unlikely to be a killer.

Everything about this film was clean from the excellent performances to the taut screenplay to the crisp direction. Chris was driven to find redemption not only for her missteps as a rookie. From her dad, she had an idealized vision of being a cop. From that inspiration, she discovered her true calling: to protect and to serve.

An interesting premise starts with a thrifty script that immediately gets to the crime, the cop who needs to prove something and the threat of more killings. The sorry is paced as steadily as an episode of Law and Order and never finds a reason to lag.

If the writing and direction are good, why does everyone hate this movie? Well, for one, the lead actress ought to consider another profession. She performs someplace between "phoning it in" and Faye Dunaway in "Mommy Dearest." For another, the production values scream "Wifetime Movie." And, last, the music make me want to pound myself in the head with a hammer.

I would like to see what the writer and director do with an actual cast, because this was just godawful.

Excellent plot, Good acting, spotty directing: Christine McCullers was shot in the left shoulder in addition to her leg at the beginning of the movie and the shoulder injury disappeared. As for the ability to walk better and worse coming and going on her leg, that may be stretching it a bit. Other than that an entertaining crime drama.