"Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey" is a made-for-television film based on a true story that genuinely feels believable. It tells the harrowing saga of a courageous young woman, who, in the face of no support from those around her, is able to rise above her circumstances and become both a survivor and a hero.

The early part of the film is hard to take in the brutal kidnapping and captivity of Lisa by a serial killer. But because Lisa is already an incest survivor, she uses her skills to meticulously record details about the kidnapper that will lead to his arrest.

The family conditions of Lisa were horrendous with both a mother and grandmother who were uncaring and exploited a child beyond belief. The abuse was staggering to contemplate. The three police officers who questioned Lisa were not much better, as they believed that her attention to detail was a sign that she was fabricating her story. It was only Detective Larry Pinkerton who recognized that Lisa was telling the truth and that she could lead the police to the serial killer.

The actress playing Lisa was terrific. There was salient moment when Lisa was captive and staring at herself in the mirror. She spoke the words aloud, "Don't give up." That was her mantra that led to her survival. When apprehended, the serial killer could only admit, "she was special."

The film's denouement was effective in depicting Lisa reconnecting with her sister Lorrie and being cared for by her loving Aunt Carol and Uncle Jim. There was a nice touch at the end of the film when the real Lisa McVey appears on camera in her job on a police force. The essence of the film was Lisa as a force of nature who was able to pull herself up by her bootstraps and become what Detective Larry Pinkerton calls our "number one hero."

Lisa McVey (Katie Douglas) left a bad home situation with her mother to live in Tampa with her grandmother, but within a few weeks she was being abused by Morris, her grandmother's boyfriend, and then abducted by Bobby Joe Long. Even worse, her grandmother just assumed that she ran away and wasn't in any danger.

Bobby (Russif Sutherland, the half brother of Keifer) holds Lisa bound and blindfolded - much like the nine other women he'd already killed - continually assaulting her while she gains his trust by asking him about other women and then leaving behind as much evidence as she can, touching everything in his apartment and even pulling out her hair and hiding it all over the place. She also begins memorizing everything she can.

Finally, when she escapes - pleading for her life when Bobby wants to shoot her in the head in the woods - Morris and her grandmother beat her for five hours before calling the police. Luckily, her case is assigned to Sergeant Larry Pinkerton (David James Elliot, who made your grandmother and aunts feel all tingly when he was on JAG),who is one of the few people who believes in her.

Amazingly, this true story ends with McVey becoming a deputy sergeant in Sex Crimes, working to protect children from the terror that she survived. As for Bobby, he was arrested outside a movie theater and was executed in prison via lethal injection in 2019.

Airing on Showcase in Canada and Lifetime in the U. S., this is a pretty frightening story even in TV movie format. I can't believe that McVey made it and was able to lead such a positive life after.

A 17 year old from a broken, abusive background is kidnapped by a serial rapist/murderer. Calling on all the "skills" she learned during her troubled upbringing, she talks herself through her irdeal and even persuades him to release her. Not everyone believes her, but her knowledge of undiscosed facts relevant to the case finally bring her credibility, and she provides information crucial to the capture and conviction of the killer.

This true story is well adapted with a more or less unknown cast doing a great job across the board. It is in many ways a seedy and depressing story if it were not for its heart, the way the astonishing Lisa McVey rose above her bad upbringing and the vile crime she suffered so that she was never a victim. An incredible story of an incredible girl (and woman).