Domestic Disturbance, directed by Harold Becker, is yet another variation on the theme of a stranger who comes into a small town, impresses the townspeople, but has a notorious past that ultimately catches up with him and thereby brings havoc to some of the best citizens in the community. The mythical town in Domestic Disturbance is Southport, Maryland. The stranger is Rick Barnes (played by Vince Vaughn), who marries Susan (played by Teri Polo) and thereby becomes the stepfather of twelve-year-old Danny (played by Matthew O’Leary). Susan’s first husband and Danny’s birthfather is Frank Morrison (played by John Travolta), whose former alcoholism ruined his marriage. Just before the wedding, however, Rick’s partner in crime arrives in town. Ray Coleman (played by Steve Buscemi) has just been released from prison, and he has tracked down Rick for a blackmail payoff. Meanwhile, Rick shows contempt for Danny, who decides one night to flee to be with Frank, who lives some distance away. When Rick indicates that he has some business to take care of, Danny sneaks into the back seat of Rick’s minivan. Before Danny can sneak out of the minivan in town, Rick drives outside town to pick up Ray, presumably to drive to a place where the payoff money is stored. Soon, Rick stabs Ray, drives to his brickworks and shoves Ray and his backpack into the fire at the brickworks. Danny sneaks out of the minivan during the incineration and informs Frank, who calls the police. However, the police do not believe Danny’s story, heard in the presence of both Frank and Rick; since Danny was widely known to be a troublemaker who hated his stepfather, Rick glibly talks his way out of the accusation, for which there is no corroborating evidence. Believing his son, Frank then files for a change of custody to take care of Danny, but Rick tells Danny to lie or he will harm Frank. Danny then lies on the witness stand in an unrealistic courtroom scene where his father and stepfather are present. Frank then visits every motel in the Southport area to find a lead about Ray and discovers through a computer search that Rick is really the notorious Jack Parnell whose lawyer got him off from serving time while Ray cooled his heels in the slammer. The police, however, are strangely unimpressed. The final showdown pits Frank and Rick in a life-or-death struggle with a predictable ending. One obvious flaw in the story is that Danny was twice denied an opportunity to tell his story to the authorities in private, and the other is that police are not interested in discovering the true identity of the stranger, Rick. MH