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Review 1 The Ross Colburn family seemingly has everything going for them--a father with a lucrative medical practice, a warm and vivacious mother who lovingly dotes on all her children, and siblings who genuinely seem very fond of each other. The family's idyllic life is shattered when the mother and youngest son are tragically caught up in a random robbery at a "hi-fi" store that turns sickeningly violent. The remainder of the film deals with the family's heartbreaking journey back from this deep trauma, as they try to overcome their mutual despair. The cast is uniformly excellent, and features Doug Savant, the fine actor currently starring in "Desperate Housewives" as one of the three sons, and Michael Learned in a touching, but limited role as the ill-fated mother. Richard Chamberlain, in the pivotal role of the father, is terrific--it is his character who undergoes the most drastic change in the film. Due to truly horrific circumstances, he is forced to transform himself from a somewhat detached father, into the emotional rock of strength and love for his entire family. Portraying a successful physician, whose beloved wife is brutally and senselessly murdered, is unlike any other role Richard has ever attempted. The true story is really a grim drama, and Richard, as Dr. Ross Colburn, must display a wide range of very intense emotions. Two scenes in particular, brought a lump to my throat. The first occurs weeks after the crime, when Dr. Colburn, who has been displaying a facade of steely strength, suddenly comes to terms with the fact that his youngest son, Terry, may also die from his wounds, just as his wife had done. He is surrounded by his surviving children, who are there to witness their father's emotional breakdown, and it is a very realistic and touching scene. The second occurs weeks later, in a scene at the cemetery, after Terry has made substantial progress towards his recovery. Due to the critical nature of Terry's condition, he had never been told of his mother's death--rather, his family continued to tell him that his mother had only been seriously injured in the robbery, and was still recovering. When Terry's persistent questions about his mother will not be silenced, the family takes him to his mother's graveside to gently break the news. This scene, with Dr. Colburn (Richard) tearfully clutching Terry to his chest as the boy struggles to comprehend the unfathomable, is heartbreaking, but extremely realistic and well acted-- I imagine Richard must have been very emotionally drained after shooting these intense scenes.
by Polly Moreno Review 2 AFTERMATH: A TEST OF LOVE, is an intense, poignant, true story of the Ross Colburn family, and their desperate attempt to keep it "all together," when their mother is murdered and brother is seriously injured in a heinous murder/robbery. Dr. Ross Colburn is played by the incomparable Richard Chamberlain. He is a successful Ob/Gyn specialist, whose busy career has kept him extremely busy, and somewhat disengaged emotionally with his children. The tall, gorgeous actor, decked out in his scrubs and slacks and white coat, was so remindful to me of his Dr. Kildare days, when the handsome young intern had millions of women, all over the world, hopelessly in love.
His wife Irene, is played by the amazing Michael Learned, who has all through the years, taken good care of the children, allowing her husband to devote more time to his medical practice. When she is brutally murdered in a senseless robbery - gone bad, Dr. Colburn attempts to step up to the plate, re-connect emotionally with his "shattered" children, heal their grief, and keep them together. The in-depth characterization present in this film, was beautiful, and enabled the viewing audience to really know this family. Dr. Colburn's interaction with each child was sheer magic, and Richard Chamberlain showed his great emotional range in this tragic story. He understood the intense sorrow, and agony his character experienced, and really reached down into the depths of his reservoir, to bring a masterful performance to the screen. This a true story, based on the book Victim, by Gary Kinder. This moving story was commanded brilliantly by a great veteran actor, who manages to take a shattered and fragile family from "victim" to "victory." By Judy Crocker
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Based on an actual event, the 1991 television movie, "Aftermath: A Test of Love," is a chilling reminder of our universal vulnerability to events beyond our control. 
"Aftermath: A Test of Love" is not a happy story, but it does provide an uplifting conclusion, and you come away from it with great respect for this family's strength and resiliency in the face of such terrible circumstances. This is also another opportunity to appreciate the many acting talents of Richard Chamberlain, as he expertly portrays a man nearly driven over the edge by unspeakable tragedy. I will warn you, however, that the actual crime as depicted in this movie is chilling and difficult to watch--I find myself turning away from the screen when the robbery is played out. 
After thiry plus years, it was astounding to see how beautifully the actor has matured. He is even more handsome with maturity, and has gorgeous silver streaks in his hair, and wonderful laugh lines, etched in his beautiful face.