"A Perfect Murder" creates a suspenseful situation early on. Then the movie spends the rest of the time building up to the inevitable...and then gives us the inevitable. After watching the final scene, I wondered if the script was written on autopilot, after lots of cigarettes and coffee, at about 3 in the morning.
The movie is a remake, or an inspiration anyway, of "Dial M For Murder". That was only an okay movie, really, and this one doesn't do a whole lot to build off of it. The one thing that it really has going for it are the performances, which are convincing, especially Paltrow and Douglas, who come across as a couple who got tired of each other long ago and are now just going through the motions of a marriage, while Douglas's character harbors deep and secret resentments about the fact that his wife is cheating on him.
I enjoyed the setup, as we learn that Paltrow's character, Emily, has been having an affair with a destitute artist, played intensely by Viggo Mortensen. She believes her husband, a wealthy investor, doesn't know. What she doesn't know is that her husband, Steven, is about to get wiped out on the market because of some unwise overseas investments, and knows as well that she has been unfaithful to him. As someone points out, cheating on your spouse is the second-most common reason to kill, and money is the first. Steven has both motives.
In a startling twist, he arrives at the artist's home one night and tells him that he knows everything about the affair and the artist's past, which involves jail time and swindling widows out of lots of money down in Boca Raton. Steven offers him an out: kill his wife, for a payment of $500,000. The artist, David, is trapped; on the one hand, he faces prison, on the other, killing his lover. He opts for the latter.
David's character is ambiguous, to say the least. At times he appears to truly care for Emily. At others, he seems to care nothing for her. His decision-making is all over the map, and wildly implausible. Steven, on the other hand, is cool even under incredible pressure. He is certain of what to do and how to do it at all times. There are moments in the film where he is confronted with his actions and is able, even in seemingly impossible circumstances, to talk his way out of it. I enjoyed watching his character, even if it was recycled from his performance in "Wall Street".
As I said earlier, I enjoyed the buildup. It plays pretty well and is smoothly handled. The movie is a well-oiled machine right up to the end, which is both abrupt and utterly predictable. Without revealing what happens, I will say that I was surprised that the movie did not try for a bolder resolution, especially from Davis, an accomplished director. This was a standard Hollywood ending that is far below a man of his directorial skills.
As an afterthought, I might as well mention that the DVD "Criterion Collection" release of this film contains as an extra an alternative ending to the movie, which is supplied both with an without commentary by Davis. Watching it, I was unimpressed; it doesn't deviate enough from the final choice to really make a difference. Yes, there is a shift in the moral balance as far as one character is concerned, but the end result is the same, making it as weak as the original.
The movie is a remake, or an inspiration anyway, of "Dial M For Murder". That was only an okay movie, really, and this one doesn't do a whole lot to build off of it. The one thing that it really has going for it are the performances, which are convincing, especially Paltrow and Douglas, who come across as a couple who got tired of each other long ago and are now just going through the motions of a marriage, while Douglas's character harbors deep and secret resentments about the fact that his wife is cheating on him.
I enjoyed the setup, as we learn that Paltrow's character, Emily, has been having an affair with a destitute artist, played intensely by Viggo Mortensen. She believes her husband, a wealthy investor, doesn't know. What she doesn't know is that her husband, Steven, is about to get wiped out on the market because of some unwise overseas investments, and knows as well that she has been unfaithful to him. As someone points out, cheating on your spouse is the second-most common reason to kill, and money is the first. Steven has both motives.
In a startling twist, he arrives at the artist's home one night and tells him that he knows everything about the affair and the artist's past, which involves jail time and swindling widows out of lots of money down in Boca Raton. Steven offers him an out: kill his wife, for a payment of $500,000. The artist, David, is trapped; on the one hand, he faces prison, on the other, killing his lover. He opts for the latter.
David's character is ambiguous, to say the least. At times he appears to truly care for Emily. At others, he seems to care nothing for her. His decision-making is all over the map, and wildly implausible. Steven, on the other hand, is cool even under incredible pressure. He is certain of what to do and how to do it at all times. There are moments in the film where he is confronted with his actions and is able, even in seemingly impossible circumstances, to talk his way out of it. I enjoyed watching his character, even if it was recycled from his performance in "Wall Street".
As I said earlier, I enjoyed the buildup. It plays pretty well and is smoothly handled. The movie is a well-oiled machine right up to the end, which is both abrupt and utterly predictable. Without revealing what happens, I will say that I was surprised that the movie did not try for a bolder resolution, especially from Davis, an accomplished director. This was a standard Hollywood ending that is far below a man of his directorial skills.
As an afterthought, I might as well mention that the DVD "Criterion Collection" release of this film contains as an extra an alternative ending to the movie, which is supplied both with an without commentary by Davis. Watching it, I was unimpressed; it doesn't deviate enough from the final choice to really make a difference. Yes, there is a shift in the moral balance as far as one character is concerned, but the end result is the same, making it as weak as the original.