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Perfect Murder | Year: 1998 Directed: - Andrew Davis Actors/Actresses: - Michael Douglas - Gwyneth Paltrow - Viggo Mortensen Featuring a two-fisted Gwyneth Paltrow This quasi-remake of Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder (1954)--which was filmed in 3D, by the way--is a rather good thriller in its own right, intelligently done throughout except for a few scenes near the end when Director Andrew Davis and screenwriter Patrick Smith Kelly lose their judgment and opt for a silly knock down, drag out fight. Michael Douglas plays a quintessential evil kind of guy, evil, ruthless, greedy, two-faced, crafted to excite our loathing (“How’s THIS for wet work?”). He is excellent. Gwyneth Paltrow plays his very rich wife who has incredibly poor taste in men. Seems that Gwyneth has become attracted to roles that get her involved with the wrong kind of guys, witness The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and Sliding Doors (1998). But she is also very good, as is Viggo Mortensen who plays the murderous con artist. The plot is tight and filled with nice twists. The sets are opulent and dripping with money, and neither the direction nor the camera work calls undue attention to itself. But what really makes this fly is the material on which it is based, the devilishly clever play by Frederick Knott, who reigned on Broadway many years ago. I’ll bet that Paltrow was persuaded in part to take the role because the same part was played in the Hitchcock movie by the legendary Grace Kelly. Also, another Frederick Knott play made into a movie was Wait Until Dark (1967) starring the also legendary Audrey Hepburn. I suspect Paltrow could hardly resist joining such illustrious company, especially when the plot here allows her to take matters into her own hands, as it were, and give to her two guys considerably more than she gets. Bottom line: you will be diverted. No sympathy or emotion for any of the three leads. Plot: Man (Douglas) on the verge of bankruptcy finds out his $100 million dollar wife (Paltrow) is cheating on him. What to do? Kill her! Better yet, hire her boyfriend (Mortensen) to do it. None of the leads are likeable. Husband is coldly calculating. Wifey is a prissy adultress. Boyfriend is a sleazy blackmailer. Which makes the viewer wonder, who cares who dies? Twists and turns create a small amount of suspense. Will Wifey discover the plot before its too late? Will Cop realize Husband's cruel intentions? Will Boyfriend successfully screw over not only Wifey but also Husband? The ending is disappointing and would have been worth the wait if it had been shrewder, smarter, more clever. Douglas is finely cast (typecast) as icily greedy conspirator but Paltrow did not appear equal to the Gracey Kelley role in this movie based on Dial M for Murder. The age difference was glaring and Paltrow inexplicably spoke foreign languages to people who were speaking to her in clear English. That peculiar trait heightened my dislike of Paltrow's character. Douglas and Paltrow were unevenly matched because Paltrow came across like a teenager and Douglas came across as a disciplinarian father. Unfortunately, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathleen Turner, and Sharon Stone were all probably too expensive to fill the role. Or did Hollywood consider these acting vets to be too inappropriately close in age to Douglas? Your loss Hollywood! Recommended instead: Dial M for Murder. Double Indemnity. Body Heat. No comparisons are needed As you may know, this film is loosely based upon DIAL M FOR MURDER, first a stage play then a movie by Alfred Hitchcook in 1954. A lot of people want to compare the two films. Even though Hitchcock was "the Master of Suspense", in my opinion, no comparisions are needed. I see both movies very differently. While both films may share certain plot points that is where the similarities end. DIAL M was patterned after the play and was very good in that context. A PERFECT MURDER succeeds because it doesn't even try to out do the '54 film. Michael Douglas as a Wall Street tycoon, plays well off of the other main characters to help make an interesting triangle. Gwyneth Paltrow turns in a great performance as the wife of Douglas. She plays a complicated part and pulls it off. She plays it both tough and vulnerable at the same time. Rounding out the trio is Viggo Mortensen as Paltrow's lover. When Douglas finds out his wife is having an affair, he hires her lover, to kill her in order to gain access to her money quickly. The husband needs the cash to cover up some bad business deals. None of the three main characters are just a victim here. All of them have a dark side and each one ends up looking out for themself at some point during the film. Directed by Andy Davis, (THE FUGITIVE) <BR>the movie is in more than capable hands. It has fine performances and has a good script by Patrick Smith Kelly The special edition DVD has 2 so-so commentary tracks and behind the scenes info. The best feature is the alternate ending. Its always fun to compare and contrast. I don't know which one I like better. I don't think you will be disappointed either way. This is a good movie and DVD for your collection Buy Perfect Murder at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Perfect Murder Search with the Priority Search Engine on Perfect Murder This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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