A Perfect Murder Review
by "Kleszczewski, Nicholas" (Nicholas DOT Kleszczewski AT pepsico DOT com)August 14th, 1998
A Perfect Murder
It's not always a smart move to update a classic. I tremble at the thought that some very talented people are possibly throwing their careers away in updating _Psycho_ for the 90's. I get angry at those individuals of the moviegoing public who refuse to see a film that is older than they are; I am further upset at those studios who cater to such individuals, bastardizing a classic in the process.
That said, it has been years since I have seen _Dial M for Murder_, which, I assume, is to my advantage here. _A Perfect Murder_, a stylish remake, works on the merits of its casting, its direction, and it's post-_Pulp Fiction_ noir attitude. If nothing else.
Michael Douglas is perfect as Steven Taylor, a courteous-on-the-outside, devious-on-the-inside, commodities trader who faces possible bankruptcy. He is married to Emily Brandford played by the attractive but glass-eyed Gwyneth Paltrow. While the age difference is great, that only serves to undercut the tension in their marriage. She opts to pursue an extra-marital affair with David Shaw, played with special oiliness by Viggo Mortensen.
Taylor catches wind of the affair, and approaches Shaw--not to kill him, but to offer him a deal: kill his wife, and he will get substantial money and be spared from having his skewered past revealed. (Taylor needs the money from his wife's estate to pay off serious debts). It's a good setup, and one of the better script twists not offered in the original.
I will not reveal the rest of the plot, only to say that there are more twists where that came from. What I liked (and didn't like) about this film is that nearly every character is shady and devious, including Paltrow's. I appreciated the noir-ish shadings of the characters, but I also stayed emotionally distant. The only character whom I rooted for was that of the detective, played by David Suchet. But his character seemed more like window dressing than a hero.
Andrew Davis has rebounded, if only slightly, from the nadir of _Chain Reaction_ and _Steal Big, Steal Little_. But he is clearly not at the level he once was, the heights of _The Fugitive_ and _Under Siege_. Don't get me wrong. I liked _A Perfect Murder_; I was entertained. I can only speculate whether I would like it so much had the original not been as distant a memory.
Nick Scale: 6
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