A Perfect Murder Review
by Christian Pyle (tlcclp AT aol DOT com)May 27th, 1999
A Perfect Murder (1998)
a review by Christian Pyle
Few directors can claim to have improved on the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, but Andrew Davis' "A Perfect Murder" eclipses Hitch's "Dial M for Murder."
Truth be told, of course, "Dial M" was a substandard product for the Master. (But only an idiot or Gus Van Sant would remake a great film). Adapted from Frederick Knott's popular stage play, Hitchcock's movie remained stage-bound; all of its action takes place in one room, and "Dial M" lacks the experimentation of "Rope" (also a one-room stage adaptation). As the husband plotting to kill his wife, Ray Milland was coldly evil but uninteresting. As the wife, Grace Kelly was beautiful and vulnerable, and that seemed to be all that was required of her.
Davis' version retains the basic skeleton of "Dial M"'s plot: a wife has a guy on the side; her husband hires someone to murder her, but she kills the attacker instead; the husband tries to retrieve the house key he gave the killer but picks the wrong one. However, Patrick Smith Kelly's screenplay takes that basic story in new and interesting directions. Steven (Michael Douglas) is a cold and distant millionaire husband to Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is boffing David (Viggo Mortensen), a bohemian artist. But David is hiding a secret past as an ex-con, and Steven blackmails him into a plot to kill Emily. Emily spikes the would-be killer with a meat thermometer and soon discovers the plot against her. Several plot twists and double-crosses follow.
Besides having a fleshier plot, "A Perfect Murder" boasts better acting than "Dial M" (directing actors was always Hitch's weak point). Paltrow stands out by not simply hashing out another rendition of the stock character Threatened Woman. Emily is vulnerable enough to be sympathetic but also tough enough to be respected. Douglas is his usual sinister self, part-pouting-victim, part-vengeful-aggressor. Mortensen is the weakest cast member and brings little to the table.
Despite the improvements, "A Perfect Murder" is still genre fare, but it is an entertaining diversion. Davis, best known for large-scale action movies like "The Fugitive" and "Under Siege," shows that he can be just as effective with a character-driven piece.
Grade: B+
© 1999 Christian L. Pyle
Read my reviews and others at the Mad Review:
http://www.wpd.net/madreview/
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
