A Perfect Murder (1998)
Director: Andrew Davis Cast: Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen Screenplay: Patrick Smith Kelly Producers: Anne Kopelson, Arnold Kopelson, Peter MacGregor-Scott, Christopher Mankiewicz Runtime: 107 min. US Distribution: Universal/Warner Bros. Rated R: Violence, language, sex
By Nathaniel R. Atcheson (nate@pyramid.net)
I find that the presence of Michael Douglas in a film will make that particular film seem smarter. There's something about the condescending way he delivers dialogue that instantly inflates the intelligence level of the film. Of course, this heightened intelligence may an illusion, such as in A Perfect Murder, but the point is that Douglas fools you through the duration of the film's running time. (The one exception to the Douglas Rule is, of course, the unwatchable The Ghost and the Darkness, in which he acts very silly.)
A Perfect Murder is the new film from director Andrew Davis, who also brought us The Fugitive. He also brought us Chain Reaction, which, many will agree, is not as good as The Fugitive. I think Davis is getting better at what he does, and A Perfect Murder should prove to most people that he has a lot of style and knows how to handle suspense pretty well. The problem here is with Patrick Smith Kelly's script, which relies far too heavily on a convoluted and contrived plot, and not enough on characterization or anything that seems even remotely plausible.
Douglas plays a rich guy named Steven Taylor. Gwyneth Paltrow plays his wife, Emily; and Viggo Mortensen plays her lover, David Shaw. Now, if you've seen the previews, you should be aware that this is a film that banks on plot twists. The first twist is early, and it's bad form for me to tell it to you simply on the basis of plot synopsis. I'll just say that Steven becomes aware of his wife's infidelity, and he develops a plan to eradicate her in an easy and fashionable manor. Oh hell, he plans a perfect murder.
The film is always fun to watch, and it certainly never gets boring. Davis, along with cinematographer Dariusz Wolski and production designer Philip Rosenberg, has created an atmospheric and extremely rich setting for the characters to roam through. The film isn't overflowing with style, but it has just the right amount to keep you interested without making you horribly aware of the nifty camera angles.
A Perfect Murder is based on the play Dial M for Murder, which was made into a terrific film by Hitchcock in 1954. It's important to remember that A Perfect Murder is not a remake of Hitchcock's film, nor is it derivative of it in any way. I was glad to see that Davis didn't try to imitate Hitchcock, although most of what I liked most about Dial M for Murder is not present in Davis' film. A Perfect Murder falls back on mindless action and unlikely plot developments, whereas Hitchcock's film was intriguing and always believable.
Of course, that isn't Davis' fault. I do admire Kelly for trying to make a very complicated story and still tie all the loose ends together, but the story simply falls apart when you think about it. Characters are forced to do things that they wouldn't do. Lives hang in the balance of chance meetings and unlikely coincidences. People believe things they shouldn't, and say things that incriminate them, and make up elaborate and perfect lies in half seconds. The funny thing is, Davis weaves the material so seamlessly that the Swiss-cheese-ness of Kelly's script is only blatantly noticeable on afterthought.
The acting is good, although one of the major problems with the film is that there really aren't any sympathetic characters. Douglas plays nearly the same role that won him the Oscar for Wall Street, although his performance here suggests more depth in his character and maybe even a little bit of a conscience (gasp!); eventually, however, he does things that only hateful sub-humans would do. Mortensen proves his versatility again (you might not even recognize him as Demi Moore's nemesis in G.I. Jane), and does some interesting things with his character. Paltrow is also good, but she's the character we're supposed to root for, and yet there's nothing much to like about her.
Oh, I'm just quibbling. I liked watching this movie. It's fun, and even surprising in a lot of parts. It could have been better though, and more realistic, but Andrew Davis at least has shown me that he can carry his talent beyond The Fugitive. And as for Douglas, Hollywood should keep casting him as smart characters in silly movies, because he sure is good at pulling a messy script together and making it seem smart . . . even if it is just an illusion.
**1/2 out of **** (6/10, C+)
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Nathaniel R. Atcheson
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