Watching the dispassionate World War II romance "The End of the Affair," one is instantly reminded of "The English Patient" considering it starred the same lead actor, Ralph Fiennes. Fiennes does not strike me as a romantic lead - he somehow has an aura that is too cold and stuffy. Thus, "End of the Affair" is a beautiful film to watch but it suffers from Fiennes's presence.
The film begins literally at the end of the affair. A well-known, London fiction writer named Maurice (Ralph Fiennes) coincidentally meets an old friend, Henry (Stephen Rea), during a rainy evening. Henry, a dour civil servant, had not seen Maurice in years and invites him back to his house for a drink. After a while, Henry confesses that his wife, Sarah Miles (Julianne Moore), may be having an affair and has reluctantly thought of hiring a private detective. Maurice takes matters in his own hands since he knows Sarah - he once had an affair with her and may be quite jealous as well. Thus, writer-director Neil Jordan ("The Crying Game") fractures the timeline by showing us the affair and its consequences, and its inevitable denouement, while Maurice walks through the London streets in the present day to uncover Sarah's supposed infidelity.
"The End of the Affair" is bold in its time fracturing structure, particularly in how it takes us back and forth from the present day to the past sometimes within a single scene. Neil Jordan often cuts away to the past during a scene in the present that mirrors the past. One notable example is when Maurice first arrives at Henry's house and walks up the stairs and there is a cut to a woman's legs being caressed by Maurice as they walk up to the bedroom. Not a new device of cinematic language to be sure but Jordan handles it with delicate skill and panache.
There are a couple of problems with the story, however, that are handled with less skill. For one, the romance between Maurice and Sarah never quite makes us feel the passion of their affair, and the casting of the less than smoldering Fiennes reflects that. Somehow, it never bursts forth with the fireworks one would expect from a romantic story (one can conclude that Stephen Rea might have been a better choice since his relationship with "the lady" in "Crying Game" was far more passionate). To make matters worse, the scene in the building where after they have one of many earth-shaking trysts, a bomb strikes and there is a sense of God's intervention, is handled badly and strikes too many false notes.
The redemptive stroke of genius in "End of the Affair" is the dazzling Julianne Moore, who encapsulates Sarah with delicacy, charm and nuance - plus, she makes a fitting romantic lead. Her British accent is also down pat, but you knew that already if you saw "Big Lebowski" or "An Ideal Husband." Though I would not call this one of her best performances, she still manages to hold her own against Mr. Fiennes.
If "End of the Affair" had a better leading man in the role, someone not so suffocated with charmlessness, then it might have been a true romantic tragedy. As it is, it strikes some sad notes but it never breathes with verve or passion.
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