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Summary: Another Great Michael Douglas flick
Review: Michael Douglas does it again this time as money hungry buisnessman whos buisness is going down the drain. Gwyneth Paltrow plays his two timing wife who has 100 million dollars at stake and is having an affair with Viggo Mortenson. Douglas finds out and decides to Paltrow killed by Mortenson. After a bad attempt that emotionally scars Paltrow, Douglas kills Mortenson and decides to take matters into his own hands. This powerful thriller is sure to leave you breathless.
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Summary: MONEY TALKS...
Review: This glossy, stylish, and elegant remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film, "Dial M for Murder", forges its own identity, as it leaves behind the theatrical underpinnings of the original film. Screenwriter Patrick Smith Kelly offers up an intelligent, well written script with some surprising twist and turns. Beautifully directed by Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, Under Siege, The Package), the film delicately weaves its ingenious plot. Steven Taylor (Michael Douglas) is a driven, wall street tycoon whose wife, Emily Bradford Taylor (Gwyneth Paltrow) is an heiress, fabulously wealthy in her own right. They live in a lavishly appointed apartment in Manhattan. The only fly in their ointment, or so it seems, is that Emily is having a love affair with a down and out artist, David Shaw (Viggo Mortensen). It seems, however, that there is a dark side to the relationship between Steven and Emily, as Emily is decidedly unhappy with it. Moreover, unbeknownst to Emily, her artist boyfriend is not all that he appears to be nor is her husband, Steven, who is not as rich as he purports to be. Apparently, a series of bad investments have left him with margin calls that are set to leave him on the brink of bankruptcy. What's a guy to do? Well, if you are like Steven Taylor, a ruthless, self-absorbed creep, you look to get your wife's money, at all costs. He knows about his wife's lover and will seek to use him, making David an offer he can't refuse. This decision sets in motion a cat and mouse game that leaves the viewer wondering, just who is the cat and who is the mouse? Who will live and who will die? This is a solid thriller that will keep the viewer riveted to the screen. Excellent performances are given by all. Michael Douglas is excellent as Steven Taylor, a cool and collected ruthless character who has sacrificed his very humanity to greed, power, and conspicuous consumption. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants. It is a role similar to that of Gordon Gekko, the character that Douglas played to critical acclaim in Oliver Stone's film, "Wall Street". It is Gwyneth Paltrow's performance, however, that is the most notable. She infuses the role of Emily with a surprising strength and vulnerability, creating a sympathetic character. This is no easy task, considering that her character, a gloriously wealthy, gorgeous woman who is two-timing and deceiving her husband. Considering her husband, however, it is understandable. She does, however, seem to be looking for love in all the wrong places, as her lover has his own issues. Viggo Mortensen gives an excellent performance as Emily's lover, David. It appears, however, that Emily may have picked a lover not all that different from her husband. Viggo Mortensen plays his part both hot and cold, as he is clearly conflicted by what Steven has asked him to do, despite the fact that it will give him what he originally set out to get. He manages, however, to turn the table on Steven, only to have Steven turn the table on him. Sarita Choudhury gives a warm performance as Emily's friend, Raquel Martinez. David Suchet of Hercule Poirot fame effectively plays the part of the wily detective, Mohamed Karaman, who comes into the picture when Emily is almost murdered and is most sympathetic towards Emily. All in all, this is a wonderful film that those who enjoy thrillers and murder mysteries will enjoy having in their personal collection. Bravo!
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Summary: Love Paltrow!
Review: A good Paltrow flick! It has some good twists and turns to make it a fun ride. Paltrow and Douglas are married but the marriage is not a happy one. She starts having an affair with an artist named David, Douglas finds out about it and is to say the very least is not too happy! Someone's going to pay dearly! David is hired by Douglas to kill the wife, but what happens when everything goes wrong? Worth checking out!
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Summary: Hero or villain?
Review: If I can't tell who's the hero and who's the villain halfway through a movie, two things are certain: I'll be watching until the end, and I'll watch again to see if I should have anticipated it. So, here's that game with a twist: Start with being *certain* who the murderer is, and then see if you can catch where things go awry.
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Summary: GWYNETH AND GRACE
Review: At first i was skeptical about this movie being a sort of remake of DIAL M FOR MURDER.However if GWYNETH PALTROW is not GRACE KELLY,she does a rather fine acting job on her own terms.MICHAEL DOUGLAS's character is a little cold hearted.The fun here is the plot twists that keep you guessing until the end.It's the kind of film you see to kill time but end up saying this is better than a simple time-killer.To resume,i would say that this is a variation of a familiar plot(the best example remains DOUBLE INDEMNITY(1944)that should maintain your interest.I still think that GRACE KELLY was the sexiest blonde in the movies,even if she kept her clothes on.
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Summary: An elegant thriller
Review: "A Perfect Murder" opened in theaters at the start of summer 1998. It did brisk business before being mowed down by the season's high profile fare. Actually, it held its own rather well, which proves once again that the public knows more than experts think it does. This is happy paradox, because much of the public's correct choices are due to the fact that it doesn't know everything. Critics do. Many critics get religion, so to speak. Certain "truths" become holy to them. Since Alfred Hitchcock was 'The Master of Suspense', any movie that is a remake of one of his works is damned before the first foot of film is shot. These self-appointed guardians of cinema can become menacing in their anger and hostility. You'd think Hollywood executives were running around trying to knock off The Pope. "A Perfect Murder" is based on the play "Dial M for Murder", which Hitchcock made into a film in the early 1950s, while under contract to Warner Brothers. I do not question his place in history, but not all of Hitchock's works carry equal weight. He did not like Frederick Knott's play. He reluctantly agreed to do the movie version in exchange for the studio's letting him do a pet project. As a result, they let him make the brilliant and successful "Rear Window", while he gave them the mediocre and successful "Dial M for Murder". "A Perfect Murder" was based on a script the studio already owned. It happened to be the perfect vehicle for young Gwyneth Paltrow to play in opposite Michael Douglas. Director Andrew Davis had already proved his ability at rehashed suspense with Warner's film version of "The Fugitive". The movie suffers not in the least when compared to Hitch's version. If anything, it's a better picture. It obviously had a bigger budget. It's not nearly as mannered and static. The plot has been extensively updated, except for one key scene involving a telephone. Its failings are due to the same elements which bothered Hitch. The play is close to being a potboiler. Still, in the new version, the makers were smart enough to employ film techniques which tend to gloss over the script's weaknesses. As Steven and Emily Taylor, Douglas and Paltrow are perfectly matched. Both have innocent looking facades, but these barely cover personalities underneath, which seem quite capable of cleverness and deception. Mr. Douglas's character may be more transparently criminal, but it is Paltrow's cultivated multi-lingual Emily which leaves one wondering. Is this woman a true victim, or is she simply the smartest player in this game? Viggo Mortensen does well in the role of her lover, whom you decidedly would not want to bring home. Nice characters rarely last long in this type of story. The three main characters, under Billy August's direction, bring off a cat and mouse thriller, which is far more intense than the Hitchcock version. While the plot covers very familiar territory, the movie's elegant look, which is uniquely Hollywood, dominates the picture. Having little substance to work with, the director pulled out the stops on style. Perhaps he figured that, if we were going to travel a well worn path, we might as well go like we were in a Lexus, rather than a Subaru.
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Summary: Featuring a two-fisted Gwyneth Paltrow
Review: 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.
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Summary: Hateful as a remake, uninteresting as a modern thriller.
Review: Of course, every cinema lover must compare this film with "Dial M for Murder", by Hitckcock. Both are based in a play by Frederick Knott. I don't mind what Hitchcock said -he seemed not particularly happy with that movie of his-: "Dial M for Murder" was excellent as a suspense thriller and a model for theater on the big screen. A very clever plot. Grace Kelly was the victim of her husband, Ray Milland. But what was really peculiar was precisely the character of Milland, who didn't show any single moment anything but a devilish cold and designing mind. He was a smiling practitioner of murder understood as a fine art, as an intellectual challenge. Instead Douglas in this film is a silly jealous killer with his habitual sour face. We see him even kill with a knife. A bore. And if we forget the hitchcockian referece? Well, then, an undistinguised film, not very exiting on any account.
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Summary: Hmmmm, familiar!!
Review: Correct me if I'm wrong but this movie seems awfully familiar! An old movie I saw years ago by Alfred Hitchcock is almost identical to this one. Even so, this movie with Paltrow and Douglas is very good. I was on the edge of my seat throughout it. It's the ol' 'murder your wife for the insurance money' plot but with a twist. If you like murder mysteries, you will enjoy this.
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Summary: Cool film
Review: This film is a real good actionfilm. If you like Michael Douglas, this is a very interesting film.
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