Rating: 
Summary: It was the Best of times...it was the Worst of Times
Review: Adrian Lyne is not known as the king of subtlety, as in his "Fatal Attraction" or "Flashdance." He showed remarkable restraint in "Lolita"; giving the film a beautiful and reverent patina of intelligence and honor especially in Jeremy Iron's portrayal of Humbert. Why the major distributors did not take on the mantle of "Lolita" will forever remain a mystery.
In Lyne's newest film, "Unfaithful," he finally comes into his own with a film that is not only provocative but also one that resonates with clear headed thought and remarkably subtle performances.
"Unfaithful" is the story of Connie and Richard Sumner (Diane Lane and Richard Gere), happily married for eleven years with one son living in White Plains, New york. One day, Connie is in NYC for business in the middle of a hurricane-like windstorm when she literally runs into Paul Martel (Olivier Martinez). After Connie scuffs her knees in a fall, Paul invites her into his apartment in Soho for some tea and thus begins a torrid, ultra-sexual love affair. Everything up to this point is Lyne-like with Lane and Martinez never looking more beautiful and sensual in their entire careers amid scenes of photographically perfect lovemaking.
But Lyne throws a wrench into his usual mix of infidelity amd marital indiscretion by adding a murder and thriller plot that adds dimension and breadth to the film. Is it any wonder that this cast was interested in doing this film? Especially Richard Gere who is extremely picky about the projects he undertakes.
Even though Diane Lane has been making movies since she was twelve, she does wonders with her character here. Her Connie is in love with her husband and her life but simply cannot resist the charms of her "amour fou" Paul. There are no big decisions to be made here, Connie is bowled over by Paul and does almost nothing to resist his charms...he is French,handsome and young after all.
The reprecussions of Connie's affair are played out with Hitchcockian suspense yet without Hitchcock's 50's sensibilities and Calvinist modes of retribution. The ending is left remarkably open to interpretation.
Even though Diane Lane has been making movies for 30 years, she has never had a better part than that of Connie and she makes the most of every one of her scenes. She is a revelation in her reticent yet all-consuming realtionship with Paul and with her intelligent and sympathetic dealings with her family. We truly care for her and her situation: she transforms what could have been a negative part into something positive and life-affirming. Both Gere and Martinez are also first rate and empathetic: we care for both even though they are far from perfect human beings.
Adrian Lyne has had a rocky career with several lows ("Lolita") and few highs ("Fatal Attraction"). "Unfaithful" shows us all what a fine, accomplished, subtle film maker he is and what a diligent and persuasive director of actors he can be.
Rating: 
Summary: Hot, Steamy and Sad
Review: Poor Diane Lane--she's moved out of the city and into the suburbs and she's bored out of her mind even though she is married to Richard Gere and has a charming little boy.
Enter the younger Frenchman (ohh-la-la), bookseller Paul, who Lane literally bumps into on the artsy Mercer Street while she is fumbling about in a wind storm trying to keep her suburban anxiety in check with weekly doses of Manhattan charity volunteering.
Lane's portrayal of confused Connie is fantastic; she comes across as both sexy and vulnerable as we watch her unravel emotionally as she gets more and more involved with Paul and eschews her responsibilities and security with Gere.
I am not sure I liked where this film headed,perhaps it was too formula,moving the action from Lane and Martinez back into Gere's arena. Nevertheless, it was emotionally absorbing from start to finish---the outcome lending credence to the old untarnished values that are designed to keep the state of marriage a sort of sanctum sanctorium.
The music and weather play additional roles in this drama. Both well suit the mood and add to the angst. Some of the sexual antics may be a little iffy for family fare even if we are talking about older teenagers.
Rating: 
Summary: Well, the first half was good.....
Review: What starts out as a sexy movie, with a strong female character, seems to turn into some kind of twisted morality play, where the main message is, "Stand by your man.... even if he's a jealousy-ridden psychotic killer." Diane Lane's character starts out powerfully, as a woman seeking something more in her life and going for it. Yes, what she goes for is wrong, considering she's married, but that's no excuse for her character to turn into a simpering apologizer, begging forgiveness from a husband who was guilty of far worse crimes than she. If the logic used in this movie is going to be "She made him kill by cheating on him", then I think it's only fair to say "He made her cheat by being dull." If you can't buy the latter argument, I understand. But I couldn't buy the former one, either.
Rating: 
Summary: A must see due to Diane's Lane's uninhibited performance
Review: This movie, which I missed when it first came out, plays out in typical Adrian Lyne ("9 1/2 Weeks", "Fatal Attraction", "Indecent Proposal") fashion both in visual terms and in the didactic manner in which he portrays sexuality, (especially a woman's sexuality) and the price that his characters have to pay for being sexual.
Originally a director of commercials, Lyne has always had a great eye for detail, but unfortunately he is unable or not interested in making his movies look different from one another. His polar opposite in my mind would be Ridley Scott, who also has the same commercial directing background but has created movies very different from one another visual terms.As far as sex is concerned, Lyne's women are generally something to be feared as they are either the predators ("Fatal Attraction") and or even when they are not, their actions will always be punished or cause damage to her and those around her. By now, you may think that I hated this movie, but that is not at all the case due to strong performances a few surprises, and thankfully, a somewhat ambiguous ending, that manage to make this a movie worth watching. Any review of this movie that does not start and end with Diane Lane's portrayal, is not worth reading. Hers is a performance that is so raw and full of true human contradictions, that one can easily see why she was nominated for the Oscar. Although I hate to give anything away as reviewers generally spill too many plot details, both the title of this movie and the posters indicate that Lane's character will be unfaithful. The lucky man happens to be actor Olivier Martinez, who also gives a strong carnal performance in a role that on paper could be a movie cliché and a thematic prop rather than a somewhat developed character. Although Lyne is quite the fetishist in how he choreographs sex, here he gives room for Lane and Martinez to have moments rarely seen in American cinema, especially during their first encounter. Lane's character is both turned on, terrified, and shaking so that, when finally he touches her, you feel like you are right there with them. She is equally mesmerizing later when her character finally rides home on the commuter train. She's disheveled and luxuriating in her memory of the afternoon, veering between smiling with pleasure at her own daring afternoon, and then suddenly drawing her body protectively inward in a way that lets you know she's thinking. Hers one of the fullest portrayals of sexual desire and pleasure and fear I've ever seen in a mainstream studio movie. Lane doesn't do anything you'd expect and I was impressed how she shows guilt and shame but Lane the actress doesn't allow those emotions to dominate as most of Lyne's women do when they are not the single-minded aggressors. Lyne should be given credit for at worst, not stopping hurricane Lane, and at best maybe he, for a few moments, allowed one of his women to surpass his moralistic perspective. Richard Gere is quite good in this change of pace role as he is cast in a secondary role as the provider and essentially a good man. Not a perfect man, but maybe one who has become somewhat disconnected from his beautiful wife. To say anymore in terms of plot development would be criminal, but I do wish that the makers of the movie had followed the original material from which this movie is based more closely, especially the second half and especially the end as in that version (not this one so this is not a giveaway) the infidelity winds up being the catalyst to improve the marriage of those characters, whereas here it's not a stretch to know that infidels much be punished. This is a very hard movie to review as it's a MUST due to every nuance of Diane Lane's performance, as some scenes that are truly intimate, but I wish that Lyne had surpassed his usual moral assaults and tamed his need to put human emotions into a neat compartment. Here he does such a good job of making this affair almost inevitable, I was hoping that he was going to raise the bar; however I do give him some points for the ending of the movie as it marks a baby step into the right direction. Although this review may not sound like a 3 star review, Diane Lane's 5 star performance makes a movie to watch, and maybe even more than once.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful drama, but leaves you hanging
Review: "Unfaithful," directed by Adrian Lyne, is a powerfully acted psychological drama. Diane Lane and Richard Gere star as Constance and Edward Sumner, a couple who live with their son, Charlie (Erik Per Sullivan) in an expensive-looking suburban home. All seems fine until a freakish windstorm literally blows Constance into Paul Martel (Olivier Martinez), a hunky New York City book dealer. To what will the flirtatious attraction between Paul and the older married woman lead? The performances in "Unfaithful" are first rate. Gere brings a lot of depth to this surprisingly likeable character, and Martinez is effective in his role. But much of the film belongs to Lane, and she really shines. She brings a potent mixture of emotions to life as we follow her character's path. Some of her best scenes are totally wordless; Lane needs only her body language and face to convey pages worth of dialogue. The script is well plotted, and there are some well realized production details; Paul's book-filled apartment is a particularly memorable visual image. But ultimately, I found "Unfaithful" somewhat unsatisfying; it felt like a morality play without enough payoff. After watching the film I had a feeling similar to that with which the film "In the Bedroom" left me. Still, as with "In the Bedroom," strong acting makes "Unfaithful" worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: STEAMY BUT WITHOUT MUCH CONTENT
Review: Several reviewers call this a "great" movie. I wonder if we were watching the same film. UNFAITHFUL is the story of a housewife (Diane Lane) whose overactive libido makes her vulnerable to the seductive charms of a French bookseller (Olivier Martinez) whom she meets accidentally. The affair goes on for some time despite guilt pangs suffered by the housewife and in the face of growing suspicions by the husband (Richard Gere). The production values are good in UNFAITHFUL with many scenes set in New York City and the acting is good. The love scenes between the wife and her French lover are quite steamy. That's about all that's good in this movie. The plot suffers from too little conflict as there is no real villain in the piece. Reviews refer to UNFAITHFUL as a "thriller" but the application of that term to this movie is probably the result of not knowing how to categorize the movie and needing to classify it somehow. Without giving away any plot essentials, there is very little danger or threat of danger to the characters in UNFAITHFUL which might be expected were it a thriller. The plot leaves us guessing why the wife takes a lover as Richard Gere seems to the ideal husband except that maybe she is bored in the bedroom. I found UNFAITHFUL empty and without much content. The characters seemed to walk through the film with little motivation or feelings. The last half hour of the film was totally boring and had me dozing off. The soundtrack is forced and over dramatic at times and got on my nerves. This is a pedestrian project with little reason to identify or root for any of the characters. Pass.
Rating:
Summary: Adrian Lyne made his masterpiece
Review: First at all, I'm powerful and greatfully surprised by this movie. It's a first rate, by many reasons.
The clever script and the golden direction of Lyne. In fact, when you see this film you know since the first fifteen minutes that you are in an unusual film. The narrative style, the accurate telling reminds us to Louis Malle (Damage), Joseph Losey (The messenger) amd Jacques Torneur (Detour).
The superb performance of Diana Lane makes me think that this extraordinary talented and not less beuatiful actress (one of the top ten actually) has been neglected for many roles. She has an absolute charisma. She seduces the camera, and has multiple skills, for the drama and the light comedy (Under the sun of Toscane).
I still remeber in Cotton Club and it's well known that Coppola has had the Midas touch for young actors. This is a high point for Lane. And remember she still was a teenager.
Richard Gere is OK, but Olivier Martinez is outstanding. Happily he gets the perfect balance for Lane. His role is perversely made with a touch of refined style. Both of them steal the show.
The film combines the best of the film noir with a deep load of internal anguish in this unhappy couple, for all we know.
The shameless weighs all a world in the troubled soul of Gere after the fact, and so Lane is one step below the madness.
The final ending is anthological.
I've always shared the idea that in film like this, the ending must be opened.
And Adrian Lyne crossed at last! the category of a worth director to become in a talented director of first rate.
Hitchock told once that there were two kinds of directors; those who saw upon their heads and those who saw just the floor. It's a pedestrian but clear view that allows us classify them. And Lyne crossed the edge and went to the rank of creative directors.
A vow for Lyne and we expect much more from you. Don't let us down. Don't look at behind. Remember Orson Welles when he was interwiewed in Cannes after his Othello in 1953.
Welles said : Othello is a well done film. But the project that I've in mind. That's just a masterpiece. It's the hunter's criterion.
Buy this film and soon you'll forget Fatal Atraction.
I swear you.
Rating:
Summary: Good most of the time.
Review: The movie was good,but what made me sad was Richard Gere's character killing Diane Lane's lover's character.When I was watching this movie I was rooting for Diane Lane's character more than anyone else and I wished the affair wasn't found out.I had watched love movies in which the one having the affair is never caught.One movie is a foreign flick,The Key which was great.I give this movie a good grade but I wished the plot was different.
Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece, read the book though!!
Review: Unfaithful starring Diane Lane (Connie Summer), Richard Gere (Edward Summer) and Oliver Martinzez (Paul Martel) is an "erotic thriller" directed by Adrian Lynne, (Fatal Attraction). From the first few moments of this film, Unfaithful had me hooked. The story is an old one, a woman who seems to have it all is drawn into a tumultous affair with a handsome and mysterious stranger but never have I seen the destructive nature of adultery put on screen before. It's like the 5th and 6th chapter of Proverbs were the basis for the screenplay here. It's a sad and tragic tale here and might serve as a warning to those whom are considering having an affair, simply don't! Run like the wind!! Unfaithful is rated R for sex scenes, nudity and some foul language, (totally in context). I used my trusty fast forward button to get through the sex scenes, although they are necessary to this story I got the picture without having to watch it. It's a really well written and superbly acted thriller, Diane Lane and Richard Gere do some of their best work here and Adrian Lynnes direction is great as well, you are really drawn in to this story and at times you almost feel like you can't breathe, the tension is high. Brilliant film but use your fast forward button about 4 times!! Thanks for reading.
Rating:
Summary: Faithful to Itself
Review: I usually avoid mainstream Hollywood domestic dramas: either they are about what the director thinks is wrong with the American family or what she thinks is an ideal one; the results are not infrequently cliched. 'Unfaithful' happily departs from the norm.
Diana Lane as the 'unfaithful' wife turns in a sterling performance. One has only to watch the expressions on her face as she recollects her first extra-marital sexual encounter with Paul on a train to see how conflicted her character is. She is caught up in a relationship which at one level is a bitter-sweet college romance that never was, at another an escape from staid suburban boredom, and still at another a vent for subterranean desires. Her focus and composure during the sex scenes, particularly the first, is laudable. The sex scenes in the film, except for one, have neither the saccharine serenity nor the wham-bam dullness that one would expect; they are touching, especially the final one, a genuine sense of adventure comes through them, and they reveal much of Connie's character. Her sharing her first name with Lady Chatterley, however, doesn't mean that her extra-marital relationship has any element of gung-ho abandon/idealization. But whether it's simply a pleasant, and dangerous, indulgence or whether it has a deeper significance is ambigiuous. For instance, there's that torrid bout Connie has with Paul after finding out his own 'unfaithfulness'; there are clearly darker impulses propelling Connie and its not simply a case of making a 'dirty' mistake. Fortunately, the narrative does not take on unplesant moralising tones of 'O look how she falls', but there's a decency with which her impulses are traced. That is not to say that the narrative does not have its own position on what she does. Throughout the film there is the 'cleanliness' symbolism employed; observe how when Connie is in Paul's bathroom during her first visit she doesn't want to touch the water-closet; later on she is shown having sex over a water-closet. While Connie's been 'dirtied', there are extenuating circumstances. Note the wind in the opening scene that whirls Connie round and round; she isn't totally in control of herself. Other than the water-closet and wind symbolism there is the irony in the boy's statement at the end when he asks Connie: 'Why aren't you in bed, mom?' By that time things have become muddled enough for her to quip, 'Who's bed, honey?' What is clear, however, is that Connie suffers not because she commits a trangression, but for wanting what she doesn't want; she allows herself to get entangled in a situation she doesn't want to be in.
It's never made clear in the film how much of a reader Martinez's character is; considering, however, his Jack-Dawsonly bohemian persona combined with Wickhamly rakish propensities, I'd say not much. Paul is a pastiche of stereotypes, not a character. This takes away from the effectiveness of the Connie-Paul outing. Think of a number between 500 and 1000, and you may be close to the number of times directors have had two lovers falling over one another when they 'accidentally' meet for the first time. And of course we had to have a school concert.
'Unfaithful' is clearly not immune to the befuddling cliche or two. But, the director knows where to put them. With much tension and inexorable logic the narrative chalks out the consequences of Connie's actions; in its own way it has the mercilessness of a Greek drama. In the final analysis, 'Unfaithful' remains faithful to itself.
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