This stylish 90's thriller about a love triangle that turns murderous was based on Frederick Knott's play "Dial M For Murder" (which was also the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock's movie of the same name). Patrick Smith Kelly's screenplay updates the action, relocates it from London to New York and features enough plot twists to keep most viewers fully engaged throughout. The interactions between the characters at the centre of the story involve a toxic mixture of jealousy, lust, deception and blackmail which inevitably adds to the tensions which exist between them right from the very start.
Steven Taylor (Michael Douglas) is a wealthy Wall Street trader with an unfaithful wife and an investment portfolio which is losing its value so fast that financial ruin seems to be a certainty. In order to deal with these problems he meticulously devises a complex and seemingly perfect plan to murder his wife so that he can solve his financial problems when he inherits his share of her $100 million fortune.
Steven's wife Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow) has for some time been having an affair with a struggling artist called David Shaw (Viggo Mortensen) who Steven visits at his loft studio. Having already researched David's background and discovered that he's actually an ex-convict with a track record of being involved in scams in which rich women were his victims; Steven blackmails him into carrying out the planned murder for $500,000 in cash.
When things don't work out as planned, Steven moves quickly to cover up what's happened, David tries to blackmail Steven because he has some incriminating evidence of his involvement in the murder plot and Emily gradually starts to realise what her husband's been attempting to do.
One of the strengths of this movie is the brilliant casting as Michael Douglas is perfect as the cold and ruthless Steven, Gwyneth Paltrow portrays Emily's natural elegance, refinement and vulnerability convincingly and Viggo Mortensen looks suitably bohemian and at various times shows the mild amusement that David derives from what he does. These three characters all have their secrets as Emily doesn't tell Steven about her affair, he doesn't tell her about his financial problems and David doesn't mention his multiple identities, his criminal record or his background as a con artist.
"A Perfect Murder" isn't as stagy or as claustrophobic as Hitchcock's movie and the new elements which have been added really work well and make the plot more interesting. A wonderfully moody atmosphere is created and maintained throughout the film and some of the remarks made by the characters make a great impact. Examples of this are when Steven and Emily both say at different times "what if there were no tomorrow?" and "that's not happiness to see me, is it?".
It's easy to see why "A Perfect Murder" was such a commercial success because it's actually a great deal more than just a simple remake of a well known movie.
Steven Taylor (Michael Douglas) is a wealthy Wall Street trader with an unfaithful wife and an investment portfolio which is losing its value so fast that financial ruin seems to be a certainty. In order to deal with these problems he meticulously devises a complex and seemingly perfect plan to murder his wife so that he can solve his financial problems when he inherits his share of her $100 million fortune.
Steven's wife Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow) has for some time been having an affair with a struggling artist called David Shaw (Viggo Mortensen) who Steven visits at his loft studio. Having already researched David's background and discovered that he's actually an ex-convict with a track record of being involved in scams in which rich women were his victims; Steven blackmails him into carrying out the planned murder for $500,000 in cash.
When things don't work out as planned, Steven moves quickly to cover up what's happened, David tries to blackmail Steven because he has some incriminating evidence of his involvement in the murder plot and Emily gradually starts to realise what her husband's been attempting to do.
One of the strengths of this movie is the brilliant casting as Michael Douglas is perfect as the cold and ruthless Steven, Gwyneth Paltrow portrays Emily's natural elegance, refinement and vulnerability convincingly and Viggo Mortensen looks suitably bohemian and at various times shows the mild amusement that David derives from what he does. These three characters all have their secrets as Emily doesn't tell Steven about her affair, he doesn't tell her about his financial problems and David doesn't mention his multiple identities, his criminal record or his background as a con artist.
"A Perfect Murder" isn't as stagy or as claustrophobic as Hitchcock's movie and the new elements which have been added really work well and make the plot more interesting. A wonderfully moody atmosphere is created and maintained throughout the film and some of the remarks made by the characters make a great impact. Examples of this are when Steven and Emily both say at different times "what if there were no tomorrow?" and "that's not happiness to see me, is it?".
It's easy to see why "A Perfect Murder" was such a commercial success because it's actually a great deal more than just a simple remake of a well known movie.