A Perfect Murder (1998)

Gwyneth Paltrow: Emily Bradford Taylor

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Quotes 

• Emily : [while staying over at Raquel's apartment]  let me ask you a question: what do you think Steven would do if he found out about David?

  Raquel : I mean screwing around is second oldest reason to kill someone.

  Emily : Oh really, and what would be the first?

  Raquel : [raises a glass]  Money, honey!

• Steven : When you wake up tomorrow, all this will seem like a bad dream.

  Emily : [lying on her bed, in her bedroom, inside her family's mansion]  What if there is no tomorrow?

  Steven : [leans forward to kiss her forehead]  You know better than that.

• [last lines] 

  [after listening to the tape of the murder plan] 

  Emily : [crying, while sitting in Steven's chair]  He... he said he was going to kill me. So I tried to run.

  Mohamed Karaman : [while sitting on Steven's desk]  And then he attacks you?

  Emily : Yes.

  Mohamed Karaman : What else could you do?

  [Emily looks at Karaman with gratitude] 

  Mohamed Karaman : [In Arabic]  May God be with you.

  Emily : And you as well.

• Emily : [while sitting in Steven's chair]  That's not happiness to see me is it?

  Steven : [upon entering his office, startled to see her in his office]  try surprised.

• Emily : [standing in the hallway facing her]  He must have put it back on his way in, didn't plan on that did you?

  Steven : Young David. He was... he was very unpredictable.

• [first lines, walking towards her from the balcony, wearing a tuxedo, and holding a Martini] 

  Steven : There you are. And how was your day? Any progress in saving the world?

  Emily : [while wearing formal business clothing]  I'm working on it.

• Raquel : [while staying over at Raquel's apartment]  Steven's already rich and you with your money you must've had a prenup, tell me you had a prenup?

  Emily : He offered. I said no.

  Raquel : So if you die he gets like a hundred million bucks?

  Emily : Something like that.

  Raquel : Lucky guy.

• Mohamed Karaman : [showing up unannounced to his desk at his police precinct]  To what do I owe the pleasure?

  Emily : I have some information about my husband.

  Mohamed Karaman : Concerning?

  Emily : It seems he was in serious financial trouble and he was hiding it from me and I thought that might be a possible reason for him to...

  Mohamed Karaman : Hire someone to kill you.

  Emily : Yes.

  Mohamed Karaman : We considered him a suspect until we traced a cell phone call he made the night you were attacked. The trace led us to an automated quote system in his office, it lasted five minutes before ten to nine minutes after ten that has to be one of more cleaner alibis we've come across.

• Emily : [talking privately in Steven's office]  But why did you put his key on my key chain?

  Steven : David threatened violence from the very beginning so when I saw the body lying in the kitchen I'm sure it was him none of the doors have been forced open so I assumed he had your key.

  Emily : But when? I had just used it to come that evening.

  Steven : Are you sure? He used your key? Because if memory serves me right, the door was wide open I saw you walk in.

  Emily : Maybe.

  Steven : In which case he could've taken your key the day before, did you see him the day before?

  Emily : Yes.

  Steven : So I went through his pockets and found what I thought was your key and I reacted I grabbed a screwdriver and jimmied the door and put back in his pocket and took what I thought was your key and put it on your keychain I am so sorry for having to put you through this it was the only thing I could do.

  Emily : Can you ever forgive me?

  Steven : I already have.

  Emily : We have to go to the police.

  Steven : I don't think this is the time for brutal honesty. I've tampered evidence in a homicide. I paid off a blackmail. I'm in way over my head and so are you, David can say anything he wants. He could say I hired him to kill you or he could say he blackmailed us, the happily married wealthy couple in which case it appeared we killed that poor bastard thinking it was David all depends how he wants to play it.

  Emily : What about the man that I killed?

  Steven : You think that has anything to do with David?

  Emily : It must.

  Steven : Do you have any idea how many burglaries are committed each day in this city? I don't think so.

  Emily : What are we going to do now?

  Steven : We're going to have to disentangle ourselves from your artist friend is there anything in his loft that can link David to you and I?

  Emily : My ring.

  Steven : I thought you said it was being repaired?

  Emily : That was a lie I left it by the bed.

  Steven : Is there anything else?

  Emily : Isn't that enough?

  Steven : I'll get it.

• Emily : [while sitting in Steven's chair]  The key to the dead man's apartment was on my key chain, someone put it there after I killed him and there's only one person in the world that could've done that.

  Steven : Me.

  Emily : Why?

  Steven : To protect you.

  Emily : From what?

  Steven : [Steven shows Emily of pictures her and David kissing]  Your lover, unless somebody else sent me these pictures, he called me here at the office two months ago, bragged about how hard you fell for him, he shelled out a hundred thousand dollars but he wants more.

  Emily : For what?

  Steven : Breaking it off.

  Emily : I don't believe you.

  Steven : Did he mention Belize? That's where he took all the other ones, This guy was quite the aphrodisiac with lowly limited means he learned to paint in a state prison not at Berkley I don't know where we go from here Emily I don't know if "we" is an option I do know I have done everything in my power to protect you from this career criminal you let crawl into our bed.

  Emily : Why didn't you tell me?

  Steven : Because I was sure you were in love with him, were you?

  Emily : I thought I was I can't even imagine what I put you through, is this why your business is in trouble? Banks and margin calls?

  Steven : How did you know?

  Emily : It's true, isn't it?

  Steven : Yes, it's true but I can always make money that's the fun part, there's a god damn sea of it out there but there's only one of you.

• Emily : [referring to his weekly card game]  I don't want you to go tonight

  Steven : what's wrong?

  Emily : I need to talk to you

  Steven : it's too late, they'll never get anyone to fill in, besides I beat them pretty bad last week, they're all going to want their money back.

• David Shaw : [over the phone, referring to their affair]  tell him what exactly?

  Emily : tell him everything: tonight

  David Shaw : look, we've waited this long, let's just hold off another day so we can figure it out together, so I can help you

  Emily : I don't know

  David Shaw : I do, I do know

• Emily : [after hearing Steven's message left on David's answering machine, while lying next to each other in bed after having intercourse]  What are you going to do?

  David Shaw : I guess I'll call him, it'd be kind of weird if I didn't wouldn't it?

  Emily : You're playing with "fire".

  David Shaw : If you're getting so upset about it why'd you give him my number?

  Emily : I didn't

• Raquel Martinez : [in a bar]  This is crazy I don't understand I'm your best friend, right? Half the year goes by and you don't say one thing, do you love him? Are you going to leave Stephen? So, talk to me.

  Emily : I will, if you shut up for one second.

  Raquel Martinez : Alright I'm waiting.

  Emily : I didn't tell you because you adore Steven, you cried at our wedding for God's sake.

  Raquel Martinez : I cry at every wedding.

  Emily : No, you don't, you like the "idea" of us, everybody does, but you have no idea who he really is.

  Raquel Martinez : Steven, I know Steven.

  Emily : No, you don't, you don't know that every single thing has to be on his terms, you don't know that he no real interest in who I am.

  Raquel Martinez : What are you going to do?

  Emily : I don't know, I'm going to figure out a way to tell him, he deserves that.

  Raquel Martinez : What makes you think he doesn't know?

  Emily : There's no way, you know he knows that something's not right, but that's it.

• Emily : [over the phone]  I can't do this anymore, I've got to tell him tonight, I'm really sorry.

  David Shaw : It's ok.

  Emily : [referring to Steven surprising her by taking her to lunch]  He's never done that before, something's wrong, he knows.

  David Shaw : No, he doesn't.

  Emily : I cannot live like this anymore, it's not, it's not fair to him. I've got to tell him.

• Emily : [over the phone]  Hi it's me

  David Shaw : Hey how you doing?

  Emily : I left my wedding ring.

  David Shaw : I know I put it away before he got here.

  Emily : [exhales, feeling relieved]  thank God, what'd you guys talk about?

  David Shaw : he wasn't here that long, so just the work

  Emily : he said he made you an offer

  David Shaw : as a matter of fact, he did

  Emily : what piece?

  David Shaw : it's this one you haven't seen

  Emily : I thought I'd seen all of them

  David Shaw : most of them but not all of them

• Harrington : [talking privately inside the United States Mission to the United Nations Annex building]  Mrs... Taylor, passing this kind of information, even to a spouse, is unethical.

  Emily : I understand.

  Harrington : Your husband has been buying U.S. and foreign bonds on margin and using those securities as collateral, that's illegal, in fact his company has been under investigation for almost a year, some months ago, U.S. interest rates started moving against him, he should've gotten some horrific margin calls but the banks he's in bed with have been hiding the losses hoping that things will turn around, it isn't happening, sooner or later those margin calls will come and when they do, your husband will be wiped out.

• Young Tough : [in Spanish]  hey Blondie

  Young Tough : what are you doing here?

  Emily : [in Spanish]  excuse me, I'm looking for apartment 209

  Young Tough : [points to the building where the apartment is located] 

  Emily : [in Spanish, points to the stairway entrance into the building]  this way? Thank you

• Steven : [in his office at their home, referring to David]  your right his very talented

  Emily : did you buy anything?

  Steven : I made him an "offer"

  Emily : and?

  Steven : and his "chewing" on it