Review of A Perfect Murder (1998) by Spangle — 27 Oct 2017

As a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder, it is easy to head into Andrew Davis' A Perfect Murder with low expectations. However, in watching the film, it is clear that Davis re-invented the plot and characters enough that A Perfect Murder manages to stand on its own. The general layout starts off pretty much the same - though more sexed up, which would make Hitchcock deeply jealous - before diverting and really going in its direction. Oddly enough, it is this direction that is certainly lesser than the Dial M for Murder set-up, but it is nonetheless still intriguing and rather gripping to watch. It is a film that certainly has many plot contrivances and enough twists that it winds up twisting itself up. However, no matter where the film goes, it nonetheless manages to compel and entertain, while standing as one of the better murderous spouse thrillers from the 1990s thanks to strong performances from Michael Douglas as the shifty hedge-fund manager and Gwyneth Paltrow as his adulterous wife.

Upon discovering his wife Emily (Paltrow) is having affair with painter David Shaw (Viggo Mortensen), Steven Taylor (Douglas) sees an opportunity. With his risky and illegal stock market bets threatening to collapse and leave him broke, Steven needs money. Fortunately, Emily has a trust fund and no pre-nuptial agreement was signed. Discovering David's lurid past with prior trysts with rich heiresses and his time in jail, Steven uses the information to blackmail David into agreeing to kill Emily for $500,000. Planning everything down to the smallest detail, Steven believes he has crafted the perfect murder that will leave no trail to himself and solve his financial woes at the expense of his wife who he does not love anymore anyways. However, when things go sideways and an unexpected incident occurs, Steven's plans are shattered and he must evade detection by the now suspicious Emily.

While it may not re-write on 1990s thrillers, A Perfect Murder nonetheless often embodies their best elements. Building great anticipation for the planned murder through meticulous pacing and planning by Steven and David, the film allows the audience to visualize the murder and how it will happen right before it finally does happen. This anticipation turns into great tension as the moment finally occurs and we watch Steven plan his alibi and put every wheel into motion that he knows will see him exonerated. Once the attack occurs and the cops show up, the tension rises dramatically. Somehow, Emily is still alive and now Steven must cover up his tracks. Forcing the audience to recall every element that he put in place beforehand as he must now clean up any mess leftover by the would-be killer, A Perfect Murder shows these loose ends throughout the rest of its run-time and his efforts to snuff them out before Emily and the cops detect anything. Thrilling and similarly showing the psychotic nature of this crime, A Perfect Murder is a film that drops you into the mind of a killer and, somehow, gets you root for him as he tries to navigate the minefield of a cover-up he has made for himself when his plan goes haywire in the execution phase.

What really helps to sell A Perfect Murder as better than your average thriller is the acting. Though the film is riddled with cliches, it is the acting of its cast that allows it to really soar and carve out its own name. Chief among this is Michael Douglas. He really made his name for playing these men in poor relationships such as in Fatal Attraction or Basic Instinct, bringing this knowledge and his ability as an actor to the table for his role in A Perfect Murder. Calculating, wicked, and cold, Douglas' psychotic husband character is one that instills fear but an odd degree of sympathy as he is a man who is being cheated on. This confusion - largely brought on by him being the protagonist - is exemplified by Douglas who plays this charismatic charmer so well that we half forget he is also a murderous psychopath. As his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow gives one of her stronger performances. As she begins to piece together what happened to her, you can see the gears turn in Paltrow's head as well as you can see the denial and the emotion she feels as she comes to this shocking realization: both men she was with were liars and possible killers. It is a chilling place to be in for her and Paltrow sells this woman's confusion and emotion incredibly well.

However, what does hold the film back is its cliches and its contrivances. For the latter, the inclusion of David blackmailing Steven in the end and threatening to expose him does bring the film home to some degree, but feels overly written. Similarly, lines of dialogue dedicated to David rubbing in the fact he is sleeping with Emily come as cheesy and rather gross, highlighting that the film though thrilling may not be the best written film ever released. In fact, it is a film that tries to do too much.