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A Perfect Murder
1998
Emily Bradford (Paltrow) is a society daughter married to the successful Steven Taylor (Douglas). Heiress to a huge family fortune, Emily is due to inherit a one hundred million dollar trust fund much to the delight of her conniving husband. An adulterous transgression by Emily with the even more devious David (Mortenson) gives .. Read more
| Starring | Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen, David Suchet |
|---|---|
| Director | Andrew Davis |
| Genres | Thriller |
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A Perfect Murder
Emily Bradford (Paltrow) is a society daughter married to the successful Steven Taylor (Douglas). Heiress to a huge family fortune, Emily is due to inherit a one hundred million dollar trust fund much to the delight of her conniving husband. An adulterous transgression by Emily with the even more devious David (Mortenson) gives Steven a chance to try and outwit them both for the big prize. Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film "Dial M for Murder."
| Starring | Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen, David Suchet, Sarita Choudhury |
|---|---|
| Director | Andrew Davis |
| Studio | WARNER HOME VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 43 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Released | DVD: 19 Apr 1999 Production year: 1998 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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Dial M for Murder was not one of Hitchcock's best movies, but this remake isn't even in the same league, despite the appeal of its two stars, Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow. Douglas takes the Ray Milland role here, plotting the demise of his beautiful, wealthy wife, Paltrow (played by Grace Kelly in the original), by getting her lover, Viggo Mortensen, to murder her for a $500,000 fee. So far so good, but things quickly come unglued. So, too, does Andrew Davis's direction, which sometimes fails to maintain the tension of the first hour, while the script seems more interested in making obvious points about life and art in the late 1990s.
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Douglas is perfectly cast as a predatory 'control freak' in this classy, intelligent remake of Hitchcock's dramatically... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Exciting all the way to the end
I rented this film to see Viggo Mortensen and was rather surprised how much I enjoyed it. Michael Douglas does his usual creepy slimeball turn to great effect and Gynneth Paltrow plays well off him. Someone said David Suchet is under-used and I agree. More should have been done with his small part. As it is I was left wondering why an actor of his calibre was chosen for a few scenes. The alternative ending in the extras was disappointing. I expected something more radically different. Well worth a viewing.
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Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Not bad
Inevitably you have to compare this film to Hitchcock's original. The tension in this re-hashed version just doesn't even compare. Douglas is his usual charismatic on screen self and Mortensen plays his role well enough though Paltrow is a lacklustre as ever. Not a bad film but sadly dramatic tense music just isn't a substitute for actual tension that Hitchcock is such a master of.
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Emily Bradford (Paltrow) is a society daughter married to the successful Steven Taylor (Douglas). Heiress to a huge family fortune, Emily is due to inherit a one hundred million dollar trust fund ... -