Topic: A Perfect Murder

[Dragonfire]

A Perfect Murder Wall Street titan Steven Taylor seems like a devoted husband. He isn't. Beautiful Emily Bradford Taylor seems like a faithful wife. She isn't. And when Steven hires Emily's lover to kill her, it seems like A Perfect Murder. It isn't. In fact, little is what seems in this sleek thriller. Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen star in A Perfect Murder, inspired by the play Dial M for Murder, filmed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1954. Fans of that classic will be in for a lot of surprises. So will Steven. At each unexpected twist in his "perfect" plot, he improvises brilliantly. But can he always stay one step ahead of the next jolt? My Thoughts After watching Dial M for Murder, I decided to watch this one again.  I first saw this one several years ago, long before I saw any of Dial M for Murder.  The plot is very much like that the of earlier movie, which makes sense since they are both based on the same play.  Some of what happens is predictable, but there are some changes to what is going on that add some surprises to the movie.  The story has been updated a bit and it isn't confined to the apartment where Steven and Emily live, though the most important part still happens there.  The plan is mostly the same, with a few little tweaks.  I do think there is a good amount of suspense to the movie and think it works well as an entertaining thriller.  There is a bit more violence to what happens in this version of the story. There are more details about the relationship between Emily and David shared and they are still having their affair when Steven puts his plan in motion.  The sex scenes are rather mild, basically just showing them rolling around in bed together while managing not to show much skin.  It is very clear from the first time that Emily and Steven are together that their marriage is strained.  Gwyneth Paltrow and Michael Douglas don't make the most believable married couple..something just seems off about that.  The relationship between Gwyneth and Viggo's character is more believable.    The DVD has an alternate ending that is slightly different.  I think I like the one used in the movie better.  The other extra just has information that has to be read about the decision to make a new version of the story. Overall, I really enjoy this movie and think it is worth seeing.  I think it works as a different version of Dial M for Murder well. I did post a review on Epinions back in 2004. A Perfect Murder