A Perfect Murder (1998)

A remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic Dial M for Murder.

Director:

Andrew Davis

Writers:

Frederick Knott (play), Patrick Smith Kelly (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Douglas	...	Steven Taylor
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Emily Bradford Taylor
Viggo Mortensen	...	David Shaw
David Suchet	...	Mohamed Karaman
Sarita Choudhury	...	Raquel Martinez
Michael P. Moran	...	Bobby Fain
Novella Nelson	...	Ambassador Alice Wills
Constance Towers	...	Sandra Bradford
Will Lyman	...	Jason Gates
Maeve McGuire	...	Ann Gates
Stephen Singer	...	Effete Man at Met
Laurinda Barrett	...	Met Woman #1
Aideen O'Kelly	...	Met Woman #2
Reed Birney	...	Merchant Prince #1
Robert Vincent Smith	...	Merchant Prince #2

Storyline

Millionaire industrialist Steven Taylor is a man who has everything but what he craves most: the love and fidelity of his wife. A hugely successful player in the New York financial world, he considers her to be his most treasured acquisition. But she needs more than simply the role of dazzling accessory. Brilliant in her own right, she works at the U.N. and is involved with a struggling artist who fulfills her emotional needs. When her husband discovers her indiscretion, he sets out to commit the perfect murder and inherit her considerable trust fund in the bargain.

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Plot Keywords:

artist | murder | love | violent husband | cynicism | 

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Taglines:

A powerful husband. An unfaithful wife. A jealous lover. All of them have a motive. Each of them has a plan.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

5 June 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dial M for Murder

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$21,300,000 (Non-US) (16 October 1998)

Gross:

£2,254,955 (UK) (6 November 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Kopelson Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To calm her and create a certain atmosphere of intimacy before filming the lovemaking scenes, Viggo Mortensen sang a couple of love songs to Gwyneth Paltrow that he learned in Argentina when he was young. In an interview he said, "I don't know if that ended up scaring her instead."

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Goofs

When Steven and Emily arrive at Emily's family home on the morning after the attack, they are still wearing the same clothes from the night before, have clearly been up all night yet Steven is clean shaven.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Steven: There you are. And how was your day? Any progress in saving the world?
Emily: I'm working on it.

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Connections

Featured in Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Velvet Night"
Written by Chris 'Hambone' Cameron and Richard Davis
Performed by Jeff Morrow

User Reviews

Disappointed

Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder" was a movie to be remembered, but this remake was a disappointment. It had real potential, and would have been great, had they taken advantage of David Suchet's great acting ability, and his character, which was a central character in the original film. But instead, they relegated his character to the background, and then, to and insult to injury, changed the Hitchcock ending from a sizzle, to a fizzle. Worth seeing, but nothing compared to the original.