Fatal Attraction

An attorney for a publishing company finds out the hard way that a harmless fling with a woman can be the beginning of a nightmare, especially if the lady decides that she likes the man, married or not, and refuses to let him end their affair. This glossy thriller plumbs the psyche of a neurotic woman who has issues and demons in her past that drive her to get even with and destroy a stranger with whom she just met after a wild weekend's sexual binge while his wife and daughter were out of town. Glenn Close is chilling as the predatory female who stalks her erstwhile lover, harassing him at every turn, destroying his property and engaging in emotional blackmail of the basest kind. Michael Douglas, as the spurned woman's target and victim, is desperate to keep his indiscretion hidden from his attractive wife, the classy Anne Archer. The cinematography is rich with excellent color and texture, especially the twilight scenes, and the music is spare with subtle shadings. The entire cast is top-notch, especially Close who eyes Douglas the way a python looks at a mouse.