A Perfect Murder (1998)

A wealthy Wall Street speculator discovers that his wife has a lover. He investigates him and uses the carrot and stick to make him murder his wife. Planned to detail, it seems like a perfect 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:

money | woman in jeopardy | murder | shoebox | woman murders attacker | 

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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:

The Convent of the Sacred Heart, 1 East 91st Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,615,704, 7 June 1998, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$67,638,368

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$128,038,368

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 Emily is questioned at the police station, her turtleneck sweater keeps moving around. Sometimes it's unrolled practically up to her eyes, while other times it's pushed down to her chin.

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Quotes

Steven: [in his office at their home, referring to David] your right his very talented
Emily: did you buy anything?
Steven: I made him an "offer"
Emily: and?
Steven: and his "chewing" on it

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Alternate Versions

The DVD includes alternate endings in which the protagonists behave differently prior to the final denouement.

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Connections

Referenced in The RAs: By the Sea, by the Sea, by the Beautiful Sea (2011)

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Soundtracks

Park Jam
Written and Performed by Richard Davis

User Reviews

Imperfect remake of clever stage thriller...

Hitchcock's DIAL M FOR MURDER was based on the Frederick Knott play of the same name. A PERFECT MURDER takes elements from the play, makes alterations in scenes and characters, changes the ending, and in attempting to modernize the whole thing has added some extra gore to the proceedings so today's audiences won't feel cheated. And yet, the result is not only distinctly disappointing, but inferior.

Only fans of Gwyneth Paltrow and Michael Douglas will relish their performances in this pale rehash of the original material. The complexity of "the key under the stairmat" which was so effectively played out in the Hitchcock film is entirely missing here. The detective work so fascinating in the original play and film is also gone despite the fact that he is played by David Suchet (in a very underwritten role). In short: none of the revisions are any improvement. Nor does Viggo Mortensen impress as Paltrow's lover.

Those who haven't seen the movie or the play DIAL M FOR MURDER will no doubt find some of this absorbing enough--but anyone able to make a comparison is bound to be disappointed. I'll take Ray Milland-Grace Kelly-Robert Cummings under Hitchcock's direction any day over a misguided Paltrow and Douglas under Andrew Davis' direction.

As for the comments of the viewer who said, "Who's Hitchcock?", please...spare me your review.