Untreu

For long time this movie was in my watchlist and finally have watched it. Both Richard Gere and Diana Lane's (especially) performances are astonishing. Story is has taken me quickly because what Connie experienced is quite from the life and all people can do wrong sometimes. On the other hand there are implausible parts in the story especially after Edward finds out. Nice continuation of 90's erotic thrillers.

This is a movie about being unfaithful. you probably guessed that. The unfaithful person is one Connie Sumner (Diane Lane), wife to Edward (Richard Gere). Edward is actually a nice guy, and a loving father to their child Frank (`Malcolm in the Middle' star Erik Par Sullivan). Nonetheless Connie is not content with her somewhat staid home life. One day - caught in a Storm of Foreshadowing! - she is thrown into the life of a Frenchman Paul Martel (Olivier Martinez). He is much younger than her and gradually tempts her into getting with them. Connie must decide whether she can live with this secret affair, or will her misdeeds strike back!! Dum dum DA!

The first half of the movie is interesting. It's principally played from Connie's point-of-view. Diane Lane is quite excellent here - she's neither the selfish wife and yet she does not overplay the guilt role. She's never quite comfortable in her extra-marital affair but this is conveyed in nice subtle ways - Paul and her are ever only about sex for example (there's no real conversation between them). The whole thing is just a means of escapism - there's no real love there and Lane lets us clearly see this. She portrays passion well, but also the other emotions such as love and, on some level, sadness at being where she is. The minutiae of her performance are what make this movie worth seeing.

Unfortunately the acting abilities of the rest of the cast are nothing special. Martinez gets by on merely looking good and saying suggestive things in silky tones. His character - mostly just a catalyst for Connie and Edward - is incredibly one dimensional, not helped by the forgettable performance. Gere is OK, even when he does get centre stage in the movie. His performances tend to fairly sedate - whether this is him purposely playing a (mostly) controlled character, or a lack of acting ability is not for me to say here. He's a nice guy, who has his suspicions about his wife's change, and reacts in a bog-standard movie way (quite disappointing in some senses). Their kid is just cute and while his lines do actually sound like that of an eight year olds, he's still just blandly `cute kid #1035'.

Adrian Lyne, the director here, is back at his usual forte of adult relationship thrillers. It's all pretty good - some nice symbolic touches (ohh look a shot of a kettle on a hot stove as Connie wincingly dabs her cut!), and an ending that's agreeably ambiguous (and well shot). The pacing here is generally pretty good (the use of two main characters helping), although that can't help the disappointing nature of the second half of the movie. Still `Unfaithful' is above average for it's type, mostly due to Lane. Catch it on TV sometime as it does not requite a big screen. 6.3/10.

Is this a "great" film? Is this a Oscar-winning masterpiece? I honestly do not know. I was so engrossed in the plot that I didn't have time to judge artistic value. I was glued to my seat from start to finish. This is sassy, sexy thriller that delivers the goods and then some. But the actors make it work. The chemistry between each of the characters is electric.

Though Richard Gere gets star billing, it's the beautiful Diane Lane who has the most screen time. I'm always delighted to see her beautiful face on screen, but this is her most powerful performance up-to-date. Newcomer Olivier Martinez shows great charisma. He is a very talented actor, and if he goes on with his career in American movies, he can become the next Antionio Banderas. I swear, there were moments in the film where even I felt charmed by him. Richard Gere hasn't had a successful movie in years, and hopefully he'll get back on the ball with "Unfaithful." He delivers a fine, subtle performance and though I may be out on a limb, I'll say it's one of his best.

I haven't seen any of Adrian Lyne's past work, but I know he's an acclaimed director and now that I've seen this film, I'm curious to check out "Fatal Attraction" and his other past films. He definitely knows how to set the tone. The scenes have a cohesive rhythm, and I even spotted moments of symbolism.

"Unfaithful" is an intriguing, compelling piece--a real edge-of-your-seat nail-biter!

My score: 8 (out of 10)

I wasn't expecting much from 'Unfaithful' as I thought it would be another 'The Perfect Murder' type thriller. But 'Unfaithful' is so much more than what 'The Perfect Murder' could ever be. It's deeper. It's darker. It has so many psychological layers. It's more a character driven drama rather than than plot driven. The plot may not be exactly original but it's the influence of it on the characters is what 'Unfaithful' is about. The film is very engaging as we witness the psychological effects of the consequences of Connie's decision. Lyne deserves praise for his excellent artistic execution. I loved how he used symbolism (such as metaphors and pathetic fallacies) and shows great attention to detail as is evident in the visuals. The editing is clear cut. Biziou's cinematography is great and Kaczmarek's score sets the tone. Note that during the key moments, when the main characters are conversing, the background music is absent. Richard Gere and Olivier Martinez, though a little too old, do decent jobs. However, it is Diane Lane who gives a career-defining performance. Her sublime portrayal of the incredibly sexy Connie is awesome. She carries the film. It is Diane Lane and Adrian Lyne's film. 'Unfaithful' is a magnificent engaging artistic drama. I don't understand why some were even harsh enough to call it soft-core. Do they even know the definition of soft-core? Others seem to have a problem with why Connie, who had the perfect life, would have an affair. But I feel it necessary to stress that nobody is perfect and therefore the perfect life does not exist. Connie's affair wasn't a planned thing. Who knows why it happened? Perhaps she wanted to feel younger, perhaps she was bored, or perhaps she wanted more from her husband. I don't think it was with the intention to ruin her 'perfect' life. There doesn't have to be a clear reason...as affair's don't necessarily happen for the best reasons.

I have read alot of reviews here that expressed displeasure for this film based on the notion that this was basically "softcore porn for housewives" and had nothing new to offer it's audience. Ok, granted; this is not the most original film/script ever written, but I think that many reviews (both Professional and Ametuer alike) have missed the point of this film. Behind the obvious guise of a morality tale showing what can happen if you stray from your marital vows, there is a rather amazing piece of art to be seen. This film is not about marital infedelity, but, rather, about DRAMA. This is what we in the Theater refer to as Drama As Art, meaning that the plot is less important than the impact that the various plot points have on the characters, creating more and more and more drama as the story unfolds. As is the great ballets or stage plays ('Giselle', 'Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolf', 'Swan Lake' 'A Streetcar Name Desire'), the DRAMA is the star of the production, not the actors or the plot lines.

And in this respect, 'Unfaithful' excells! Watch carfully as the world slowly turns itself upside down and rips itself to shreds around these two people based on a SINGLE MOMENT IN TIME (the first scene outside of his apartment: Should she go in? Should she go home? One choice, one mopment in time, a world of difference). Based on her choice(s), the drama begins to build to a point when, at the end of the film, the DRAMA is the star, not Geer and Lane. And Drama does a fine job holding this otherwise middle-of-the-road film above the frey.