Atracción fatal

The plot of Fatal Attraction is well known and supposedly, when the movie was released, it terrified married men to the extent that it reduced adultery rates, or so the story goes. I find that mildly amusing and hard to verify.

What is more interesting is the character of Alex, portrayed skillfully by Glenn Close. The fact that Close didn't have the typical physique to play a "femme fatale" makes her role even more compelling, demonstrating the unpredictability of attraction. Her Alex is only mildly attractive but exudes a wild, deranged sexuality. Her frizzy hair, lack of eyebrows, and pale mouth didn't enhance her appearance, but Alex compensated with aggressive outfits and a matching attitude.

Some have tried to frame her as a feminist icon, but Alex is just a deranged, damaged criminal. At the start of the movie, it's clear that she's leading Dan where she wants him. During their dinner, Dan says, "This will end the way you want it," indicating that the idea was a no-strings-attached one-night stand between consenting adults, especially since Alex knew Dan was married.

They spend another day together because Alex insists, but Dan never gives the impression that he is in love with her or anything more than temporarily interested.

What is bizarre is Alex's change of behavior when Dan shows no further interest. From an independent professional, Alex transforms into a clingy, begging mess of a woman, which is explained vaguely, if at all.

While Dan's infidelity is not justified, I think he receives a punishment far harsher than he deserves. It's not true that he "used" Alex, who was more than willing to be used (as seen in the elevator scene). Moreover, falling out of love-or in this case, out of lust-is not a crime.

Alex turns into a violently aggressive psycho, and if the genders were reversed, everyone would side with the married person. Imagine a man harassing a former female lover with nonstop phone calls, destroying her car, and kidnapping her child. Everyone would scream "Stalker!" So why is Alex seen as a "feminist" and not a criminal?

All the lead actors were excellent, including Douglas, Archer, and Latzen, who played one of the few genuinely cute kids I've seen on screen. It's a pity about the over-the-top ending.

Let me start by saying that this was a very decent movie. Michael Douglas at his best doing the roles he does best. And not only him but the rest of the crew as well.

To me, the best part of this movie is actually the very believable plot. This is a situation that could happen to anyone, and to a different extent has happened to people I know. Furthermore, both the script and all the actors make the movie all the more believable. It is true that the movie deflates itself towards the end, but overall it is a great movie, and even a warning movie for the ones attempting to do what is done there.

The movie gets 8 points on my list because of the less-believable ending, and also because Glenn Close, while doing a perfect part in the acting, should take the part of the wife, and the wife (Anne Archer) should take the part of Glenn Close. This said, even as it is the movie should not be unbelievable. I have seen worse, and you will know what I mean when you actually watch the movie yourself.

One thing that cracked me up were the negative comments on this website. It seems that they were mostly written by women with chip in their shoulders. They do not criticize the movie, but the "fatal attraction". They criticize the fact that men would do this or that, or that a man would prefer X over Y...basically making quite clear that something touched them at a personal level and they did not like it. I guess truth hurts.

If you haven't watch this movie, do it. It is well written, incredibly well acted, and as much as you will have to forgive the last 5 minutes, it is overall a great movie.

So here we have it, the granddaddy of the psycho-thriller genre and in all respects a more subtle and realistic film than you'd expect from a genre that later descended into cheesy madness and inanity. By the time these run of films had finished – and there are still some B-movies coming out, here and there – we'd had psychotic babysitters, mothers, fathers, children, nurses, co-workers, you name it. But FATAL ATTRACTION is the one that kicked them all off in a wave of popularity, even if there were precedents in the likes of Eastwood's PLAY MISTY FOR ME and the slasher genre. It's a simple story of the archetypal happy family and what happens when the father and husband has an affair with an unhinged woman.

Michael Douglas is on top form as the slightly sleazy family guy who can't resist shacking up with loopy Glenn Close when his wife (Anne Archer) is away. Douglas later found a home in this type of film, menaced by more adulteresses (Sharon Stone) and even his own boss (Demi Moore). Here, though, he's fresher faced and more realistic, with the script making no bones of his adultery and the way he betrays both his wife and child by having an affair while they're away. Glenn Close is frightening in the role that made her name, but I have to say she doesn't cut it as an object of desire – with that hairstyle she looks like a maniac from the outset! The realism of the plot excludes the kind of murderous rampage sequences that later popularised the genre, and it's all the more chilling for it – the suicide attempt scene is far more disturbing than watching a madwoman running amok with a kitchen knife. Then, of course, there's that scene involving the favourite family pet that's rightly gone down in history as one of the most memorable of all time, and a now-familiar shock climax to polish things off. I did find the film somewhat subdued in places where it could have been more thrilling, but that's because it plays it as a character drama for the most part, more interested in getting to grips with Close's psychosis than bumping off a string of inconsequential types.

Given that I see about 150-200 movies a year (mostly in the theater, but also on demand), it is absolutely amazing that I had never seen "Fatal Attraction", originally released in 1987 (119 min.), yes 33 years ago! So the other night I was channel-surfing for something good to watch, and there it was about to start on SHO. I decided to tune in.

No point in introducing the film's plot, which everyone knows. So let me just add a couple of general observations. First, I was surprised how good the film actually was. I'm not sure where I had gotten the idea in my head that this probably wasn't going to be all that good, but it is an intense, very intense, stalker-drama. Second, the three lead performances are rock solid, led by a believable crazy-over-the-top Glenn Close. Her transformation from lover to stalker to hater is absolutely spine-tingling. Third, the movie of course feels a bit dated when you see not a single communication exchange on mobile devices. Instead, old landline phones actually ring out loud. No texting of course. Fourth, after watching this the other night, I read up a bit on the movie's history and legacy, and it was then that I learned that the movie's original ending was changed drastically into what we now know as the ending. The original ending sounds sounds more logical to me that what it eventually would become, although I can certainly see the shock value in the new ending.

Bottom line, this movie was a pleasant surprise all around, and these 2 hours just flew by. Glad that I finally joined the rest of the cinema-loving crowd and now have seen "Fatal Attraction", 33 years after the facts. If you are one of those who like me hadn't seen this yet. I'd readily suggest you check it out and draw your own conclusion.

"Fatal Attraction" is one of those famous things that got people talking during every free moment – and also one that's sure to be spoiled if you're like me and wait 30 years to see it.

Plot-wise, I know that to expect; but it still surprised me in some ways. Like the character of Alex Forrest. She doesn't have very much depth and it reduced to a stock schizo, but you wouldn't know it from Glenn Close's performance. Alex's (let's call them) antics have an unpredictability to them. Even when they're outlandish, they still work towards terrorizing Michael Douglas. She just keeps closing in, man. I don't think I'm really spoiling anything by saying Douglas eventually comes clean to his wife (Anne Archer) about the affair and that look of abject devastation on her face is horrible.

If the writing ever fails you (and it gets iffy) the acting won't. This can be a real nail- biter at times, and that's because the performances elevate the trashy script.

7/10