La moglie di un uomo ricco

Suffering from a bad childhood, "Josie Potenza" (Halle Berry) marries at an early age to a wealthy real estate developer named "Tony Potenza" (Christopher McDonald) in order to essentially escape from a life of poverty. However, after seven years she realizes that her marriage is in trouble and in order to attempt to patch things up suggests that the two of them get away for a week to a cottage in the woods. Unfortunately, once there Tony gets a call from the office and has to go back. Needless to say, Josie isn't very happy with this sudden turn of events and rather than go back with him chooses to stay at this isolated location. Not long afterward she meets a man named "Cole Wilson" (Peter Greene) and subsequently tells him about her rich husband and the marital problems she is currently having. Unfortunately, Cole has some serious issues of his own and mistakenly concludes that she wants him to kill Tony. To make things worse, he then becomes quite agitated when she refuses his companionship and attempts to rape Josie--only to flee when she fires at him with a small pistol. After this Josie's problems really begin. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I was somewhat disappointed with this movie. The main reason for this was because, although this film had drama, it seemed to lack the passion or suspense often necessary for a movie of this type. Likewise, I thought that the surprise twist at the end was especially pedestrian. Be that as it may, Halle Berry put in a fine performance and because of that this movie wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. In any case, while it certainly could have been better, I suppose it was okay for the most part and because of that I have rated it as about average.

Josie and Tony Potenza are your typical (Hollywood) upper-crust couple. The middle-aged Tony (Christopher McDonald) is somewhat of an apathetic husband and an alcoholic, but is an otherwise loving husband with a thriving career as a film executive. Josie, the wife about half his age, feels neglected by him, but hides her concerns because she still loves her husband (and the money, let's not kid ourselves). Their flawed, but satisfactory life goes awry one night when Josie admits her marital problems to a Cole (Peter Greene), a total stranger who she becomes acquainted with after her car breaks down and he helps her out. Unfortunately for Tony, she also admits to Cole she sometimes wishes Tony was dead. Despite taking the comment back, Cole appears to take Josie's words seriously, and the problems ensue.

The cast, especially the supporting actors, bring a rather pedestrian script to life. Halle Berry is not only beautiful, but a competent actress in any role (aside from Catwoman), and in the context of the first 93 of the films 94 minute runtime, she does extraordinary as a woman lost in a situation which is totally out of her control. Christopher McDonald is great as usual, and fits the role of a wealthy, apathetic husband well. Peter Greene and Clive Owen (Josie's boyfriend) both work with what they have, and Clea Lewis (who I never heard of before this film) brings some mild humor.

The plot itself is nothing particularly new or original, but it grabs your attention slowly and when it has you hooked, it doesn't let go. While most of the material is recycled from previous (and better) films, it's presented in a manner that's still refreshing, and the characters hold it together.

Of the crew, the cinematographer, Haskell Wexler, displays his talents the best. There are many great sweeping shots of the mountains and forests, and the film as a whole has a glossy, well-composed look to it.

And there you have it: the good. The film's first 93 minutes is time well spent. The plot is interesting, the acting is above average, and film is well-shot.

Unfortunately, the last 60 seconds, yes, sixty seconds, is the film's undoing. I won't spoil the "surprise," but it is a twist ending that will cause you to scratch your head for a few minutes, and then make you wish you hadn't wasted your time. It seems like no thought went into the twist ending, and it was just tacked on because it was a popular thing to do. And with the twist at the end, gaping plot holes are left in the film. Horrible to end to an otherwise good movie. So, please take my advice. It's not such a bad movie, but skip the last 60 seconds or you'll feel cheated out of your time and intelligence.

This wasn't a bad film, it was entertaining, made you guess most of the time, and was pretty tense, its only flaw is some stupidity, and the jump scenes in it are predictable. Plus the film itself is predictable, but it is good, and it worth watching. Halle Berry is sensational as The Rich Man's Wife. The ending is especially satisfying, making your jaw drop to the ground. I give it a 7 out of 10. Rated R for strong violence and language.

The Rich Man's wife is an unabashedly trashy little Hitchcockian thriller with a young Halle Berry caught in a very dangerous situation that has spun wildly out of control. She discovers that her unpleasant and very wealthy husband (Christopher McDonald) has a hell of a prenuptial agreement looming over her. Over drinks with intense stranger Cole Wilson (Peter Greene), she offhandedly jokes that she should arrange his murder to speed up the process. Wilson turns out to be a grade A maniac and takes her comments seriously, setting forth some nasty events into motion that she never planned on. Berry is also getting side action from suave restauranteer Clive Owen, who ends up in way over his head trying to deal with murderous, unhinged Wilson who is attempting to frame Berry for her husband's death and generally causing problems for everyone. Berry is solid, Owen is restrained in an early career appearance. It's Greene however who earns brownie points, as he usually does. He makes Cole a fun psychopath who relishes in ruining lives and terrorizing people. A last minute, ludicrous and laughable twist ending solidifies the tawdry 90's vibe, showcasing amoral lunatics out to kill each other and pervert the American Dream. Standard thriller material, worth a watch simply to raise awareness of its existence, since it seems to have been buried in the two decades of time since its release.

It would appear that the writers of this rather muddled movie were in a big rush to get the script in. They borrowed elements of a number of movies, including the two in my summary, patched them together and voila. Instant movie.

Don't get me wrong, this movie isn't a total loss. If you just consider the acting, we have two standouts. Peter Greene as one of the vilest villains I've seen in a while, and Clea Lewis as the greedy, vindictive wife of the best friend.

Let's not forget Halle Berry. No, let's not. Her acting is always credible, even when she's forced to recite lines like these. And I can assure you she is as adorable in person as she is on screen. I worked with her on a mini-series called "The Wedding" some years ago. She was pleasant, professional, cheerful, friendly, and beautiful. Gee, I almost sound like I'm gushing, but I have worked a lot of movies with a lot of actors, and she really did stand out.

All in all, I don't think you can lose by spending a little time with this movie, but I have to warn you: There are more plot holes in it than there are pot holes in Jersey City.