Delitto perfetto

Movies like these are missing from mainstream cinema today. I haven't seen a decent current psychological thriller for over a decade with the exception of Gone Girl. I am experiencing major Marvel fatigue and really wish the studios put out movies like this between all the blockbuster cgi fests. I miss the 90's thrillers like Kiss the Girls, Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Basic Instinct, Seven, Fatal Attraction, etc. This is my first time seeing this movie in 2022. The first half being significantly better than the second half. The first half was clever and fairly surprising and though unlikely, it was realistic. The second half got a little messy with a cliche ending. Still I appreciate the nice change of pace.

Micheal Douglas (Steven) and Gwenyth Paltrow (Emily) are a married couple. Emily falls in love and has an affair with a young painter, David Shaw (Mortensen). Hiding the affair and making a tense move, Emily is put in the position to tell Steven or not. One way or another Steven has a plan, a plan to murder his own wife....with a little help from the someone else.

I really love this movie. I try to watch it as much as possible. In this movie it is set to the level of Micheal Douglas's creepy and insanity side of his acting. He scared me so much that I didn't feel comfortable about seeing this for the first time. Gwenyth Paltrow on the other hand, plays a very innocent and lovely role. She really doesn't have a clue what Steven and David are up to in this twisting thriller. Viggo is absolutely excellent in this movie. He gave an outstanding role and put another character on my favorite list. This is a very good movie and I recommend this movie to Alfred Hitchcock and mystery/murder fans. I would rate this 10/10

I found the film to be very interesting and smoothly executed. The acting of film veteran Michael Douglas was superb. Paltrow and Mortensen were also very smooth and a pleasure to observe. My only problem with this film was the way it ended. An editing glitch? Maybe. It was too abrupt. But all in all, a very entertaining film and an excellent use of a familiar theme-plot.

It should also be noted that Novella Nelson, who portrays Ambassador Alice Wills, is a noted songtress in her own right. I have had the pleasure of attending a few of her concerts and night club appearances in the 1970s. An excellent, sultry and sometimes fiery singer of jazz standards and R&B.

I enjoyed most of this film up until the messy resolution. The plot doesn't play out in a supremely satisfying way, which hampers the overall impact. The performances are all fine and there's some good suspense throughout. Gwenyth Paltrow's character makes some odd choices and seems generally clueless throughout, but also makes some remarks that appear as if she knows things. It's rather confusing. A Perfect Murder kept me invested all the way through with its sleek and stylish story, I just wish the ending had been a little more thought out.

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.