Sombres soupçons

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.

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.

An early movie by three lead actors who would go on to super-stardom, well Peter Green is not a superstar but makes a super villain. This is a slightly above average movie pastime that is not bad, but is bogged down by some genre conventions that are, well, conventional. The twist ending was completely unnecessary and for that indulgence it can be faulted.

The supporting cast is good and the cinematography is excellent. There is one scene that stands out (in the park) for all those movie fans that recognize that hitting a moving target with a handgun is not as easy as it looks in most Hollywood products.

The camera loves Halle Berry and here she displays some acting chops that would prove that she was not just another (very) pretty girl. So this is an average to slightly above average Neo-Noir that can be enjoyed for the best of it.

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.

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.