Rated R, Warner Bros.
Directed by Andrew Davis
Written by Patrick Smith Kelly

A Perfect Murder is based on the Alfred Hitchcock film Dial M for Murder. Hitchcock it ain't. Michael Douglas stars as Steven, his umpteenth rich guy in a mid-life crisis. Except this time he's married to Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow), almost the definition of a trophy wife. And for some reason still hard to understand, he pays her lover (Viggo Mortenson) to kill her. And when that goes wrong is where it gets interesting. The movie does have some thrilling parts, but there are quite a few plot holes and much of the action seems to have little or no motivation. And it's also unclear who we are supposed to sympathize with. My guess is Paltrow's character, but she isn't likable enough. There are a few plot twists but not as many as in most films of this genre. All the performances are okay, but nothing worth howling about. The whole movie is probably much better for a video rental later on, because it just seems phoned in the whole way through. Finally, the movie has a very abrupt ending, just like this review. ***

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