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A Perfect Murder
1998 107 min United States of America R 16+
★6.5
Crime, Thriller, Drama
Director: Andrew Davis
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
Millionaire industrialist Steven Taylor is a man who has everything but what he craves most: the love and fidelity of his wife. A hugely successful player in the New York financial world, he considers her to be his most treasured acquisition. But she needs more than simply the role of dazzling accessory.
Budget:
$60M
US Gross:
$67.64M
Worldwide:
$128.04M
Starring
Michael Douglas
Actor
Gwyneth Paltrow
Actor
Viggo Mortensen
Actor
Awards
2 wins & 3 nominations total
Key opinion
A Perfect Murder is generally viewed as a polished, entertaining, and well-acted thriller that successfully adapts Hitchcockian suspense for the 1990s. While some critics feel it lacks the greatness of the original or profound moral depth, most agree that the charismatic lead performances and smooth direction keep the audience engaged throughout.
| Acting | Michael Douglas delivers a compelling, hypnotic, and charismatic performance as a calculated, cold-blooded antagonist. | |
| Production | The production quality, cinematography, and musical score provide a sleek, professional aesthetic consistent with high-end 90s thriller cinema. | |
| Direction | Andrew Davis’s direction effectively maintains tension and manages the complex, chess-like movements of the plot. | |
| Originality | The film succeeds as a solid, engaging suspense piece, though many viewers find it lacks the true originality or thematic weight to be considered a classic. | |
| Emotion | The characters are deeply polarizing; their lack of redeeming moral qualities makes it difficult for some audience members to find an anchor for empathy. | |
| Pacing | The film's pacing polarizes viewers, with some finding it a gripping experience that holds their attention and others feeling it occasionally drags or lacks sufficient dynamism. |