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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
-
Mistake to compare it to the Classic
The stock review on this movie told me that it was a loose remake of the Alfred Hitchcock Classic "Dial M For Murder." The promo also told me that it had a clever script and unexpected plot twists. So what do I spend my time doing as I watch the movie? Waiting to be caught off-guard by plot twists, and waiting to be impressed with a clever script. Well, I waited in vain. The better promo would have been; "This is an ok movie that stands on its own as a tense thiller." Had they said this, it would deserve ... um ... 4 stars.
This feeble remake presents nothing clever, nothing surprising and does not come close to the mastery of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece.
Sheesh, this movie might as well have put up a subtitle that said "the Grace Kelly wannabe will grasp the meat-thermometer to 'unexpectedly' kill her attacker."
As for us being "surprised" that the attacker was not the playboy guy, I knew it wasn't the moment the almost-masked guy slipped into the parking garage and the cameraman hid his face from us. duh!
As for the clever script, Michael Douglas basically tells his wife that he's going to kill her. Gee, is that tension? No, it's just annoying to watch and wonder just how stupid this blond wife is supposed to be.
As for the movie being clever? Not when they claim that it's a remake of a Hitchcock masterpiece. Also, the plotting husband gives an unconvincing reason as to why the playboy can't just go kill her in the bathroom. The viewer feels like shouting "it's because this is a remake of a film where the wife is on the phone when she is attacked!" I feel like also quoting the fictional-fictional Jack Slater (in Arnold's Last Action Hero) saying his expected and corny line of "big mistake."
A big reason why "Dial M For Murder" remains a masterpiece, is that Hitchcock limited himself to basically one set, with very few exceptions. Even his cameo was masterfully slipped into that expensive "flat" (in the picture on the wall). (He did the same self-challenge in Rear Window and Lifeboat.) The 1954 wonder-work (Dial M For Murder) has a tight script and mesmerizing camera work which endure to this high-tech day as one of the best of the best by the best, and not easily "remade" by this ok film.
Rating: 
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twisted
Michael Douglas is so convincing as a cold, calculating criminal/big business man, who hatches a scheme to do away with his cheating wife. Since the other man in the picture is also quite deviant, the plot gets complicated and things don't work out as planned. The result is an intelligent thriller that will draw you into the intrigue and keep you guessing as to what will happen next. Definitely the kind of movie that can be enjoyed again and again. Absolutely not a good choice for younger viewers though.
Rating: 
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some loose ends
I enjoyed this film immensely (I've watched it about 50 times), and I think Douglas is just perfect for this role re. Wall Street for similar character. However, there are two loose ends which maybe someone can explain:
1. the key was replaced by the murderer after he entered the house.
Q. So why did Douglas find the key at the end of ths film ? What prompted him to just suddenly leave the room and check the key ? I would have expected him to check the key under the pipe immediately after he realised that Emily had someone else's key ?
2.
when Douglas returned home after killing the lover, he put the bag with the blackmail tape inside somewhere in his office. I think then that Emily took the tape when he was in the shower. But why would he leave the tape in the bag if it was so important to him ? Surley he should have destroyed it asap or taken it with him in the shower to make sure Emily would not find it ?
Rating: -
A perfect thriller with unexpected twists
+++++
This movie is based on the play "Dial M for Murder." Contrary to popular belief, this is not a remake of the famous 1954 Alfred Hitchcock movie that was also based on this play.
In this movie, Wall Street businessman Steven Taylor (Michael Douglas) seems like a devoted and caring husband...He isn't.
His beautiful, rich, sophisticated, accomplished, and much younger wife Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow) seems like the perfect wife...She isn't.
And when Steven hires Emily's lover (Vitto Mortensen) to kill her, it seems like a perfect murder...It isn't.
In fact, nothing is what it seems to be in this sleek and stylish thriller filled with suspense and smart, sharp dialogue.
At each unexpected twist and turn in his "perfect" murder plot, Steven manages to improvise brilliantly. (The numerous twists in this movie are what keeps it interesting and suspenseful.)
Michael Douglas gives an extraordinary performance as the Wall Street wheeler-dealer Steven Taylor. Both Paltrow and Mortensen also give good, interesting performances.
The inside photograpy of the Taylors' luxurious apartment is beautiful. Actually, this entire movie is filmed quite well. The background music helps add to each scene.
I had problems with the movie's ending. I felt it was not of the same high calibre as the rest of the movie. But wait! There is an alternative ending that I thought was much more satisfying.
Finally, the DVD itself (Special Edition) is perfect in picture and sound quality. It has a few extras, the alternative ending (alluded too above), I felt, being the most interesting.
In conclusion, this is a sleek, sophisticated, and stylish movie that keeps you absorbed in it due to its numerous twists and turns!!
(1997; 1 hr, 50 min; wide screen; rated 'R')
+++++
Rating: -
MONEY TALKS...
This glossy, stylish, and elegant remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film, "Dial M for Murder", forges its own identity, as it leaves behind the theatrical underpinnings of the original film. Screenwriter Patrick Smith Kelly offers up an intelligent, well written script with some surprising twist and turns. Beautifully directed by Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, Under Siege, The Package), the film delicately weaves its ingenious plot.
Steven Taylor (Michael Douglas) is a driven, wall street tycoon whose wife, Emily Bradford Taylor (Gwyneth Paltrow) is an heiress, fabulously wealthy in her own right. They live in a lavishly appointed apartment in Manhattan. The only fly in their ointment, or so it seems, is that Emily is having a love affair with a down and out artist, David Shaw (Viggo Mortensen).
It seems, however, that there is a dark side to the relationship between Steven and Emily, as Emily is decidedly unhappy with it. Moreover, unbeknownst to Emily, her artist boyfriend is not all that he appears to be nor is her husband, Steven, who is not as rich as he purports to be. Apparently, a series of bad investments have left him with margin calls that are set to leave him on the brink of bankruptcy. What's a guy to do?
Well, if you are like Steven Taylor, a ruthless, self-absorbed creep, you look to get your wife's money, at all costs. He knows about his wife's lover and will seek to use him, making David an offer he can't refuse. This decision sets in motion a cat and mouse game that leaves the viewer wondering, just who is the cat and who is the mouse? Who will live and who will die?
This is a solid thriller that will keep the viewer riveted to the screen. Excellent performances are given by all. Michael Douglas is excellent as Steven Taylor, a cool and collected ruthless character who has sacrificed his very humanity to greed, power, and conspicuous consumption. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants. It is a role similar to that of Gordon Gekko, the character that Douglas played to critical acclaim in Oliver Stone's film, "Wall Street".
It is Gwyneth Paltrow's performance, however, that is the most notable. She infuses the role of Emily with a surprising strength and vulnerability, creating a sympathetic character. This is no easy task, considering that her character, a gloriously wealthy, gorgeous woman who is two-timing and deceiving her husband. Considering her husband, however, it is understandable. She does, however, seem to be looking for love in all the wrong places, as her lover has his own issues.
Viggo Mortensen gives an excellent performance as Emily's lover, David. It appears, however, that Emily may have picked a lover not all that different from her husband. Viggo Mortensen plays his part both hot and cold, as he is clearly conflicted by what Steven has asked him to do, despite the fact that it will give him what he originally set out to get. He manages, however, to turn the table on Steven, only to have Steven turn the table on him.
Sarita Choudhury gives a warm performance as Emily's friend, Raquel Martinez. David Suchet of Hercule Poirot fame effectively plays the part of the wily detective, Mohamed Karaman, who comes into the picture when Emily is almost murdered and is most sympathetic towards Emily.
All in all, this is a wonderful film that those who enjoy thrillers and murder mysteries will enjoy having in their personal collection. Bravo!
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