A Perfect Murder

Name: A Perfect Murder
Genre: Thriller, Crime
Released: June 5, 1998
Duration: 108 min
Rating: 50
Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael Douglas, Viggo Mortensen

1998

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 125 Ratings

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7.8

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7.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 125 Ratings

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A Perfect Murder

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: June 5, 1998 | R

Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael Douglas, Viggo Mortensen

Summary: A powerful husband. An unfaithful wife. A jealous lover. All of them have a motive. Each of them has a plan. (Warner Bros.)

Director: Andrew Davis

Genre(s): Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 108 min

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Critic Reviews

David Denby

Andrew Davis, the director of "The Fugitive," one of the best thrillers of recent years, has added pace and heat and explicit sexuality to the material without whipping up phony excitement. Read full review

Roger Ebert

I think it works like a nasty little machine to keep us involved and disturbed; my attention never strayed, and one of the elements I liked was the way Paltrow's character isn't sentimentalized. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

I've seen far worse thrillers than A Perfect Murder, but the movie is ultimately more competent than pleasurable. Read full review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

This is simply efficient, routine storytelling with a high gloss but an undernourished sense of character. Read full review

Hollis Chacona

Tasteful, chilly, and polite, it is foul play at its traditional best: Anglo-Saxon, urban, and upper class. Read full review

Rita Kempley

The trouble is, we don't really much care about this philandering billionaire glamour puss, who seems perfectly capable of taking care of herself. We don't care about her husband or lover either. Read full review

David Ansen

All the surprises strenuously cooked up by screenwriter Patrick Smith Kelly and director Andrew ("The Fugitive") Davis can't overcome the movie's inability to make us care about any of its paper-thin characters. Read full review

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User Reviews

Steven1981

Apr 13, 2020

A Perfect Murder was directed in 1998 by Andrew Davis, director of The Fugitive... A Perfect Murder stars Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen and David Suchet.... It's a quite glamorous thriller/crime film that is beautifully directed and Gwyneth Paltrow looks great. StevenA Perfect Murder was directed in 1998 by Andrew Davis, director of The Fugitive... A Perfect Murder stars Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen and David Suchet.... It's a quite glamorous thriller/crime film that is beautifully directed and Gwyneth Paltrow looks great. Steven Taylor (Michael Douglas) finds out his wife's sleeping with some dude called David Shaw (Viggo Mortensen) and basically goes over a plan with him to execute or kill his wife. There's a few twists in the film and even though that's basically some or if not all of the story then don't be fooled because it's not that straight forward because there are twists that develop in the movie and all not quite goes to plan. Michael Douglas gives the best performance in the movie but Gwyneth Paltrow looks incredibly beautiful and she's okay. The characters are all likeable and the story is good and it's never boring and the dialog is okay. It's a film that gets you thinking and isn't over the top and beautifully well made. A Perfect Murder to me is a perfect film and I see no faults with it and is one of Michael Douglas's best movies.… Expand

2 of 10 users found this helpful28

eva3si0n

Jun 19, 2022

A Perfect Murder is the perfect example of a great thriller from the 90s. There's a great cast here, a good plot for a thriller and a solid ending to the film with a climax. One of Michael Douglas' best works. It is these films that are not in modern cinema, so A Perfect Murder only getsA Perfect Murder is the perfect example of a great thriller from the 90s. There's a great cast here, a good plot for a thriller and a solid ending to the film with a climax. One of Michael Douglas' best works. It is these films that are not in modern cinema, so A Perfect Murder only gets better over time… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

Solarium

Jan 12, 2020

A- Gwyneth, Michael and Viggo are brilliant in this movie. *****************

4 of 7 users found this helpful43

Receptacle

Jun 24, 2021

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0 of 4 users found this helpful04

timone

Nov 30, 2021

Now I'm all set to review a film that really star Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen. OK, now years ago while I was watching it, I just found out that this is a remake which I didn't notice. It's called Dial M for Murder directed by Alfred Hitchcock so I think this isNow I'm all set to review a film that really star Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen. OK, now years ago while I was watching it, I just found out that this is a remake which I didn't notice. It's called Dial M for Murder directed by Alfred Hitchcock so I think this is Alfred Hitchcock-ish so I was going to watch it to see what was going on. This film is pretty dark in many area's so this will be getting on the edge of my seat. Michael Douglas is a good actor in this and Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen did a pretty decent job. Michael Douglas's character plays Steven Taylor who wants his wife murdered named Emily Taylor played by Gwyneth Paltrow. She's in love with the painter called David Shaw played by Viggo Mortensen but she realized that he is a killer from the very beginning. That wasn't until the third act. Considering that there are scenes that are really interesting, there's a scene where the attacker attacks Emily Taylor and she kills him by stabbing him in the neck. It's always the best part everytime I watch it. And the ending which is remarkable. Good cast in this entertaining thriller made in the 90's. I enjoyed it years ago and it is dark in places. When I played a video game that really scared me, Eternal Ring will be the answer. Everytime I think about A Perfect Murder, Eternal Ring is the game where I die and get hit come across scary things, that really scares me. So, anyways, A Perfect Murder is an enjoyable movie that kept me on the edge of the seat the whole way through, nothing too special but still enjoyable. This is a good film but it is only good. I would give this an 8 but that was while back.… Expand

5 of 5 users found this helpful50

DawdlingPoet

Nov 26, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is quite a tense thriller, with Michael Douglas playing the clearly villanious, scheming husband Steven who hides more secrets than first appears. The story appears fairly simple at first, with the wife clearly being unfaithful, the hit being planned and subsequently botched but the way it unwinds is interesting enough, in that we get a better idea of his background, not only us as viewers but also Emily who discovers the legitimacy of Steven's business has been seriously put in doubt, raising suspicions considerably.

Anyway yes; the movie is very tense, with the musical score (use of instruments (strings etc.)) really making you feel on the edge of your seat. Its quite violent in parts and its probably advisable for particularly squeamish people to give this a miss, though otherwise its perfectly fine, if you don't mind the fact that the basic story is one thats been, pardon the pun, done to death already. I thought that the performances and the sheer constant tenseness present kept this movie from being really quite bland and purely predictable, instead given the main plot twist, I was left curious to find out how it would end and I would say that the ending was one that did surprise to me an extent.

Throughout the majority of the movie, there are clear 'goodies' and 'baddies' and you wonder how Emily can get away from what seems to be a sealed fate but its interesting to see when David Suchets character (had to throw that in there - can't say I expected to see 'Poirot' turn up in the middle of pretty much modern day NYC but there you go(!) it must be a bug bear to be typecast but there again this movie dates from late 90s and he didn't take on the role of Poirot until the '00s right? anywhooo...I digress!), Mohamed Karaman, comes to the fore, what comes to light and moreso how Emily manages to piece things together, while Steven is carefully covering his back. Their both clearly very professional characters and certainly their portrayed well, as both of their characters have stern and determined looks at certain times and indeed seem quite determined to do what they feel they have to do to save themselves in their own way. Whether this story is one which would appeal to you could depend, sure there's the issue of why should we care about such well off people and the usual tale of jealousy and control freak-ery? but reviewing it in terms of being a piece of entertainment, I felt that it was pretty engrossing and, like I say, it was quite tense and thrilling at times - I didn't feel certain of the outcome or that it was a let down, so I think for what it is, its a good movie. I felt that there was a definite degree of bluff or double bluff present in the story, with neither Steven or Emily wanting to appear to the other for most of the time, as if their on the losing side, put it that way. I wouldn't say that this is a movie with particularly amazing special effects or even action scenes as such, though there are what could be classified as fight scenes, certainly there are violent scenes of course but I feel that its the twists and turns with the plot and the good cast that really make this movie work, which is a good thing I think, I don't think its necessarily good for a movie to work only due to one or two pieces of good CGI effects, thats a bit gimmicky. I'm not really sure if there's anything else I can add about this movie, I think that about covers it all to be honest. I read on IMDB that its a remake of the Hitchcock classic 'Dial 'M' for Murder' which would fit given how the hit goes down (or does it?) - how many movies, say in the last 50-70 years, have been 'remade' (or should that be re-done? you know what I mean) and do they ever do real justice to the original, to make it worth having been made? that could be debatable...certainly nowadays it seems Hollywood is running out of original scripts. I tend to not be too impressed with such remales of sometimes 'bygone' movies, especially if they just stick one or two a list actors or actresses in the credits, to make people think ahhh well such and such is in it and I think I may have heard of the original movie when I was young but I was too young to see it then so I simply must see this remake! hmmm...(!). As it happens though, I don't feel I can mark this movie down too far and the original movie was made in the 1950s, so its not based on a book or movie originally from too 'way back when'- I wouldn't say the film is particularly genius or amazing but its certainly pretty engrossing and I do feel that Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow pull their weight pretty well, so I suppose in this case yes, its worth watching for that but it isn't always the case for every such remake movie, it really depends on the script and so on.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

jessetaylor25

Apr 9, 2011

"A Perfect Murder" is a remake of Alfred **** classic "Dial 'M' for Murder" which in turn is an adaptation of a Frederick Knott play. It certainly provides thrills, but what this film lacks that the great Alfred **** never went without, is great suspense. The film sometimes feels flat with"A Perfect Murder" is a remake of Alfred **** classic "Dial 'M' for Murder" which in turn is an adaptation of a Frederick Knott play. It certainly provides thrills, but what this film lacks that the great Alfred **** never went without, is great suspense. The film sometimes feels flat with what it's presenting and what little suspense it does have is executed so wearily that the whole thing feels tired and recycled. Aside from that, "A Perfect Murder" does come together as a solid thriller for the most part; it never ceased to keep my attention and most of the character interaction was intriguing. The police inspector role was cut down a lot from the original film this time leaving most of the detective work up to Paltrow's character. The ending left me a little cold, but all-in-all, this is an okay thriller.… Expand

1 of 12 users found this helpful111

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49	#49 Most Discussed Movie of 1998
55	#55 Most Shared Movie of 1998