A Perfect Murder

Plot synopsis:
Steven Taylor (Michael Douglas) is a Wall Street hedge fund manager whose investments and speculations allow him to live an extravagant, upper class lifestyle with his much younger wife Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow). Unfortunately, his risky investments are unraveling; to alleviate the financial pressure and to maintain his status, Steven will need his wife's personal fortune, roughly $100 million. However, Emily is having an affair with a painter, David Shaw (Viggo Mortensen), and is considering leaving her husband.
Steven knows about the affair; he has also uncovered David’s dirty past as an ex-convict having a long history of conning rich women out of their money. Steven meets with David to reveal his knowledge of David's true identity and then makes him an offer of $500,000 in cash to murder his wife. At first David wants nothing to do with the plan, claiming instead that Emily and he are in love. Steven then reminds David that he already has two strikes against him and that the third arrest would be enough to send him to prison for 15 years without parole.
Steven has already laid out a detailed plan to supply him with a firm alibi. He will hide Emily's latch key outside the service entrance to his apartment. Steven will then go out for his regular card game, during which time his wife usually stays in and takes a bath. David has to sneak in and kill her, making it look like a robbery.
The following evening, when Emily arrives home, Steven removes the key from her keychain, hides it as planned, and then leaves. That night Steven takes a break from his card game and uses his cellphone to make a call to an automated bank number, while using a second phone to call his house. Emily leaves her bath to answer the phone but is attacked in the kitchen by a masked assailant; during their struggle she manages to kill the attacker by stabbing him in the neck with a meat thermometer.
Later Steven returns—to find his wife alive and the hired killer dead. He quickly takes the key from the killer's pocket and puts it back on Emily's keychain. Police arrive, led by Detective Karaman (David Suchet). They remove the assailant's mask and Steven sees that it is not David but a stranger, someone he later learns that David hired to do the job. Steven takes Emily to her mother's house, from where she attempts to call David to let him know that she is all right. David, under the impression that she is dead, does not answer in time. Later, Steven and David meet on a ferry boat and decide to wait until Steven has another plan. Meanwhile, Emily learns of Steven's serious financial troubles and tells the detective about this, acknowledging that Steven might have a motive to kill her.
David has already made a tape of Steven detailing the whole plan and demands the money promised earlier for her murder. Emily meanwhile has noticed that the key on her keychain does not belong to their home; suspecting something she goes to the apartment of the dead assailant to discover that her key, in fact, unlocks his door. Emily confronts her husband with this and the knowledge of his financial problems. To her amazement, he exposes David's sordid past and accuses him of being a blackmailer conning her and threatening him. When he saw the attacker's dead body in their kitchen, he assumed it was David and took the key from his pocket so as not to implicate Emily in any way.
Steven goes to David's loft to pay him but finds a note directing him to meet in a public place. The phone rings, and Steven picks up thinking it's David, but it's a ticketing agent confirming David's train out of the city. Steven meets David in a park and hands over the money; David gives him a copy of the tape and then leaves to board a train to Montreal. Once on the train and assuming he is safe, he opens the bathroom door in his cabin; Steven lunges out and stabs him. A dying David claims to have the last laugh because he sent another copy of the tape to Emily. Steven rushes home to try to get the tape before she can. At the apartment, he finds the mail still unopened while Emily is on the terrace. He hides the money and tape in his safe before Emily enters the room.
Thinking his problems are over, Steven takes a shower, but Emily sees the empty bag that contained the money. She manages to open the safe, finds the tape, and listens to it. Steven returns, and she reminds him that she still has not found her key. Emily pretends to leave to pick up food for dinner. Steven goes to the service entrance where he originally left the key for David. He finds it, and realizes that the killer had put the key back after using it to unlock the door. Emily confronts him, revealing that she knows everything now. Steven attacks her, but she has a gun and kills him, while the police qualifies her actions as self-defense and close the case. But in the closing scene Emily has a bruise on her face whereas she did not receive one in her struggle with Steven - suggesting she bruised herself to strengthen her alibi.

Tags: mystery, suspenseful, neo noir, murder, insanity, revenge

Review:
The plot follows a rich man (Michael Douglas) who discovers that his trophy wife (Gweneth Paltrow) is having an affair with an artist (Viggo Mortensen).
However, as all of us Hitchcock fans know; there's no such thing as the perfect murder.Michael Douglas was the absolute perfect choice for this role.
As mentioned, this isn't as great as Hitchcock's version - but as modern remakes go - this certainly isn't a bad one, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good thriller..
Sure, it's dated far more than a lot of Hitch's films, but it's still a tightly written and intelligent movie; Ray Milland playing a gentlemanly yet murderous businessman who plots to have his wife killed when he discovers she's having an affair and plans to leave him.A Perfect Murder, the 1998 remake, is a very different beast with different motivations and some major changes to how the plot plays out.
This time, it's Michael Douglas whose wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) is playing away from home but, in a move from the source material, it's her ex-con lover who is hired to do the murder.Despite this deviation, the machinations of the murder plot from the original film are near-identical.
While it's fun to watch Douglas worm his way out of things by repeatedly changing his story, it all leads to a frankly barmy climax where the bodies start to pile up.I guess A Perfect Murder is more interested in its characters than the tightly woven plot of Dial M, but the original film had charm that this sorely lacks.
A Perfect Murder is based on a middle rated Hitchcock film which was in turn based on a hit Broadway play called Dial M For Murder.
A PERFECT MURDER takes elements from the play, makes alterations in scenes and characters, changes the ending, and in attempting to modernize the whole thing has added some extra gore to the proceedings so today's audiences won't feel cheated.
Nor does Viggo Mortensen impress as Paltrow's lover.Those who haven't seen the movie or the play DIAL M FOR MURDER will no doubt find some of this absorbing enough--but anyone able to make a comparison is bound to be disappointed.
In this film, the stars are Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen.The best part of this film may not be the story, or the acting, both of which keep you glued to the screen, but the stylish photography and sets.
A Perfect Murder is a remake of the famous Alfred Hitchcock classic Dial M For Murder with Michael Douglas, Gwynneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortenson, and David Suchet cast in the roles that Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Bob Cummings, and John Williams played in the original.
From a nice set piece English crime story, it's now in late 20th century America where Douglas is doing another version of Gordon Gekko.Though Douglas might have made his own money like Gekko in this film he marries a lot more of it in Paltrow and his own financial empire is crashing around him.
While that film was more of a play than a movie, this tells the story of a wealthy New York commodities trader, his trophy wife, and the painter that she is cheating on her husband with.
***SPOILERS*** You see right away that their marriage is a bit strained within the first few minutes of the movie as Steven and Emily Taylor, Michael Douglas & Gwyneth Paltrow, get ready to attend a by invitation only art exhibit at the New York Museum of Art. At the museum Emily makes eye contact with young starving and soon to become famous, or so he hopes, young artist David Shaw, Viggo Mortensen.
This information that David has, if it lead lead to a trial and conviction, would be David's third strike as well as a 15 year sentence behind bars.Just when you think that you got an idea of where the movie is going with Steven breaking up the love affair between the young artist and his wife Emily he completely surprises you by offering David $500,000.00 to not just get of of his and Emily's life but to murder her!
Having been involved in a number of wild and very speculative trading ventures on Wall Street Steven's firm is about to go bust with him heavily leveraged in playing the currency and bond markets with the banks leaving him, the once billionaire Wall Street whiz kid, almost penniless.The plan to do in Emily that Steven devises with a very reluctant David is to make it look like she was surprised by a burglar who then killed her and took of with nothing more then the key to her and Stevens suite that he would provide for him.
David who's to do all the dirty work acting as the burglar while Steven, providing a perfect alibi for himself in his wife's murder, is away playing cards with his Wall Sreet friends on the other side of town.
The almost perfect plan backfires when Emily not only survives it by killing the intruder, after a life and death struggle, with a oven thermometer but, this is what really blew Steven's as well as everyone watching the movies mind, the dead man turns out not to be David Shaw!Very well done murder drama/thriller that has the slick and crafty Steven Taylor get outmaneuvered by the person whom he tries to manipulate David Shaw.
David in no time at all has all the cards to put Steven not just out of business, as a Wall Street broker, but behind bars as well for attempted murder of his wife Emily.
Emily and Moe or Mohamed somehow secretly bond together during the rest of the movie "A Perfect Murder" with her knowing Turkish and speaking to Moe in his native language.It takes a while for Emily to realize just what Steven is up to and by the time she finally get's it all together with the mystery of how her missing house key that the sparks and bullets really start to fly in the movies very tense and edge of your seat final sequence..
"A Perfect Murder" is an admirable attempt to remake Alfred Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder", an excellent, but often overlooked work.
Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Viggo Mortensen all produce solid performances; this film is limited by its plot.
Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder" was a movie to be remembered, but this remake was a disappointment.
I've just watched 'A Perfect Murder', and once again I'm impressed by Michael Douglas' performance.Maybe Michael Douglas is very good at reading scripts, because almost all his movies are good or at least average.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen are good supporting actors and their performances shouldn't be missed either.If you like an exciting crime story with some complications, then 'A Perfect Murder' is a good choice.
Still, I couldn't help liking him, and I felt myself wanting him to get away with it - whether he does or not, I'll leave up to the film.Great plot twists and turns, and each of the characters has a go at their side of the story.
A PERFECT MURDER, in my opinion, is an excellent, nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat movie that's sort of like FATAL ATTRACTION, only it's about what can happen when your spouse has an affair.
Now, in conclusion, I highly recommend this excellent, nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat movie that's sort of like FATAL ATTRACTION to all you Michael Douglas or Gwyneth Paltrow fans who haven't seen it..
It's a story about a Steven(Michael Douglas) and Emily Taylor(Gwyneth Paltrow), a rich couple with marriage problems.
But on the other hand his character is so poorly written and doesn't even reassemble an artist at all that i wont hold it against him.If you want to see a movie with very little suspense for a thriller and a terrible story with an even worse ending go and rent or buy this one.
Slick, clever, highly watchable thriller has Douglas perfectly cast as Steven Taylor, a ruthless, white-collar, cold-blooded husband who learns that his young wife (Paltrow) is having an illicit affair.
If you're going to make an exciting, suspenseful thriller this is the way to do it; the film has plenty of effective plot twists, surprises, and superb performances, especially Douglas who's stone cold and menacing as the vengeful husband.
Even the missing key as the man's downfall!It's also stretches the imagination to think of Paltrow as a seductress or to think any woman who had Michael Douglas would be attracted to a scungy-looking Viggo Mortensen.
Michael Douglas (Wall Street), Gwyneth Paltrow (Bounce), Viggo Mortensen (Psycho) all did a wonderful job.
Readers who have seen "Dial M for Murder" will remember that a key played a vital role in the plot and eventually gave the whole business away.
The fore-knowledge of the plot to the predecessor of this movie did not really diminish my enjoyment of the suspense, however, I did reveal step by step plot sequences to my innocent husband, probably lessening his thrall with the film.Michael Douglas delivered as a  tense, terse, precise villain once again.
Not as stylish as Dial M for Murder (which was, itself, not one of Hitchcock's best), but somewhat smart by today's dim-witted standards of what pass for suspense movies.
1998's A Perfect Murder is a remake of the 1950s Alfred Hitchcock film, Dial M for Murder.
Simple and safe, without many complex layers to its plot, Michael Douglas plays a problematic yet controlled rich man who wants to kill his wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) and he asks her lover (Viggo Mortensen) to do the job, but it all gets messy when the man hires a third part for the task who fails with his service.
A gifted master in creating the perfect scenario for all the intrigue, the plan and the murders, Davis uses of elaborated sequences that rings a Hitchcock touch but with better effect and not so showy like some of Brian De Palma's homages.
"Perfect Murder" is about perfectly cast, with Douglas, Paltrow, and Mortensen.
This purported to be a 'remake' of 'Dial M for Murder,' a favourite Hitchcock of mine (mainly because I love Grace Kelly under his direction).
Now that's a movie!-Ax. An almost-perfect murder film..
A Perfect Murder has only three primary characters; ruthless Wall Street businessman (Douglas), his beautiful, young, and wealthy wife (Paltrow), and her lover, a penniless painter (Mortensen).
You have to admit that the movie has a great cast in the form of Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow with an interesting story line which is ruined by a pale rather dull climax.
Gwyneth Paltrow has an affair, her rich husband (Michael Douglas) finds out and swears revenge.Very good acting performances by all actors involved.
Based on the terrific play "Dial M for Murder" which was filmed by Hitchcock as well.
The story is basically about a husband and wife named Steven (Michael Douglas) and Emily Taylor (Gwyneth Paltrow) where despite being married and have high prolific careers, are having a troublesome relationship and various other issues in their lives.
A Perfect Murder is a decent movie with a clever storyline that should have ended up being much better.I thought that since it was based on an Alfred Hitchcock movie,and with Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow in the lead roles,it was going to be a great,exciting thriller,but I was very disappointed,i've never seen Dial M For Murder,but I know it must be so much better than this.I was still very pleased with Michael Douglas,who did do a very impressive and creepy performance,but the rest of this cast felt very uninspired,and didn't help with the little amount of suspense in this movie.Fans of crime and thriller's should probably avoid this movie,its not awful,but its certainly not scary.A cold blooded commodities trader (Michael Douglas) on the verge of losing his fortune,hires a man (Viggo Mortensen) who is sleeping with his wife (Gwyneth Paltrow0 to kill her for a large amount of money in return..
Gwyneth Paltrow did okay,, but Viggo Mortensen was excellent here as the artist lover,, i love the plot twist , where you have both of the men plotting against her,, somehow the husband knows that his wife is cheating on her,, though it is never really revealed in the movie,, but then again it don't matter.
A Perfect Murder is a fantastic thriller, that you have to see.With a VERY disappointing Hitchcock remake coming out that same year, people needed something refreshing.This great 'remake' of Dial M for Murder, puts the wonderful acting talents of sweet Gwenyth Paltrow, creepy Michael Douglas, and suspicious Viggo Mortensen together for a fantastic mystery that makes you wonder, shocks you, and even scares you.The directing is also masterful, because it keeps the pace perfect throughout the film.
When I first watched this movie, I thought of it as a "remake" of Dial M for Murder.
I actually saw this before I saw Dial M for Murder, but although this was a good story I still found the original better.
This movie can't even be compared to Alfred Hitchcock's 'Dial M for Murder'.
Plot is rewritten but highly influenced by Hichcock original ..Nice thriller ..But could have been better ...Both Michael Douglas & gwenyth paltrow are impressive in their role ..
A modern remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film Dial M for Murder, 'A Perfect Murder' has some absorbing moments and yet it never convinces you entirely.
Its definitely interesting in parts & Michael Douglas is unmatchable, but the Writing isn't always arresting.'A Perfect Murder' Synopsis: Millionaire industrialist Steven Taylor (A Stellar Michael Douglas) is a man who has everything but what he craves most: the love and fidelity of his wife (Gwyneth Paltrow).
Still, in the new version, the makers were smart enough to employ film techniques which tend to gloss over the script's weaknesses.Michael Douglas plays a great role as a stern, hard businessman.
Douglas plays (another) wealthy executive type here, who learns that his wife is having an affair with a struggling artist and then offers the (very young and probably for the time not well known) Viggo Mortensen half a million dollars to murder her.
The plan should have been "perfect" but....This is apparently a remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic 'Dial M for Murder'(1954) which I'm curious to see now, and a slick little thriller in its own right, as I wasn't ever sure where it was going to go what with everybody betraying everybody.
A Perfect Murder is a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder, a story where U.N. worker Emily Taylor (Gwyneth Paltrow) is having an affair with struggling artist David Shaw (Viggo Mortensen), as her husband, Steven Taylor, hasn't been there for her emotionally.
When Steven finds out, he seeks to commit the perfect murder to inherit her fortune.While a remake, this is still a fresh story with additional plot elements and characters, and surprises that nobody saw coming.
Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow) is the wife of wealthy New Yorker Steven Taylor (Michael Douglas).
Steven (Michael Douglas) and Emily Taylor (Gwyneth Paltrow) look like the typical rich New Yorkers: he's twice her age, they live in a high-rise, and both have prestigious jobs.
I liked Michael Douglas as the seemingly perfect husband who finds out that his rich and younger wife (Paltrow) is cheating on him with a poor painter (Viggo Mortensen).
They work out a plan for the perfect murder, but than things go wrong...This movie has quite some suspense to offer and has been well assembled.
i personally consider this my favourite movie not for the murderous plot but for it cinematography, and acting this is a realy good from the original which was not as visually exciting as this one.it is  very intresting to see how these new york socialites live.
Based on R2 DVD 103minThis a is movie that could have been much better, it's loosely based on the Hitchcock movie 'Dial M for Murder' a fact that few will miss towards the end of the movie.After a good start it fails to propel the story or the characters forward.
An entertaining thriller with three main characters - a husband (Michael Douglas), wife Gwyneth Paltrow) and a lover (Viggo Mortensen).
Remake of Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder, which was itself based on a stage play.
A Perfect Murder, which I heard was actually a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder, turned out to be a good movie.
When they make remakes, then turn out to suck, but this was thrilling and exciting - and it's always good to see your favourite actress stab a turkey thermometre into a villian's neck.Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow are great as husband and the adultering wife.
Michael Douglas as Steven Taylor is absolutely brilliant and sinister, and the best aspect of this story is that you don't find out why he wants really wants his wife murdered until later in the movie.
Gwyneth Paltrow as Emily Bradford Taylor is also a great character, because although she is having an affair with another man, she's prepared to come clean with her husband before he tries to have her murdered.
Disappointing remake of the classic Hitchcock film although Douglas adds flavor to his role as a devious husband plotting the murder of his young wife, played by the incessant Paltrow.
If you want to see this film, I suggest you go see the original, "Dial M for the Murder" with Grace Kelly.
But the ensemble cast (Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen) make this a worthy successor to Dial M for Murder.
Although Perfect Murder is nothing like the original Dial M for murder it is still very passable on the fact the actors do a great job of it.
The plot might make the film very dated but the fact it wastes no time means that we don't bored or dragged along but then with performances from Douglas, Suchet ,Mortisson and Paltrow who I don't normally find sexy done a great job of pulling it through.