"
the end of the affair " is a dark and moody romantic period piece , that neil jordan exquisitely writes and directs .
although it 's slow and sometimes confusing to follow , it still manages to give audiences a moving experience .
based on graham greene 's novel of the same name , the film mainly follows 3 characters .
there 's maurice bendrix ( ralph fiennes ) who has an affair with henry mile 's ( stephen rea ) wife sarah ( julianne moore ) .
sarah finds henry to be a bore , because well , he 's just a normal guy .
it 's all work and no play with him .
while maurice on the other hand falls madly in love with sarah , and would do anything for her .
unfortunately the two break up .
this is all witnessed in a serious of flashbacks , so that leads us to the present .
it 's a few years later , and they both still think of each other , so maurice hires a private detective ( ian hart ) to see what sarah is up too .
while this may sound straight forward it 's not .
it 's a deep dark tale of the jealousy that lies in the two men , unhappiness , and the ever lasting love .
all this may sound like a drag , but it really captures your interest . with great performances by ralph fiennes ( doing another english patient type of film , only this movie is better ) and julianna moore who definitely deserves an oscar because out of all 5 films she did in 1999 , i believe this was the role ,
she had the most passion for , and you can see why .
the story was also well written thanks to neil jordan .
even though i did n't read the book ,
there 's no doubt in mind that it was just as moving and descriptive .
what 's so moving about it you ask ?
the tragedy of it all .
it 's not the typical romance , in which a guy finds a girl , they fall in love and all is well
, this is more complicated and depressing .
it really shows the complexity of a relationship , because nothing is ever perfect .
everyone feels a different way and that is what tears us to pieces .
back to neil jordan 's script , it was n't only red roses .
there were times when i felt it
too be a little slow , but most romances are .
it also tended to be a bit confusing , especially at the start .
it keep jumping around from past to present , so it obviously took awhile to get a grasp of things .
also a notable was the superb direction by neil jordan .
i 'd have to say this is his finest achievement to date , because quite frankly i 've never really found his work to be up to par .
it just never did anything for me , until now .
when it ends , it leaves viewers a little saddened , but provoked nonetheless .
this is definitely one of the best films of 99 , and had some of the best acting , most notably by moore .
not for all movie goers , but for those who are film buffs and want something of value .
it really captures your interest some of the best acting exquisitely writes and directs she had the most passion for , and you can see why . the story was also well written there 's no doubt in mind that it was just as moving and descriptive great performances this is his finest achievement to date definitely one of the best films who definitely deserves an oscar also a notable was the superb direction manages to give audiences a moving experience