Adrian Lyne�s career in directing has a certain obvious thread running through it � Flashdance, Nine 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction, Indecent Proposal and Lolita. Putting aside he also made the quite brilliant Vietnam vet hallucanegenic trauma Jacob�s Ladder, the guy certainly has a hankering for a bit of how�s-your-father in his movies, while informing many a school-boy that their sex-ed teacher is not quite telling the whole story. This trend is continued in his latest, Unfaithful, which sees Diane Lane�s family torn apart by her steamy affair with a younger man.
It's not, as you might first think, a simple role-reversal reincarnation of the crazed bunny-boiler in Fatal Attraction but then again it's not at all original either. I have no idea why the producers decided to acquire remake rights to an old French film as the plot could be found in any trashy romance novel in any airport bookstore. As you might already have guessed, I am far from the target audience for this movie (although I�ve wanted to see Diane Lane getting all hot�n�bothered ever since my sister showed me The Outsiders when I was about 11), so it is quite possible that the over 30s female demographic will appreciate this well worn storyline more than I, even down to the clich�d arty French book dealer who sweeps her up in his charm and passion.
What really makes this film tick is the performances. Lane and Gere play their parts perfectly, progressing from the opening happy household to the suspicion, guilt and rage that will inevitably follow; Gere has no pretension as the happy father and spends most of the time wandering around looking quite old in what I suspect were sweaters stolen from my Dad�s wardrobe. Even the aforementioned continental cad is likeable enough and a vaguely believable character. The only other main cast member is the youngest kid from Malcolm In The Middle, and let�s just say he�s obviously honed his vacant jug-eared tot technique a little for this role.
When the good times come to an end, the events easily hold your attention as murder and attempted cover-ups follow, leading to a nice try at an ambiguous ending, although with the darkness of the last half hour it is quite easy to guess how it would actually all turn out. |
