Dial 'm' for mediocre
By STEVE PERSALL
c St. Petersburg Times, published June 5, 1998
Crime buffs insist that there's no such thing as a perfect murder.
Movie buffs argue that there's no such thing as a competent remake
of an Alfred Hitchcock classic.
Yet we have director Andrew Davis with the nerve to attempt both
in one dull swoop, titled A Perfect Murder just to rub it in.
Davis, who was convinced after The Fugitive that he's a world-class
talent, puts a 1990s spin (or is it a wobble?) on Hitchcock's 1954
hit Dial M for Murder. More sex, more greed, more gore, much less
suspense.
Michael Douglas plays Steven Taylor, one of those snappy, sneering
dressers that he has been reprising ever since Wall Street.
Expensively tailored suits are now his calling card, the way tunics
were for his father, Kirk. Steven is suffering from bad securities
deals and a cheating wife named Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow). He decides
to have her killed and grab her inheritance with the assistance of
a third party, Emily's lover, David (Viggo Mortensen).
Aside from the basic outline and several threatening telephone
calls, Davis and screenwriter Patrick Smith Kelly don't match their
vintage inspiration. There's only one "Hitch."
Davis doesn't toy with the audience's allegiance, as Hitchcock did.
Ray Milland's character in 1954 was a sympathetic schemer. We could
sense how hurt he felt that his wife had cheated on him, and how
desperate he was to inherit her fortune. We might even silently
root for him to succeed because Grace Kelly's character was so cold
(plus adultery was still shocking in 1954). Then our loyalties shift
as we realize what a rotten husband he truly is.
On the other hand, Douglas is unappealing and arrogant from the
start. Steven is humorless and ruthless and played by the actor as
a guy who deserves to be left behind. When the tables are turned on
him, there is no conflict in our minds about whether he should be
exposed. Without any compassion for Steven, the second half of A
Perfect Murder degenerates into a typical would-be thriller with
lots of dark places and things that suddenly jump out while high-
strung music gooses the audience into a gasp.
Hitchcock always understood that movie tension comes from showing
the audience more than the characters on screen know. Dial M for
Murder laid out its scheme for our awareness, then made us squirm
through all of the ways it might fail. We never know exactly what
anybody's next move is going to be in A Perfect Murder. Therefore,
we don't anticipate anything, and anticipation is crucial to
suspense.
Paltrow fares a little better in a role that was one highlight of
Grace Kelly's screen career. Paltrow has that chilly blond look
that Hitchcock loved, and she's adept at shifting between a beaming
smile and pursed-lip vulnerability. However, Emily doesn't appear
as mentally sharp as her predecessor. She reacts to the noose
tightening around her, but doesn't do much to find out who's
tugging the rope. An ending that was reportedly added after
lukewarm test screenings of A Perfect Murder takes the usual
violent steps to make her appear tougher.
The third wheel on this rickety vehicle is Mortensen, who appeared
ready for stardom after a strong performance as the drill instructor
in G.I. Jane. Mortensen lets his high cheekbones and bohemian hair
do most of the work here as Emily's lover and Steven's pawn, David
Shaw. Even after we learn that David has a criminal past, he doesn't
seem ambitious enough to attempt any double-cross. Kelly's script
skims over the particulars, and Mortensen puts little feeling into
his lines. He does have a chin dimple to equal Douglas', though, as
one confrontational scene illustrates.
The only advance in the genre to be uncovered in A Perfect Murder is
the introduction of a police detective of Middle Eastern descent,
though his nationality remains unidentified. It's rare to find
characters from that corner of the world in a glossy Hollywood
production unless they're terrorists or goofy convenience store
clerks. Detective Mohamed Karaman (David Suchet) is a good cop,
instinctive and caring. He even gets to speak his native language
in a couple of subtitled instances. He still isn't allowed to solve
the case.
That such a relatively minor role should be so noticeable says a lot
about the American film industry's previous attitudes toward Middle
Eastern movie types. The fact that it's the only thing worth
remembering about A Perfect Murder says everything about the movie.
MOVIE REVIEW Grade: C
A Perfect Murder Director: Andrew Davis
Cast: Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortense
Screenplay: Patrick Smith Kelly, based on the stageplay and
screenplay Dial M for Murder by Frederick Knott
Rating: R; violence, profanity, sexual situations
Running time: 110 min. Studio: Warner Bros.