A Perfect Murder

"A powerful husband. An unfaithful wife. A jealous lover. All of them have a motive. Each of them has a plan."

1998 1h 47m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

🥫

55%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 1,616🥫55%Rotten Tomatoes●50Metacritic★6.6IMDB · 95,704

CrimeThrillerDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Millionaire industrialist Steven Taylor is a man who has everything but what he craves most: the love and fidelity of his wife. A hugely successful player in the New York financial world, he considers her to be his most treasured acquisition. But she needs more than simply the role of dazzling accessory.

“A powerful husband. An unfaithful wife. A jealous lover. All of them have a motive. Each of them has a plan.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

Paramount Plus PremiumSubscription

Paramount Plus EssentialSubscription

Paramount+ Amazon ChannelSubscription

Paramount+ Roku Premium ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

YouTubeRent

Fandango At HomeRent

Spectrum On DemandRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Apple TV StoreBuy

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Michael Douglas
Steven Taylor
Gwyneth Paltrow
Emily Bradford Taylor
Viggo Mortensen
David Shaw
David Suchet
Mohamed Karaman
Sarita Choudhury
Raquel Martinez
Michael P. Moran
Bobby Fain
Novella Nelson
Ambassador Alice Wills
Constance Towers
Sandra Bradford

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andrew Davis
Writers: Patrick Smith Kelly, Frederick Knott
Languages: Arabic, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andrew Davis, shot by Dariusz Wolski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dennis Virkler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A powerful husband. An unfaithful wife. A jealous lover. All of them have a motive. Each of them has a plan.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andrew Davis directs. Dariusz Wolski behind the camera. James Newton Howard scores. Dennis Virkler cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Arabic, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
228 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Arabic, English.
4Directed by Andrew Davis, shot by Dariusz Wolski. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by James Newton Howard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Dennis Virkler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A powerful husband. An unfaithful wife. A jealous lover. All of them have a motive. Each of them has a plan.".
9IMDB entry: tt0120787 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "jealousy", "husband wife relationship", "blackmail", "attempted murder".
11Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Dariusz Wolski
Original score: James Newton Howard
Editing: Dennis Virkler
Production design: Philip Rosenberg
Costume design: Ellen Mirojnick
Makeup / hair: Milton Buras
Sound: Jeffrey J. Haboush
Stunt coordinator: Michael Runyard
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $60,000,000
Box office: $128,038,368
Return: 213% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: A Perfect Murder (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes: 55% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 50/100
IMDB rating: 6.6/10 · 95,704 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

2 wins & 3 nominations total

Also by

Andrew Davis

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-05-23
★ 7/10
You should thank me. Artists are always appreciated more after they're dead! A Perfect Murder is directed by Andrew Davis and written by Frederick Knott and Patrick Smith Kelly. It stars Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen, David Suchet and Sarita Choudhury. Music is by James Newton Howard and cinematography by Dariusz Wolski. A powerful husband. An unfaithful wife. A jealous lover. All of them have a motive. Each of them has a plan. A re-imaging of "Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder", which itself was by the great director's admission not one of his best, Andrew Davis' ("The Fugitive") film may not reach great heights, but it at least is its own animal. The twists and turns are solid enough for entertainment purpose, and suspense is never far away. The characterisations bring about differing and alternating responses from the viewers, which is a nice trick in the tale, and while the finale seems a touch "popcorn crowd appeasing", this rounds out as a satisfying suspense thriller. 7/10 Excellent performances, with interesting twists on the original film, and compelling direction by THE FUGITIVE‘s Andrew Davis highlight this intriguing suspense film. The film isn’t without it’s flaws, as you may find it difficult to resolve the fact that you’ll probably wind up rooting for the murderous Douglas not only due to his usually being the good guy in his films but because the lovers are severely flawed characters most will think deserving of getting offed, especially the lame-ass Mortensen as Paltrow’s love interest. With PSYCHO and REAR WINDOW also being made this year, I am left with mixed feelings about this latest trend. On the one hand, these remakes speak to the fact of Hitchcock’s timeless themes in his films, while on the other hand it points out that Hollywood has perhaps run out of ideas when even a remake of a middling Hitchcock film is one of the better thrillers to come out in recent years.
John Chard2020-05-23
★ 7/10
You should thank me. Artists are always appreciated more after they're dead! A Perfect Murder is directed by Andrew Davis and written by Frederick Knott and Patrick Smith Kelly. It stars Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen, David Suchet and Sarita Choudhury. Music is by James Newton Howard and cinematography by Dariusz Wolski. A powerful husband. An unfaithful wife. A jealous lover. All of them have a motive. Each of them has a plan. A re-imaging of "Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder", which itself was by the great director's admission not one of his best, Andrew Davis' ("The Fugitive") film may not reach great heights, but it at least is its own animal. The twists and turns are solid enough for entertainment purpose, and suspense is never far away. The characterisations bring about differing and alternating responses from the viewers, which is a nice trick in the tale, and while the finale seems a touch "popcorn crowd appeasing", this rounds out as a satisfying suspense thriller. 7/10
JPV8522022-01-15
★ 8/10
This is one I've seen a few times over the years (last time was nearly 10 years ago). Wonderfully devious performance from Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow holds her own (and looks great). Not an amazing thriller but kept my attention to the end. Fine direction by Andrew Davis who a few years before directed the great thriller, The Fugitive. 3.75/5