Unfaithful is unbelievably evocative
Added 9/24/2009
Unfaithful is a film that stirs your senses, from the initial temptation to the bittersweet ending.
There are many films dealing with a man's infidelity to his wife (Lyn's Fatal Attraction, for one), but this movie takes the other perspective. It tells the story of a seemingly happily married woman's affair with a handsome stranger, and how such a chance encounter can turn everyone's life upside down.
There's a lot to intrigue the viewer in this movie--from the way the clandestine affair is revealed to the sordid aftermath.
Diane Lane is amazing as always, and Richard Gere's performance will floor you. If you don't feel his character's pain, especially in the pivotal scene, you must not have a pulse.
What's also amazing about this movie (kudos to director Lyne) is how fleshed-out the characters are. Whereas in many films of this genre the viewer knows just whom to blame, whom to call the villain, whom to call the victim, this one, on the other hand, portrays each character with depth and empathy, blurring the lines between good and evil, accident and purposefulness, right and wrong.
This film is also beautifully filmed--a lot of sepia tones (maybe a statement as to the haziness of good and bad as portrayed in the film)--and the music by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek is haunting and lovely at the same time. Perfect is what it is.
A definite 5-star film.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Good service
Added 8/15/2009
Good service, but it was pretty slow in getting to me. It was a birthday present, and I ordered it before the date needed, and I didn't receive it until about a month after the date needed.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Choices -- actions -- consequences
Added 8/2/2009
When it comes to adult-themed moralistic storytelling, Adrian Lyne is the master. He strips out the schlockiness of Fatal Attraction and provides us with a morality tale of what adultery does to the betrayer, betrayed and the lover. Yes, as Amazon points out, the movie does turn partially predictable, but that doesn't detract from its power. The theme of adultery and its consequences is timeless. C.f. 2 Sam. 11:2-17.
I was curious to see what my reactions and impressions would be watching this film after finding out about my wife's affair, having seen it once before the affair, and a second time just recently. It rings as true now as it did before my wife's infidelity, but has become even more poignant and at times difficult to bear. But who said movies were only supposed to make you feel good?
"There are no mistakes. There's what you do, and what you don't do" Oliver Martinez' Paul Martel says at one point. Mr. Lyne does his best to show that Paul's carefree, existential, valueless philosophy is wrong. Mr. Lyne succeeds. Mistakes exist, as do the consequences for them.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
great movie
Added 4/21/2009
I was going to order this from Amazon but found it at Wal-mart for five bucks. What luck! But hey, this is really a good movie and worth the watch.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Wonderful movie better prices out there
Added 4/7/2009
Wal-Mart has this movie in the value bin for 5$.. no shipping. It's not a review but good advice and much more helpful than some of the others.
Ok.. my take on the movie is this:
Richard Gere is as good as it gets, he can express more with his face and eyes than most actors can with a film full of dialogue. You can read it in his face, the sense of betrayal and heartbreak which turns to anger and desperation with one quickly placed eyebrow. Diane Lane on the other hand, seems to be pumped full of tranquilizer. She remains expressionless the entire film, and I lost interest in her character. I really wanted to see her get mad and pound his chest and say "How could you do this!!!"..but she handles the whole thing while being careful to use her indoor voice. Boring!! I started hoping she would be falsely charged with the murder and Edward would stay silent, getting his revenge and moving on with someone else.
I also think the child element was a tad unnecessary except to make her cheating more deplorable. It needed a deeper twist such as "Edward" being responsible for their child's accidental death and her cheating out of anger; Or her becoming pregnant with the new guys baby after years of infertility with "Edward". That to me would be more of a breaking point for killing the guy than just finding out she gave him a crummy second hand gift that her husband gave her.
I would have loved to see a big blow up, maybe in front of the kid causing him to run out and get hurt or worse.. well that's bad I know but better drama than what goes down. This is a good movie for a boring afternoon when your home alone with Chinese Food... LOL. Overall the movie is good .. largely because of the excellent Eye Candy that is Richard Gere.
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
|
Unfaithful is unbelievably evocative
Added 9/24/2009
Unfaithful is a film that stirs your senses, from the initial temptation to the bittersweet ending.
There are many films dealing with a man's infidelity to his wife (Lyn's Fatal Attraction, for one), but this movie takes the other perspective. It tells the story of a seemingly happily married woman's affair with a handsome stranger, and how such a chance encounter can turn everyone's life upside down.
There's a lot to intrigue the viewer in this movie--from the way the clandestine affair is revealed to the sordid aftermath.
Diane Lane is amazing as always, and Richard Gere's performance will floor you. If you don't feel his character's pain, especially in the pivotal scene, you must not have a pulse.
What's also amazing about this movie (kudos to director Lyne) is how fleshed-out the characters are. Whereas in many films of this genre the viewer knows just whom to blame, whom to call the villain, whom to call the victim, this one, on the other hand, portrays each character with depth and empathy, blurring the lines between good and evil, accident and purposefulness, right and wrong.
This film is also beautifully filmed--a lot of sepia tones (maybe a statement as to the haziness of good and bad as portrayed in the film)--and the music by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek is haunting and lovely at the same time. Perfect is what it is.
A definite 5-star film.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Good service
Added 8/15/2009
Good service, but it was pretty slow in getting to me. It was a birthday present, and I ordered it before the date needed, and I didn't receive it until about a month after the date needed.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Choices -- actions -- consequences
Added 8/2/2009
When it comes to adult-themed moralistic storytelling, Adrian Lyne is the master. He strips out the schlockiness of Fatal Attraction and provides us with a morality tale of what adultery does to the betrayer, betrayed and the lover. Yes, as Amazon points out, the movie does turn partially predictable, but that doesn't detract from its power. The theme of adultery and its consequences is timeless. C.f. 2 Sam. 11:2-17.
I was curious to see what my reactions and impressions would be watching this film after finding out about my wife's affair, having seen it once before the affair, and a second time just recently. It rings as true now as it did before my wife's infidelity, but has become even more poignant and at times difficult to bear. But who said movies were only supposed to make you feel good?
"There are no mistakes. There's what you do, and what you don't do" Oliver Martinez' Paul Martel says at one point. Mr. Lyne does his best to show that Paul's carefree, existential, valueless philosophy is wrong. Mr. Lyne succeeds. Mistakes exist, as do the consequences for them.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
