Unfaithful (R, 2002)

Based on Claude Chabrol's La Femme Infidel, this story of obsession, betrayal, and jealousy centers on happily married Edward (Richard Gere) and Connie (Diane Lane, who seem to have everything until the wife is drawn into an affair. After a chance encounter with Paul (Oliver Martinez), Connie finds she can't stay away from the seductive Frenchman. At home, Edward knows something is wrong. As his wife primps in private and shies away from his advances, his suspicions mount. Finally, after Connie is spotted in a restaurant with Paul, he cannot avoid the truth. A private detective produces all the details, and Edward goes, broken-hearted, to the apartment of his rival.

Adults may consider Unfaithful a worthwhile portrayal of emotional suspense, told with director Adrian Lyne's characteristic visual flair. But it's not for kids -- it's a shocker. None of the plot elements are novel, but the seduction is handled very smoothly, without a lot of the emotional short-hand that would leave the story hollow. In fact, the strength of this film is its very down to earth emotional perceptiveness.

 

The movie makes us constantly aware of the currents of affection that run between the characters, yet the best scene in the film is the confrontation. Neither knows exactly what to do, and it's in this strange emotional limbo that a tragic choice is made.

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Adrian Lyne
Cast: Diane Lane, Olivier Martinez, Richard Gere
Genre: Thriller
Run time: 124 minutes
Theatrical release: May 10, 2002
DVD release: May 20, 2003
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: sexuality, language, and violence