A Perfect Murder (1998)

★ 6.6 1h 47m 1,538 votes IMDb

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 Perfect Murder

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Cast

Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas as Steven Taylor Age 81 · New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is a retired American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Em...
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow as Emily Bradford Taylor Age 53 · Los Angeles, California, USA Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (/ˈpæltroʊ/ PAL-troh; born September 27, 1972) is an American actress and businesswoman. The daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner, she established herself...
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen as David Shaw Age 67 · Watertown, New York, USA Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. (born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the state of New York to a Danish father and Am...
David Suchet
David Suchet as Mohamed Karaman Age 79 · London, England, UK David Suchet, OBE, CBE (born 2 May 1946), is an English actor, known for his work on British television. He is recognized for his RTS- and BPG award-winning performance as Augustus Melmotte in the 200...
Sarita Choudhury
Sarita Choudhury as Raquel Martinez Age 59 · Blackheath, London, England, UK Sarita Catherine Louise Choudhury (born 18 August 1966) is an English actress..
Michael P. Moran
Michael P. Moran as Bobby Fain Died 2004 · Yuba City, California From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Michael Peter Moran (February 8, 1944 - February 4, 2004) was an American actor and playwright. Moran was born in Yuba City, California, but his family moved f...

Audience Reviews

John Chard 7/10 May 23, 2020
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 Chard 7/10 May 23, 2020
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
JPV852 8/10 Jan 15, 2022
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**

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