A Perfect Murder

Steven Taylor is a wealthy New York financier whose business is faltering and whose marriage is coming apart. His wife Emily, who comes from money herself, is involved with David Shaw, a painter. When Steven looks into David's background, he learns that the man is not what he claims to be, and he decides to use that knowledge against him. Rather than confront his wife, Steven makes David an offer: a large sum of money in exchange for Emily's death, so that Steven can inherit her fortune. The arrangement sets in motion a plan that does not unfold as its author intends.

The film is a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder, transplanted from London to the New York financial world. Andrew Davis directed it, placing it between Chain Reaction and Collateral Damage in a run of films that also includes Under Siege and The Fugitive. Frederick Knott, who wrote the play behind the Hitchcock version, shares screenplay credit with Patrick Smith Kelly. Michael Douglas plays Steven, Gwyneth Paltrow plays Emily, and Viggo Mortensen plays David. The production, made by Warner Bros. Pictures with Kopelson Entertainment, cost about 60 million dollars and took in roughly 128 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.6 out of 10 from around 98,000 votes; on TMDB it also stands at 6.6, from about 1,600 votes. A critics' rating of 6.2 from 55 reviews places it close to those audience scores.