A Perfect Murder 1998

Critics score:
55 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Read more

Susan Stark, Detroit News: Loaded with dramatic irony in the first half and with tension in the second, the film gives Douglas another chance to do his slick, sinister best; Paltrow a chance to extend her emotional range; and Mortensen a chance to play the chameleon. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: You don't have to believe a word of the strained dialogue in A Perfect Murder to be seduced by the movie's chilly high-gloss ambiance and its skillfully plotted update of Frederick Knott's play... Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A Perfect Murder begins better than it ends, and the pleasures it offers turn out to be more of a transitory nature. Read more

Entertainment Weekly: Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: None of the amusement gained in watching the performances, unfortunately, amounts to much, as the script, in a desperate attempt to lend action interest to the original, static, puzzle plot, compounds surprise turn after surprise turn. Read more

David Denby, New York Magazine/Vulture: His [Davis] direction is swift and very effective, and the movie, shot in shades of ebony (the color of black marble), looks exceptionally handsome. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: ...A Perfect Murder has inexplicably managed to eliminate almost everything that was worthwhile about Dial M for Murder, leaving behind the nearly-unwatchable wreckage of a would-be '90s thriller. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: I think it works like a nasty little machine to keep us involved and disturbed; my attention never strayed, and one of the elements I liked was the way Paltrow's character isn't sentimentalized. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: ...snoozy, slack... Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: ...there's nothing about this thriller to prevent it from soon becoming enmeshed in the memory with others in which Michael Douglas wears a starched collar and grits his teeth. Read more

Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune: ...a fast-paced thriller that probably will leave Alfred Hitchcock aficionados mourning its shallowness -- but not until after they've enjoyed an adrenaline rush. Read more

Derek Adams, Time Out: Read more

Leonard Klady, Variety: Read more