Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageUnfaithful (2002)
Director: Adrian Lyne
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Yes, it's a Lyne film with an upscale American couple rocked by infidelity, but this isn't 'Fatal Attraction 2'. Unlike the cheap shock tactics of its predecessor, it proves a surprisingly grown up affair, exploring the panoply of emotions unleashed by sex outside an 11-year marriage. Horny excitement, burning shame, selfish liberation and incipient fear all play across Lane's face in the most striking scene, as she returns home musing on an illicit afternoon just spent with her young French lover (Martinez). What she doesn't quite count on is the response it provokes from her husband (Gere). Like Chabrol's La Femme Infidèle, on which it's based, the film eventually slides into teasing thriller mode, and though it lacks the original's astringent concentration, the range of sympathies is definitely broader here as secrets on both sides lock the couple in a private hell. An old ad man's habits die hard, however, and too many scenes are pumped up for instant impact when slow burn might have brought greater reward. Still, the superb acting and intelligent script negotiate an absorbing course between Hollywood glitz and Gallic soul-searching.Author: TJ
Cast & crew
Director: Adrian Lyne
Producer: Adrian Lyne, G Mac Brown
Cast: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Olivier Martinez, Chad Lowe, Kate Burton, Margaret Colin, Erik Per Sullivan, Dominic Chianese, Myra Lucretia Taylor full cast
Genre(s): Thrillers
Duration: 123 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Jim Jarmusch on 'The Limits of Control'
Jim Jarmusch has followed ‘Broken Flowers’ with an esoteric crime mystery. Dave Calhoun speaks to him from his New York office
Richard Linklater on 'Me and Orson Welles'
Dave Calhoun meets the 49-year-old, Houston-born filmmaker Richard Linklater to discuss his new comedy
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations
What do you think?
Post your review now