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Unfaithful comes hot on the heels of Richard Gere's Mothman Prophecies. Gere is again married, this time, dealing with infidelity instead of the spirit world.  Diane Lane (Hardball) plays his wife and new-to-American-audiences French actor Olivier Martinez plays the other man.   

Gere and Lane have what would be considered the ideal marriage.  They live in an upscale New York suburb, have a child and seem happy, but  this is a façade.  What lies under the surface is revealed by a chance meeting between Lane and Martinez when she conveniently trips and falls in front of his apartment building. Martinez offers first aid and before you can snap your fingers, the hidden romance is off and running.  Her life has been structured and Martinez offers her freedom.  The husband becomes suspicious, making fateful decisions.

The first half of Unfaithful is virtually a soft porn film.  Lane and Martinez indulge in sex around the neighborhood and yes, Diane Lane has a great body and yes, Olivier Martinez will do well in American films, but enough is enough!   What woman goes shopping on a windy day with a short skirt, plunging neckline, three-inch heels and a coat that periodically flies open?  No wonder there is a fall at the feet of a dangerously handsome man who lives in a loft apartment, collects rare books and reads poetry. Remember The Bridges of Madison County where Meryl Streep fell in love with Clint Eastwood because he was the stranger in her ordinary world?  Momentum picks up in the second half when Richard Gere becomes suspicious.  Until then, Gere is so laid back you think he will stretch out on a sofa and fall asleep.  

Minimal dialogue and director Adrian Lyne wisely allowing the camera in the hands of Peter Biziou, BSC to become the keyhole through which we peep into these people's lives saves Unfaithful.  Less is more.  Kaczmarek's solitary piano soundtrack evokes the right mood.  Much of the atmosphere here is wind and rain and what better to show this than a lone, sad instrument. 

The camera lingers on Richard Gere's face as he tries to keep calm and yet is seething beneath.  In his world everything has a place  and under his poised exterior the volcano bubbles.  Lane, on the other hand, has to work to keep her newfound emotions in check, while all Martinez has to do is speak intelligibly. Erik Per Sullivan, as the married couple's son, has little to do but pop in and out of the story asking questions. The film offers the audience a scenario of hidden passion and intrigue.  How would you handle a situation like this? Could the word forgiveness be in your vocabulary?  Oh, the tales the streets could tell.

Copyright 2002 Marie Asner
Submitted 5/12/02