Unfaithful

4 Stars

Rated R for sexuality, language and a scene of violence

Director

Adrian Lyne

An ill wind blows

Starring

Eroticism, surprise, shock and delight are four guilty pleasures you might indulge in as you watch "Unfaithful." The placid calm of a pond completes the idyllic setting for the beautiful country house of Edward and Connie Sumner (Richard Gere and Diane Lane). This tranquillity and orderliness is punctuated by a strong wind that literally blows everything off-course, and ultimately twists these lives to the breaking point.

Edward and Connie have an eight-year-old son, Charlie (Erik Per Sullivan of TV's "Malcolm in the Middle"), who needs to be reminded to raise the toilet seat. We look on as the nurturing, take charge Mom he's used to disappears¾overcome by obsession.

On a blustery day, when the wind seems to be at gale force on the streets of New York, Connie, with packages in tow and trying to hail a cab, collides with Paul (Olivier Martinez, "Before Night Falls") in front of his Soho loft. He offers her bandages for her scraped knees. His disarming good looks and charm win her over and she agrees to go up to his apartment. Paul Martel is a young book dealer, 28, Connie discovers, as compared with her 40ish status. He is from France and is subletting a friend's loft. Paul's books share the studied clutter with sculptures done by his friend. As a token, Paul offers Connie a book of poetry as she retreats when she realizes he's attempting to seduce her.

The seduction works. A few days later she's in Grand Central Station phoning Paul with the pretext of wanting to thank him. One of the most erotic scenes on film plays out when Paul and Connie have their first encounter. Diane Lane gives a no holds barred performance as a tentative and trembling, guilt-ridden wife, embarking on an affair, quickly consumed by a torrent of passion. Martinez' Paul is a master game player, anticipating every move of his partner.

As Connie becomes obsessed with the affair, she takes careless risks and becomes possessive of Paul. A chance meeting with friends in a Soho coffee shop provides one of the film's funnier moments of guilty pleasure.

Husband Edward, meanwhile, is beginning to have suspicions. He and Connie have been married eleven years and there's a certain harmony to the relationship that's off-key. A private detective is hired by Edward to follow his wife. Sumner Armored Trucks is the company Edward owns and an inkling of his temper is revealed when he fires Bill Stone (Chad Lowe) on the spot for talking with Brinks.

Armed with evidence, pictures of Connie and Paul together, Edward confronts Paul at his apartment. The two men begin a strained conversation, where it becomes clear that Edward is devastated. Gere allows us to almost experience the physical pain he feels, which leads to a psychological break, when he discovers a gift that his wife has given to Paul.

Exactly what happens at that moment may be open to interpretation, within legal parameters. Note: "What happens in the moments following we choose not to reveal. We consider it a spoiler." Richard Gere said, after reading the script, "I've always been interested in the idea that we're all unknowable to each other."

The acting is exceptional in this film, as well as the script, the photography, the design. It simply looks sensational. We liked the juxtaposition of scenes involving violence or eroticism, played against the quiet, ordinary goings-on of a school play or Thanksgiving dinner. Stark contrasts of tone, the dark suits of commuters against a gray sky, or the torn white plastic at the garbage dump flailing across a darkened landscape, are usually seen in black and white films. The sharpness of color and framing for the last shot of the film is pure artistry.

"Unfaithful" is a densely textured film. Everyone will have a bit of a thread they'll want to cling to and discuss with friends. Director Adrian Lyne has loosely based this screenplay on "La Femme Infidele," a 1968 film by French New Wave director Claude Chabrol. Lyne describes this film as "an erotic thriller about the body language of guilt." He should know; he also brought audiences "Fatal Attraction" and "Lolita."