Cinema Review (From Barry And District News)

Cinema Review

Unfaithful (15) ***

THERE are two views on Darian Lyne - either he is a master director with an eye for unique visual style, or simply a rip off merchant.

Anyway, there's no denying he can produce the goods when he puts his mind to it. But can he produce them with Unfaithful?

Edward and Connie Sumner are a happily married couple with an eight-year-old son. When Connie accidentally meets Paul, she becomes attracted to his charms. Soon they have a sexual relationship behind Edward's back, but Edward becomes suspicious of his wife's behaviour.

Here, Richard Gere fights for his life because he knows that his recent strong of flops have badly damaged his credibility.

His effort is good enough to forgive him for his many turkeys, but in terms of acting ability, the credit must go to Diane Lane. She puts in a gutsy and daring performance and flows through a series of many different emotions. You would think she would win an Oscar for it, but will she get one? No.

Why? Because the film simply isn't good enough.

The script is tight all the way but it does drag on painfully during a few scenes near the end. The first 45 minutes are very pleasing but the tones are never fully established.

Lyne struggles to set the right tones but apart from that, he does a good job. His use of the camera helps to enhance the already fine performances, although at times you almost believe that he only tries to make Diane Lane's body look good - not that I'm complaining.

Why the film is released between a summer of blockbusters is beyond belief, but it's worth a look anyway because you may feel that it is very enthralling. I just kept wanting that bit more.