Directed by Andrew Davis &Written by Frederick Knott and Patrick Smith Kelly
Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael Douglas, Viggo Mortensen
Runtime 107 minutes
Summary: Commodities trader Stephen Taylor (Michael Douglas) is married to Emily Bradford (Gwyneth Paltrow). Emily is romantically involved with artist David Shaw (Viggo Mortensen). Aware of this affair, Stephen researches David’s past to discover that he has jail sentences and has scammed other rich women.
When you peel away the obvious layers of storyline that comprises of a suffering marriage, a trust-fund baby and an extra material affair, the focal themes I wish to analyze are negotiation and survival.
We’ll analyze some of the characters in A PERFECT MURDER and then I’ll touch upon things in my life.
Michael Douglas plays the ultimate son of a bitch; a money hungry New Yorker who will stop at nothing until he wins. He’s controlling and keeps two steps ahead of everyone involved in the game. As the story unfolds, we soon discover that his business is in trouble and he’s pretty much broke. He leads a very large lifestyle so admitting to this defeat is highly unlikely for him.
From the get-go, we as the audience understand that Stephen’s marriage to Emily is a sham; it’s not a happy nuptial. We also also learn that Emily is having a steamy affair with artist David Shaw. It appears that he’s the opposite of everything in her world, especially to Stephen. He doesn’t care about the fancy lifestyle; the lavish parties and how much money she’s worth…
What’s exciting about this story is that we’re exposed to twists and turns we don’t necessarily anticipate from the start; at least for me.
What I did not anticipate was Stephen’s business failures and the fact that David has a history of felonies. Furthermore, I discovered that both men are more common than we think: they’re both desperate for money and crooked of the law. They will negotiate ways to make money that are illegal, because money to them is their purest form of survival. Emily is a trust fund baby and has access to tons of money. Is her life worth saving or do these men prefer her money?
After pondering Stephen and David’s histories to consideration, their negotiation tactics made more sense to me. I am not saying I condone their characters, however, they negotiate to survive in a way that makes sense to their gross personalities.
Emily will soon have to investigate her delicate situation by placing her thinking cap on in order to endure and protect herself. Her brilliant thoughts will allow her to negotiate on the law’s side to outlast both Stephen and David’s survival.
Emily’s investigative negations are fair and legal; Stephen and David’s are not. That’s the significant difference here in terms of who will get further. When negotiating a survival tactic for any situation, big or small, staying rooted, honest and true to yourself are musts. Emily negotiates with herself. She will turn over her husband and her lover to authorities to remain lawful and survive.
I’ve seen this movie a handful of times throughout the years. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I love watching movies that take place in New York. On top of its Manhattan back drop, the thriller keeps me hooked and engaged. Time passes quickly while watching yet it still allows me to escape.
When viewing A PERFECT MURDER in terms of negotiation and survival, it really got me thinking about some deep struggles I have in my life. How do I negotiate through them in order to survive? What do I need to tell myself to get through? Now let me be clear, I am not dying nor are my problems life threatening. They are issues I need to cognitively and fairly work through nonetheless. Once I do, I’ll survive them and tackle the next hurdle that stands in my way.
I’ve had a rocky relationship with my father throughout my entire life. We’re best friends and I adore him, however, he comes with baggage that I am not always willing to take on. I, myself, am not a perfect angel, however, I think I am a little more in touch with myself than he is.
My dad loves me and provides me with everything I need. He also has a temper and has verbally abused me from time to time. The verbal abuse, in turn, has shattered my self esteem and caused me much mental distraught. At the end of the day, I want my dad in my life. So how do I negotiate the appropriate boundaries in order to survive through our tumultuous relationship?
I realize the connection I am trying ot make here is a major leap from A PERFECT MUDER, but I do believe that nobody has a perfect life and issues are personal and significant to each individual no matter what they are. Everyone needs to negotiate whether its with themselves, their spouses, their friends, their lovers etc.. in order to survive the outcome at hand.
What situation(s) have you’ve negotiated through in order to find the right kind of survival?
Yoga Pose: Hurdlers Pose {Eka Pada Koundiyanasana II} – strengthens the abs and the arms and takes a ton of work from all parts of the body. The abdominals must negotiate with the arms nad the legs of the body in order to balance the survival of this pose.