Unfaithful

For a film directed by Adrian Lyne (responsible for that disastrous remake of Lolita a few years back) and starring Richard Gere, Unfaithful is a surprisingly engaging and involving drama, boasting some excellent performances with a strong plot. Gere and his co-star Diane Lane play Edward and Connie Sumner, an affluent couple who have been married for some nine years and have a young son together. One afternoon, however, Connie encounters a charismatic Frenchman, Paul Martel (Olivier Martinez). Intrigued by his brooding persona and wilful, philosophical take on life, she makes excuses to meet him again. Soon, the pair are engaged in an extra-martial affair, and one that ultimately will have devastating consequences.

Mature and thoughtful, Unfaithful is a slow burning but satisfying drama, which deals with a hackneyed topic in an intelligent fashion. The characters are well developed and realistic, while the performances, most notably from the hugely underrated Lane, and - shock! horror! - Gere. Occasionally Lyne loses the run of himself when it comes to metaphors and things are slightly derailed in the final twenty minutes, but Unfaithful is a measured and mature film.