★ 9 / 10
I wont be ignored Dan! *** This review
John Chard
I wont be ignored Dan! *** This review may contain spoilers *** Seemingly happily married man, Dan Gallagher, gives in to the seductive charm of Alex Forrest…
I wont be ignored Dan!
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Seemingly happily married man, Dan Gallagher, gives in to the seductive charm of Alex Forrest and partakes in a night of wild sexual passion with her. Trouble is, is that Alex is a tad unhinged and a woman scorned can be the ultimate nightmare.
I have just revisited this monster smash hit from the 80s (highest grossing film of 1987), and it still packs the same punch as it did back in the late 80s when it not only became a big hit, it also became a cultural phenomenon and one of the most talked about films of the decade. I'm saddened by the relatively average rating here because its significance and bravery should always be highlighted instead of pointless allegations about it being only of its time. Just how many imitations did Fatal Attraction spawn I wonder? Fatal Attraction was a monster hit because it gave the audience something different, a monster flip flop of having the man stalked by an uncontrollable female loony. Much credit goes to screenwriter James Dearden for laying it on like a slowly tightening spring waiting to explode, for as the plot unfolds and Alex Forrest's Madame Butterfly fuelled revenge gathers apace, the audience starts to realise it has been doubly conflicted on the emotional character attachment front.
Dan has done the dirty on his beautiful wife and child, the bastard deserves what is coming to him for sure? Alex is right in that he's had his fun and now she can basically go and whistle at the moon, but the cheeky saver here from the makers is that Alex did the chasing knowing that Dan was happily married, she led the way fully armed with the facts. This makes for a wonderfully constructed thriller that ups the suspense quota to positively seal the deal with a heart stopping finale. I'm mightily relieved that American test audiences gave the thumbs down to the rather downbeat original ending that saw Alex committing suicide and thus framing Dan for her murder, the ending that stands may lose impact on repeat viewings, but boy it has still got a kick to it.
Glenn Close is fantastic as Alex, playing against type she manages to convince as a disturbed individual, a perfect blend of sadness and soul destroying stupidness. Michael Douglas is also giving a performance of depth, firmly in the shadow of Glen Close's film stealing show, he none the less plays it perfectly and is believable in all aspects of the character, and I'm sure the ladies watching were pleased to see no sign of the saggy bottom that scared them in Basic Instinct five years later! This film coupled with Wall Street in the same year would propel Douglas to major A list status, and he rightly deserved it in my opinion. Anne Archer is Beth Gallagher, the hurt wife of the piece, she looks stunning and sexy, but thoughts of her looks are quickly erased with a special two layered performance of note. Containing a great script and directed astutely by Adrian Lyne, Fatal Attraction remains one of the best thrillers of the 80s, it was talked about profusely back then, and here and now it should not be forgotten. 9/10
★ 8 / 10
Adultery, Jealousy & Revenge
seymourblack-1
This movie about adultery, jealousy and a spurned woman's relentless pursuit of revenge is genuinely unforgettable and compelling to watch. It's definitely a…
This movie about adultery, jealousy and a spurned woman's relentless pursuit of revenge is genuinely unforgettable and compelling to watch. It's definitely a movie of its time which connected strongly with audiences when it was first released and also seemed to tap into certain attitudes that were starting to become more prevalent in society at that time. The values associated with the permissiveness of earlier years were gradually being left behind and this movie's depiction of the dangerous consequences of indulging in casual affairs seemed to be a strong endorsement of this change.
The impact and influence of this great box office success has continued to be significantly stronger than would normally be expected as it has successfully maintained its popularity over the years and even been responsible for the term "bunny boiler" becoming a universally recognised part of the language. Amusingly, 25 years after the movie's release, when Aerosmith's Steven Tyler announced his decision to leave "American Idol" to return to his band (which was his "first love"), he added "I've decided it's time to for me to let go of my mistress before she boils my rabbit".
Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) is a successful, happily married Manhattan lawyer who meets book editor Alex Forrest (Glenn Close) when he does some work for her employers. One weekend, when his wife Beth (Anne Archer) and daughter Ellen (Ellen Hamilton Latzen) are out of town visiting his in-laws, he and Alex have a short but very passionate affair which he quickly decides to end but Alex is in no mood to agree.
Alex initially reacts by slitting her wrists and later goes on to harass Dan by calling in at his office and later continuing to make telephone calls to him on his work number. When he tells his secretary that he's not prepared to take any more of these calls, Alex reacts by telephoning his home at all hours of the day and night and then even poses as a prospective buyer of his apartment to show her determination to make him take responsibility for his actions.
Alex continues to terrorise Dan and his family by pouring acid on his car, kidnapping his daughter, boiling Ellen's pet rabbit and physically threatening Beth before the story eventually reaches its violent climax.
Michael Douglas is very convincing as Dan who seems to have achieved his success so easily that he takes his comfortable lifestyle and happy marriage for granted. He's a man who, in a moment of weakness makes a bad decision and very soon after, regrets what he's done. His betrayal of his loyal wife and his inability to confess until he's forced to, are reprehensible and indirectly put his family in great danger.
Glenn Close is genuinely scary in a very accomplished performance in which she shows the various facets of Alex's personality with such skill that she really makes her character's changeable and unhinged behaviour seem understandable. Anne Archer is also perfect in her part and the scene in which she learns of her husband's infidelity is extremely touching as she retains her dignity magnificently despite her obvious pain.
"Fatal Attraction" is an attention grabbing title which is reminiscent of the classic film noir titles which also frequently alluded to death, danger, fear or entrapment and just like those films, this movie features flawed characters, aberrant behaviour and plenty of suspense.
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