A perfect murder

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Movie
German title A perfect murder
Original title A perfect murder
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1998
length 107 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Andrew Davis
script Patrick Smith Kelly
production Anne Kopelson ,
Arnold Kopelson ,
Peter Macgregor-Scott ,
Christopher Mankiewicz
music James Newton Howard
camera Dariusz Wolski
cut Dov Hoenig ,
Dennis Virkler
occupation

A Perfect Murder is an American thriller from Andrew Davis from the year 1998 . It is based freely on the play Bei Call - Mord ( Dial M for Murder ) by Frederick Knott . Knott's play was filmed in 1954 by Alfred Hitchcock under the title Murder on the Call .

action

Emily Bradford Taylor, the young wife of entrepreneur Steven Taylor, is the heir to a $ 100 million fortune. She is unhappy in their relationship and cheats on her husband with the artist David Shaw, who professionally approaches rich women. Steven, who has concluded high-risk currency forwards with bank loans and is now unable to meet the impending demands for additional funds, is facing business ruin. He discovers his wife's affair, contacts Shaw, and demands that he murder Emily. He would be the heir to their property and could move abroad. He blackmailed the artist with his criminal past. Steven has conducted an extensive investigation into Shaw's previous scams and could jail him for fifteen years without parole. Steven gives Shaw a deposit of $ 100,000, and Shaw is to receive an additional $ 400,000 after the deed is done.

Steven calls Shaw into his penthouse and explains his murder plan in great detail. He leaves his wife's apartment key in the stairwell. He instructs him to unlock the door and kill Emily in the kitchen so that it looks like a burglary in which Emily surprises the perpetrator. He would be at his weekly poker game by then, so he would have the perfect alibi for the timing of the crime. At 10 o'clock sharp, Steven will call home to lure Emily into the kitchen. However, the plan does not succeed. Emily puts up massive resistance and kills the masked intruder in the fight by getting hold of a meat thermometer and stabbing him in the carotid artery. When Steven comes home, he finds out that Emily is alive and that the hit man is lying dead in a pool of blood in the kitchen. Steven hastily causes burglary marks before the police arrive, takes the key he finds in the body's pocket and hangs it on his wife's keyring. When the police remove the mask from the corpse, it turns out that the dead man is not his rival, but an unknown man.

David had taped Steven while planning the murder and passed the murder assignment on to a friend he knew from prison. Now he is extorting the rest of the money from Steven. Emily discovers that her apartment key does not fit, although the locks have not been exchanged, and when asked, learns that her husband is facing bankruptcy. She starts to get suspicious. During a conversation with the investigating police officer, she manages to take a look at the file and find out the address of the intruder.

She also learns that not a single key was found on him, not even an apartment key. She looks up the address and discovers that the deceased's apartment key is on her own key ring. Your own key, in turn, has disappeared. When she confronts her husband, he admits the manipulation, but makes her believe that he was trying to protect her from the blackmailer Shaw and that is why he cannot go to the police now. Emily tearfully asks her husband for forgiveness. Steven gives Shaw the money, but learns from a phone call from the travel agency, which Shaw would take, which train he wants to leave. He lies in wait for him in the reserved train compartment, snatches his pistol and stabs him with a kitchen knife with Emily's fingerprints on it. He finds a mailing note from Shaw. Shaw had mailed the telltale tape to Emily in an envelope. Steven manages to grab the envelope before Emily can open it, and he puts the tape and Shaw's gun in his safe. While Steven takes a shower, Emily opens the safe and finds the tape. She surprises Steven when he tries to remove the apartment key from the stairwell. The burglar hadn't put it in his pocket, but put it back after unlocking it. There is an open argument. Steven attacks Emily, throws her to the ground, and plans to kill her. When Steven tries to pounce on Emily again, he is shot by her with Shaw's pistol, which she has also taken out of the safe. This act is subsequently viewed by the police as self-defense. Consequently, they are also allowed to go in peace.

Reviews

Cinema 10/1998 called the film a "moderate remake of the Hitchcock crime thriller" On the Call of Murder "". TV Today 22/1998 wrote that the film was "elegant" and "solid" but did not offer any surprises. TV Movie 22/1998 was of the opinion that the film “by no means does justice to the original”.

"Criminal drama based on the play" On the Call of Murder ", which relocates the plot to New York high society and is stylistically based on the surface gloss of its locations. Technically solid and quite excitingly staged, in terms of content and performance but free of surprises. "

- Lexicon of international film

Awards

backgrounds

The film was shot in New York City , Long Island and New Jersey . He played in the cinemas of the United States about 67.6 million US dollars one and about 32 million US dollars in the other states.

literature

  • Frederick Knott: If you call - murder. A detective piece in three acts (OT: Dial M For Murder ). German by Rudolf Schneider-Schelde. Strassegg, Bayerisch-Gmain o. J. [stage manuscript]

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A perfect murder ( Memento from May 20, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) in the Dirk Jasper FilmLexikon
  2. ↑ A perfect murder. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  3. ↑ A perfect murder on fbw-filmbassy.com, accessed April 8, 2020
  4. ^ Filming locations for A Perfect Murder , accessed October 10, 2008
  5. ↑ Box office / business for A Perfect Murder , accessed October 10, 2008