Domestic Disturbance

Directed by Harold Becker, Domestic Disturbance follows John Travolta’s Frank Morrison as he becomes convinced that his ex-wife’s (Teri Polo’s Susan) new husband (Vince Vaughn’s Rick) is up to something shady – with Frank forced to take matters into his own hands after his son (Matt O’Leary’s Danny) sees Rick possibly murder a slimy associate (Steve Buscemi’s Ray). It’s a decent setup that’s employed to watchable yet somewhat forgettable effect by Becker, as the filmmaker, working from Lewis Colick’s script, delivers an erratically-paced thriller that rarely strays from a very familiar formula – and yet it’s equally clear that the picture, for the most part, manages to sustain one’s interest to an often impressive degree. There’s little doubt that Domestic Disturbance‘s mild success is due in no small part to the effectiveness of the performances, with, especially, Vaughn’s entertainingly sinister turn as the progressively evil Rick going a long way towards keeping things interesting through the narrative’s more overtly paint-by-numbers stretches – which, when coupled with a refreshingly (and appropriately) brisk running time, confirms the movie’s place as a completely passable piece of work.

*** out of ****