Unfaithful

Based on a Claude Chabrol film, Unfaithful follows Diane Lane’s Connie Sumner as she embarks on a torrid affair with a smoldering Frenchman named Paul Martel (Olivier Martinez) – with trouble naturally ensuing as Connie’s husband (Richard Gere’s Edward) discovers the infidelity. Unfaithful, which runs just over two hours, spends much of its first half concerned with Connie’s domestic existence and, eventually, her ongoing trysts with Martinez’s character, with filmmaker Adrian Lyne’s methodical approach paving the way for a narrative that’s generally interesting yet rarely engrossing (ie the viewer is, for the most part, kept at arms length by an often egregiously deliberate pace). It’s clear, then, that the movie’s mild success is due to the effectiveness of the performances and Alvin Sargent and William Broyles Jr.’s screenplay, with, in terms of the latter, the scripters delivering a storyline that escalates in a relatively plausible way (ie Connie’s decision to keep seeing Paul doesn’t strain credibility to the degree one might’ve anticipated). By the time everything blows up in Connie’s face, Unfaithful has confirmed its place as an erratically-paced and distinctly overlong drama that nevertheless manages to pack a punch here and there – with the decidedly adult-oriented nature of the story ranking as one of the movie’s undeniable pleasures (ie there’s nary a teenager in sight for the duration of the film’s running time).

**1/2 out of ****