Unfaithful
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Cast: Richard Gere, Diane Lane
Extras: Commentary Tracks, Deleted Scenes, Alternate Ending, Interview, Photo Gallery, Trailer
Rating:
At first sight ’Unfaithful’ appears to be a lot like ’Fatal Attraction, ’ a previous film by the same director, Adrian Lyne – and that’s what I expected. Instead, the movie turns out to have much more in common with ’Basic Instinct’ – though it never achieves its level of suspense. It is essentially a long-winded story about a woman having an extramarital love affair and her struggle between her family and the steamy passion navigating towards the inevitable question, ’When will the husband find out?’
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is presenting the film in an anamorphic widescreen presentation that is clean and clear, without blemishes or mars. Good definition adds a lot of detail to the image and it is always well-maintained. Colors are natural and blacks are solid. No edge-enhancement is evident and the compression of the material has also been handled well.
The audio on the release is equally flawless with good surround integration that is active and very directional. Dialogues are well integrated and are never drowned out. Good frequency response and dynamic range make this a very natural sounding film.
The DVD contains a commentary track by director Adrian Lyne, as well as a selection of deleted scenes. An alternate ending is also offered as well as a photo gallery, trailers and interviews.
’Unfaithful’ is much too long for its own good. For the first 90 minutes you keep wondering if this story will ever go anywhere – apart from the seemingly endless sexual encounters – and when it reaches its turning point and goes into the third act, the viewer somehow just doesn’t care much any more, especially since the third act for the most part is even slower than the rest of the film. To make matters worse, the film doesn’t have a decent resolution, leaving far too many questions unanswered. You may want to give ’Unfaithful’ a try, but make it a rental first if you’re unsure.
