Had it not been for the performance of Glenn Close, this movie wouldn't really be worth the effort of watching. She shines in an excellent performance as Alex Forest, the spurned lover of Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas), whose obsession with their relationship becomes progressively more violent. Close manages to play Forest as the successful business type, the emotionally wounded woman and the deranged psychopath, and she makes every aspect of Alex believable. Michael Douglas is always competent, and is no less here than anywhere else, but his portrayal of Gallagher to me seemed a bit shallow and unconvincing.
The story itself (of the spurned woman seeking revenge) is hardly original, and even the twists and turns seem typical and predictable, and more than a few things in the story made little sense. First, given that Gallagher seemed to have a good relationship with his wife Beth (Ann Archer) and a happy family life as the father of Ellen (Ellen Hamilton Latzen) it seemed to me that he fell too quickly and too easily under the spell of Alex. Their relationship didn't come across as believable to me. Then, setting up the last confrontation of the movie, Gallagher is shown locking the doors to his house, with his body language suggesting that he had forgotten to lock them before. What? After everything he and his family have been through at Alex's hands, he didn't think to keep the doors locked at all times?! How did this guy get through law school? Finally, the ending was predictable, and for about the 914th time in the movies we see a villain who seems to be dead come back to life. There's no shock to this anymore, although I suppose when "Fatal Attraction" was actually released (in 1987) it was actually only the 674th time this had happened. In short, there really wasn't much imagination at the end.
This movie is all right as a way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon, but except for a few scenes (the thought of the boiling pot in the kitchen - and its contents - will remain in your mind after the movie's over) this is hardly edge of your seat stuff. Watch it for the excellent performance by Close, though.
6/10
