A '90s erotic thriller made in 2002, it's no wonder Unfaithful has a lot of problems. On its most basic level, it tells the story of a couple who find themselves torn apart when the husband (Richard Gere) suspects the wife (Diane Lane) is cheating on him. He's right, of course, because otherwise there'd be no movie. From then on in, things get saucy. Unfaithful is built from a lot of cliches, and the script is terrible in places, and yet there is Diane Lane at the centre of this picture and her performance is the one thing that makes it all worthwhile. That's not to say there aren't erotic scenes; they just all happen to involve Lane, who offers up a turn here unlike anything she's ever done before. Is there really any wonder that she was nominated for an Oscar?
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
