The Other Man

Richard Eyre has carefully constructed an intimate tale of a man who discovers his wife's infidelity.

Liam Neeson and Antonio Banderas provide subtle and mature performances, with Romola Garai outstanding as the daughter.

The film is beautifully shot on location in Milan and Lake Como as well as in London and Ely.

The plot twists are effective, leaving one to reflect on how little we can truly know of the people around us.

Nevertheless, the denouement feels a little forced, even if a logical conclusion to the narrative.

A bit of an unwieldy film. This one came out around the same time as TAKEN, and like that film it sees Liam Neeson traipsing around Europe in a bit to reunite his family. However, this isn't an action film at all, but rather an exploration of adultery and the effect it can have on people's lives.

It's hard to work out the target audience. The threat of impending violence keeps things moving along at one stage, as does the mystery surrounding Neeson's wife's secrecy. But it's not a thriller at all, and in fact it's difficult to pigeonhole. Really it's more of an excuse to ruminate on love, jealousy, rivalry and more.

It's also one of those twist films, in which plotting plays a major part. I was torn between being slightly bored and fairly intrigued. Neeson is good, if not great, but Antonio Banderas bags the best role and is a delight. Laura Linney and Romola Garai provide strong support.

In Cambridge, the software engineer Peter (Liam Neeson) and the shoe designer Lisa (Laura Linney) are successful in their careers and have been happily married for twenty-five years. They have an adult daughter, Abigail (Romola Garai), and Lisa frequently travels to Milano to do business with the Gianni & Gianni Company. When Lisa is gone, Peter finds a message in her cellular and decides to snoop her e-mails and discovers in a secret folder named Love that she had a lover, Ralph (Antonio Banderas). Peter travels to Milano and stalks Ralph; he finds that the man plays chest in a bar. Peter gets close to Ralph that tells his relationship with Lisa without knowing that he is her husband.

"The Other Man" is an engaging romance about adultery and triangle of love among the husband, the wife and her lover. The story is supported by the excellent Liam Neeson, Laura Linney and Antonio Banderas but unfortunately the suspenseful screenplay has a disappointing conclusion. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Amante" ("The Lover")

This film is ultimately disappointing and deserving of its relatively low rating because its edit is annoying and telegraphs where it is going. World-class actors contribute tension and pace and a poor edit simply brings the movie to a complete stop. If ever there was an example of how important editing is to a movie, this is it. Film classes should look at this movie, deconstruct it, and put it back together in a more interesting way. If you watch this film, think about simply reordering several scenes to build tension and mystery and remove confusion. It's a worthwhile exercise. Movies are a complex undertaking that requires contributions of so many -- many folks labored over this film but the folks who put it together just didn't have the talent to pull it off.

This isn't a simple film. It's a film that plays with time to tell a story encompassing love, jealousy, anger, loss and pain. It covers the gamut of emotions one feels when betrayed and follows the path a man goes down as he discovers his wife has had another love.

I loved Liam Neeson's descent into jealous rage and the discoveries he made about himself, his family and his relationship as he discovers secrets from his wife's past. A moody film, perfectly adapted to its subject matter, you feel drawn into Neeson's character's despair.

It's not the best film I've seen recently but it's one I'm glad I saw and would heartily recommend it to others who are willing to think a film through its details. The acting's good and both Liam Neeson and Laura Linney carry the plot well. Antonio Banderas plays a less rounded role, but still does so enjoyably.

Definitely a film worth watching.