-- the Michigan Daily - Monday, June 8, 1998


'Murder' great but
not quite'prf ct'
By Jack Schila aci But unlike many suspense thrillers,
Daily Arts Writer "Murder" does not keep viewers in the
After seeing "A Perfect Murder," the dark about what is going on. Viewers are
average viewer will have only one ques- fully aware of the forces working for and
tion: Why on Earth would Gwenyth against the characters throughout the
Paltrow, 25, ever marry Michael two-hour flic. The trick, however, is to
Douglas, 53? try and guess what each character's next
After getting over that slight hole in move will be before they make it.
the movie's story, viewers will no doubt Douglas plays Steven Taylor, a New
enjoy the suspense-ridden plot of the York investor who faces possible bank-
film, which has ruptcy when his illegal tactics threaten
all the characters to backfire and find him a place in jail.
leading double Steven is a convincing character, full of
APrc lives, trying to the spite and anger that only Michael
A Perfect cover up - their Douglas could pull off so well.
Murder secrets while But Douglas's greatest strengths in
* * escaping each this role (no one can say, "Are you fuck-
P ia other's treachery. ing my wife?" anywhere near as con-
Showcase The film, vincingly as he can) also account for
based on some of the film's low points, or at least
Frederick Knott's what makes it a little more predictable.
play "Dial 'M' Viewers will probably notice shades of
for Murder" Douglas' characters from "Basic
r (which, inciden- Instinct" and "Disclosure" in Steven
tally, was made Taylor. While typecasting has its merits,
into a movie by Taylor's predicability allows viewers to
Alfred Hitchcock in 1954), is a twisted be able to almost hear his lines before
story, bringing viewers through the he says them.
depths of human angst, love, jealousy Paltrow fits her role as the prissy, poor
and sexual betrayal. little rich girl incredibly well. Her per-

No one does sex, greed and murder better than Michael Douglas, who stars with
Gwenyth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen in "A Perfect Murder."
formance is both convincing and capti- the financial crunch of the coming
vating as she moves herself from the months as his investments go south.
position of subordinate to aggressor, Desperate to get back at Emily and to
defending both her life and her money. have unlimited access to her millions in
As the beneficiary of a $100 million trust, Steven digs up the truth behind
trust fund, Emily Bradford Taylor his wife's lover. Steven then blackmails
(Paltrow) passes her time working as a and hires him to kill his wife in their
multilingual translator for the U.S. posh, Upper East Side apartment - a
Ambassador to the United Nations' plot that Emily foils with a meat ther-
Security Council. Her marriage to mometer. Much to Steven's dismay,
Steven puts her in a subservient role, a however, the corpse in his kitchen is not
status that leads her to stray into an that of his wife's ex-lover.
affair with starving artist-type David From there, the movie really takes
Shaw (Viggo Mortensen). off, with each of the three main charac-
Like everyone else in this movie, ters trying to hide his or her own secrets
Shaw is hiding something. He's really and lies while cutting the others off at
an ex-convict who fakes romances with the pass. The excellent supporting role
rich women to relieve them of their of Mohammed Karaman (David
wealth and skip town before they know Suchet), a detective with the New York
any better. City Police Department, adds immense
As the film opens, Steven has become strength and an international flavor to
aware of the growing distance between the movie as he and Emily share bless-
himself and his wife. He hires a private ings and information in Arabic.
investigator to follow her as she ventures Each plot twist is well-calculated and
almost daily to an abandoned warehouse more devious than the last, culminating
loft in Brooklyn to have a nooner with in a conclusion that is both exciting and
Shaw. At the same time, his assistants unexpected. While not quite "perfect,"
inform him that he will likely not survive "Murder" is well worth the 57.75.

SEMISONI+C
Continued from Page 8E
in'My Sleep" and its powerful pop
melodies in "Never You Mind."
The band decided to rock on "If I
Run," off its first album. Driving the
guitar solo, singer and guitarist Darn
Wilson and bassist John Munson
played gritty, fierce hooks, uncharac-
teristic of the album version of the
song.
The night didn't end there, as
Semisonic had more than a few choice
moments left for its fans.
A treat for the older crowd,
Semisonic played a cover of The
Artist's "Take Me With You" that
stopped the bouncing and started the
grooving on the dance floor.
Semisonic reached the end of its set
and began the guitar introduction for
the well-known "Closing Time." With
almost every mouth singing the
words, Semisonic showed its true col-
ors.
While it is also.an impressive studio
band, Semisonic's strength lies in its
live shows. As the words turned to
"Closing time/ Turn all of the lights
down/ Over every boy and every girl,"
the house lights were lit, causing the
already intense energy in the air to
soar.
The band did not have a difficult
time figuring out where in its set to
play its hit, "Closing Time."
"Dan wanted a song to play at the
end of a show," Slichter said.
Semisonic left the stage on a high
note, amidst the clapping of hands
and the pounding of feet. Fans
hoped to squeeze at least a couple
more songs out of the band that
night.
And Semisonic was ready t o
deliver.
Starting off the encore with "This4
Will Be My Year" Semisonic contin-
ued to delight the crowd with a cover
of The Split End's"I Got You." Slichter
promised "a really hip-shakin', hair-
swinging night of rock music'" and the
band delivered.
For some more shakin' and swing-
ing, check out Semisonic opening for
Matchbox 20 and Soul Asyhn on
August 18 at Fine Knob Music
Theater. 18

STAY OUT LATE.
SEE MOVIES.
GET PAID.

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Every Star Theatre offers
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Apply in person at any
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Star Theatre Locations:
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