A Perfect Murder is a 1998 American thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow and Viggo Mortensen. It is modern a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film, Dial M for Murder, though the characters' names are all changed, and over half the plot is completely rewritten and altered. Loosely based on the play by Frederick Knott, the screenplay was written by Patrick Smith Kelly.
Steven Taylor (Michael Douglas) is a Wall Street hedge fund manager. His investments and speculations allow him to live an extravagant upper class lifestyle with his much younger wife, Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow). Unfortunately for Taylor, his investments are unraveling, so he will need his wife's personal fortune to maintain his status and lifestyle.
Emily seems a faithful wife, but, in reality, she is having an affair with a painter, David (Viggo Mortensen), and is considering leaving her husband. Emily thinks she is safe, but Steven knows everything about the affair. He has also been able to uncover David’s past as an ex-convict with a habit of playing con games on rich women.
Steven goes to David's loft, where Emily accidentally left her wedding ring. However, rather than confront the con man or threaten to betray his true identity, Steven instead makes him an offer of $500,000 in cash to murder his wife.
The film received mixed reviews from critics: Stephen Holden of The New York Times called it a "skillfully plotted update of Frederick Knott's play". Roger Ebert wrote "It works like a nasty little machine to keep us involved and disturbed; my attention never strayed".
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