It was directed by Richard Eyre (Iris, Notes On A Scandal), is based on a book by Bernhard Schlink (The Reader) and stars Liam Neeson and Laura Linney, but The Other Man still falls short of being the kind of Oscar-caliber flick one might expect from such a combination of first-class ingredients.
Like Notes, it deals with infidelity, but with a twist. Neeson is the husband who figures out that shoe designer wife Linney cheated on him and so searches for, and eventually finds, the man (Antonio Banderas) with whom Linney dallied while in Italy.
The film works best when Neeson tracks down Banderas in what briefly amounts to a more mellow take on Taken, the actor’s I’m-going-to-get-you thriller from earlier this year in which he hunted down and dispatched some nasty kidnappers. Here he befriends Banderas over games of chess, gleaning details about the affair despite desperately wanting to bash in the guy’s head.
It’s all beautifully lit, too, with gorgeous Lake Como scenery and shots of Neeson’s country home shrouded in morning mist. And Eyre moves his camera around with skill, as demonstrated by some graceful steadi-cam shots that follow Neeson and his daughter (Romola Garai) around their house.
The main secret certainly proves surprising and for a while shifts the film in an interesting direction. But then we get another revelation thrown at us about another character that, unfortunately, steers the film toward a somber ending that proves at best unsatisfying, emotionally and otherwise, not to mention a mite unbelievable.
Neeson seems miscast to me. I’m not quite sure why. It didn’t help that some of the time I literally couldn’t understand what he was saying, what with that Irish lilt of his. I liked Linney. It’s easy to see why both men loved her. And yet it’s Banderas, as a man whose smooth charm and nice suits hide an ulterior motive, who turns out to be the best thing in an otherwise disappointing movie. – [DVD]
Drama
Rated R
DVD Release Date: 12/15/09