Search - The Other Man on DVD

Rebecca H. from HENDERSON, NV
Reviewed on 1/2/2020...

Must see intense movie so good

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Peter Q. (Petequig)
Reviewed on 2/28/2011...

Good mystery with a lot of twists.

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Cathie R. from FALLON, NV
Reviewed on 5/29/2010...

Good acting and interesting story. I was unsure about the daughter in the beginning but really liked her character by the end of the movie.

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Christine S. (Snowball7470) from CORP CHRISTI, TX
Reviewed on 1/22/2010...

This movie really shocked me -- think Premonition or Sixth Sense. What I thought to be true was not and the actual outcome was a surprise to me. It's a good suspense movie but I don't consider it a keeper.

5 of 5 member(s) found this review helpful.

This Is No Suspense Thriller

D Jones | Alexandria, VA, USA | 12/22/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Just watched the DVD without having seen the Trailers or previous reviews. Picked up the movie based on the quality of the actors and the description on the DVD case, a "gripping suspense thriller". Based on the DVD case description we thought we were getting a Hitchcockian type suspense thriller. Hardly!

Plot synopsis: Happily married couple...wife walks out the door and disappears about ten minutes into movie...husband spends remainder of movie tracking down, dealing with, and coming to terms with the emotional trauma created by "The Other Man". Husband knows why wife disappears from the moment we see her leave in a slow motion shot...no mystery to him at all. Too bad we are left hanging for the next forty-five minutes. Her apparent disappearence early on has nothing to do with the plot other than to make us think we are watching a suspense thriller. No guns, no chases, no violent confrontations, no 180 degree plot twists, and no surprise ending. In fact, the ending is wierd and beguilling. In our our view it seems tacked on and somewhat implausable.

First rate acting and beautiful locale photography of Milan and Lake Como, Italy, make up, somewhat, for a disjointed plot and some odd film editing. In the scenes following the wife's disappearance we literally stopped the DVD and wondered if it had skipped ahead a chapter by mistake. Additionally, if we hadn't spent two years living near Milan and Lake Como we'd loose track of the continuous flashbacks and changes in plot locations. This is a film requiring your full attention to keep up.

Still, if we'd wanted to watch a lushly made "Lifetime TV" drama which confusingly unfolds revealing a love triangle, we'd rent this movie. It just isn't what it describes itself to be.
"

A Major Disappointment Despite Excellent Cast and Director

The Jaundiced Eye | Texas, USA | 01/02/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Like a lot of people, I chose this DVD based upon the excellent cast, writer/director, and descriptives on the DVD label; however, I was quite disappointed with the movie. I will not provide a rehash of the plot (other reviewers have already done this) but will focus on the specific deficiencies.

Whether due to faulty editing or a failed attempt at artistry, the continuity of the plot has serious problems. There are jumps of time and location which simply do not make sense. In more skillful hands, discordant chronology may be a valuable feature (Memento), but here it is simply confusing. At one point, I, like another reviewer, became convinced that my DVD was defective and a portion of the movie had been deleted. Such sloppiness is distracting, disappointing, and inexplicable.

The concept that people are not as they may seem is, in more skillful hands, a wonderful plot twist. Here, however, it was presented in a heavy handed, cartoonish way. Each of the main characters at times demonstrates a lifestyle or behavior that is not just unexpected but jarringly inappropriate and impossible to believe. SPOILER: I can possibly accept that the sweet, gentle husband is prone to loud, profane, violent outbursts....but for the suave, ladies man to actually be a penniless, tortoise-rescuing janitor??? Come on, why is this necessary? How does this advance the plot in any way? It is a childish, simplistic twist without any redeeming merit. END of SPOILER

Character development is virtually non-existent. Why do these people behave as they do, especially when their behavior is so "out of character"? These revelations could have been the best part of the movie, but sadly are ignored.

People appear and disappear from distant locations with no time or effort required. The daughter is at home in England one minute, in Italy the next, back home in the next few seconds. The wife appears and disappears with no adequate explanation (until it really doesn't matter). I hate it when directors and writers ignore practical constraints of time and distance. Reality can jar a viewer's emotions, but ignoring reality merely jars their intelligence.

Granted, the cinematography, acting, locations, etc. were excellent. However, the heart of any movie is its plot, and if there are serious, jarring deficiencies in the plot, the movie simply has no heart. This was an excellent example of largely wasted talent....please accept my (and others) most sincere suggestion that you seek viewing pleasure elsewhere."

Linney and Neeson are wasted in this insipid 'thriller'

z hayes | TX | 12/22/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The jacket of this DVD has a blurb stating that this is a "gripping suspense thriller". That and the cast comprising Laura Linney and Liam Neeson (there's also Antonio Banderas and Romola Garai) convinced me to rent this movie which turned out to be a disappointing and lackluster viewing experience. Liam Neeson and Laura Linney portray a couple who seem to be happily married - Lisa is a successful shoe designer and Peter is a well-to-do software designer. Then, quite suddenly, Lisa is out of the picture (her fate is only revealed much later in the movie) and Peter uncovers some unsettling e-mails (together with some very sexy photos) that suggest Lisa has been having an affair with a certain Ralph (Antonio Banderas). Peter manages to track down Ralph in Milan, Italy with the intent of killing this other man - Peter gains Ralph's confidence, barely disguising his disdain for his wife's lover, and over the course of the film (mainly via flashbacks) the fate of Peter's wife is revealed, as is Ralph's true nature, and the relationship between Ralph and Lisa. By this time however, any suspense aspect in the movie has long since faded, leaving me frustrated that I had wasted time on this uninspired movie.

I cannot believe that the same director, Richard Eyre, who gave us Notes on a Scandal, directed this tepid domestic drama. It really is merely that - a boring drama about a baffled and irate husband (Neeson) who through the course of the movie tries to understand why his wife betrayed him, and then turns his anger upon his wife's lover. There's a secondary character in the form of Lisa and Peter's adult daughter, played by Romola Garai. She tries to dissuade her father from taking any drastic measures, and spends her time pleading and whining (Ms. Garai can however shine in a role, as evidenced by her performance in I Capture the Castle. Both Neeson and Linney's considerable talents are totally wasted here - their characters are never allowed to truly grow or develop, and Banderas' character seems a mere caricature, which could well have been the intent in the movie. Oh, there's a twist towards the end (having to do with the fate of the absent wife) that is more baffling than disturbing. As for DVD extras - there's a director's audio commentary, cast and crew interviews, and a theatrical trailer. Final verdict - rent if you must - otherwise, I'd advise skipping this."