I would have considered "The Rich Man's Wife" a wonderfully acted and competently made, if cliché ridden, "Women in peril" chick flick, except for the last five minutes. The ending redeems the movie and makes it a "must see" mystery for those who enjoy movies such as "The Six Sense" and "Wild Things". Peter Greene takes the obnoxious, menacing villain to new levels of creepiness; and Clea Lewis dominates every one of her small scenes. I just wish the movie had used the "Wild Things" end credits technique to tie everything together a little better.
WARNING: SPOILER
For those who complain of pot holes and "Berry tells the story in the first person, but scenes occur that she couldn't possibly know" is misguided. Since Berry and Lewis have concocted the entire story to kill their husbands and inherit the estates, of course the story is going to have some disjointed elements. Their dialog is meant to tell the dumb, chauvinistic cops just what they want to hear; or, at least, what they would expect from a couple of women. Most likely, Berry lured Clive Owen's character to the house and shot him. Likewise, she may have actually recruited Peter Greene herself and killed him once he was no longer useful. "If she paid Cole $30,000, where is the money?" asks the cops and DA? Obviously, Cole (Peter Greene) never had the $30,000. Berry gave it to Clea Lewis, so Berry and Lewis could live off it until the estates of their late husbands cleared probate. That might also explain how Cole got through security gates and the alarm system, to get into the house and menace Berry on two occasions; not to mention, how Cole got Berry's gun to use to kill Berry's husband.
END OF SPOILERS
Hopefully, one day, critics and viewers will take a second look at "The Rich Man's Wife," just as they did "Vertigo."
I give "The Rich Man's Wife" an "8"
WARNING: SPOILER
For those who complain of pot holes and "Berry tells the story in the first person, but scenes occur that she couldn't possibly know" is misguided. Since Berry and Lewis have concocted the entire story to kill their husbands and inherit the estates, of course the story is going to have some disjointed elements. Their dialog is meant to tell the dumb, chauvinistic cops just what they want to hear; or, at least, what they would expect from a couple of women. Most likely, Berry lured Clive Owen's character to the house and shot him. Likewise, she may have actually recruited Peter Greene herself and killed him once he was no longer useful. "If she paid Cole $30,000, where is the money?" asks the cops and DA? Obviously, Cole (Peter Greene) never had the $30,000. Berry gave it to Clea Lewis, so Berry and Lewis could live off it until the estates of their late husbands cleared probate. That might also explain how Cole got through security gates and the alarm system, to get into the house and menace Berry on two occasions; not to mention, how Cole got Berry's gun to use to kill Berry's husband.
END OF SPOILERS
Hopefully, one day, critics and viewers will take a second look at "The Rich Man's Wife," just as they did "Vertigo."
I give "The Rich Man's Wife" an "8"