The Rich Man's Wife (1996) User Reviews

Strangers on a Train vs The Usual Suspects

[howdymax · 6/10 · 1 July 2004]

It would appear that the writers of this rather muddled movie were in a big rush to get the script in. They borrowed elements of a number of movies, including the two in my summary, patched them together and voila. Instant movie.

Don't get me wrong, this movie isn't a total loss. If you just consider the acting, we have two standouts. Peter Greene as one of the vilest villains I've seen in a while, and Clea Lewis as the greedy, vindictive wife of the best friend.

Let's not forget Halle Berry. No, let's not. Her acting is always credible, even when she's forced to recite lines like these. And I can assure you she is as adorable in person as she is on screen. I worked with her on a mini-series called "The Wedding" some years ago. She was pleasant, professional, cheerful, friendly, and beautiful. Gee, I almost sound like I'm gushing, but I have worked a lot of movies with a lot of actors, and she really did stand out.

All in all, I don't think you can lose by spending a little time with this movie, but I have to warn you: There are more plot holes in it than there are pot holes in Jersey City.

It's worth taking a look at

[MovieFan983 · 5/10 · 18 January 1999]

This wasn't a bad film, it was entertaining, made you guess most of the time, and was pretty tense, its only flaw is some stupidity, and the jump scenes in it are predictable. Plus the film itself is predictable, but it is good, and it worth watching. Halle Berry is sensational as The Rich Man's Wife. The ending is especially satisfying, making your jaw drop to the ground. I give it a 7 out of 10. Rated R for strong violence and language.

Turn It Off Before the Last Sixty Seconds

[dragoneyez01 · 5/10 · 19 March 2005]

Josie and Tony Potenza are your typical (Hollywood) upper-crust couple. The middle-aged Tony (Christopher McDonald) is somewhat of an apathetic husband and an alcoholic, but is an otherwise loving husband with a thriving career as a film executive. Josie, the wife about half his age, feels neglected by him, but hides her concerns because she still loves her husband (and the money, let's not kid ourselves). Their flawed, but satisfactory life goes awry one night when Josie admits her marital problems to a Cole (Peter Greene), a total stranger who she becomes acquainted with after her car breaks down and he helps her out. Unfortunately for Tony, she also admits to Cole she sometimes wishes Tony was dead. Despite taking the comment back, Cole appears to take Josie's words seriously, and the problems ensue.

The cast, especially the supporting actors, bring a rather pedestrian script to life. Halle Berry is not only beautiful, but a competent actress in any role (aside from Catwoman), and in the context of the first 93 of the films 94 minute runtime, she does extraordinary as a woman lost in a situation which is totally out of her control. Christopher McDonald is great as usual, and fits the role of a wealthy, apathetic husband well. Peter Greene and Clive Owen (Josie's boyfriend) both work with what they have, and Clea Lewis (who I never heard of before this film) brings some mild humor.

The plot itself is nothing particularly new or original, but it grabs your attention slowly and when it has you hooked, it doesn't let go. While most of the material is recycled from previous (and better) films, it's presented in a manner that's still refreshing, and the characters hold it together.

Of the crew, the cinematographer, Haskell Wexler, displays his talents the best. There are many great sweeping shots of the mountains and forests, and the film as a whole has a glossy, well-composed look to it.

And there you have it: the good. The film's first 93 minutes is time well spent. The plot is interesting, the acting is above average, and film is well-shot.

Unfortunately, the last 60 seconds, yes, sixty seconds, is the film's undoing. I won't spoil the "surprise," but it is a twist ending that will cause you to scratch your head for a few minutes, and then make you wish you hadn't wasted your time. It seems like no thought went into the twist ending, and it was just tacked on because it was a popular thing to do. And with the twist at the end, gaping plot holes are left in the film. Horrible to end to an otherwise good movie. So, please take my advice. It's not such a bad movie, but skip the last 60 seconds or you'll feel cheated out of your time and intelligence.

Really Not A Bad Movie

[ryon-2 · 27 February 2005]

I started watching The Rich Man's Wife, even though the title alone would suggest a crappy, soap-ish kind of movie. But I was pleasantly surprised with this murder mystery, although in flashbacks we see that there's not much of a mystery as to who was killing who.

What I liked was the way Halley Berry's character's handled herself in such a strong, almost "Ripley" like way; not some simpering, whimpering victim. She shoots the "bad guy" with a precision that professional marksmen would envy. It's a good movie, right up to the ending, then along comes that final twist-- the one plot twist too many-- that shot the whole movie to hell for me. Had the last five minutes not happened, for it me it would have been almost perfect movie, so I give this movie 5/10.

Is it an absolute certainty that this movie wasn't a parody?

[triple8 · 3/10 · 20 March 2005]

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT POST: Rich Man's Wife, starring Halle Berry, has one major flaw that I saw and that is to take out all the things that make psychological thrillers great and put in all the things that make them problematic. As such, this movie let me down many times throughout.

As thrillers go, this one actually starts OK. In fact the cinematography is great and the story is at first interesting. But the movie goes nowhere. Everything that's bad in psychological thrillers appears(car chases, chases on foot, ominous music, violence, characters who just seem like caricatures, plot holes that are absolutely unexplainable, and much much more). It's all here in The Rich Man's wife. The Movie does not leave any of these things out. Throw in characters who seem to make bad decision upon bad decision solely for the purpose of making a movie and one has The Rich Man's wife.

Now I'm not sure if it's the writer to fault-because most of the bad things seem like standard stuff thrown into lots of bad movies. What's frustrating about this one though, is that it starts halfway interesting. I'll admit it doesn't stay that way for long but still..

I will also say I am not quite sure this wasn't meant to be a parody. There are just to many things that don't make sense in any other context but parody. For example, how each and EVERY character seems to be a caricature. We get the raging psychopath (played quite well actually by Peter Greene.) The cops who seem to be in another world altogether, the hysterical put upon heiress(Berry who is never quite convincing here) and a few more . This movie had me rolling my eyes in quite a short period of time, such as when Cole chases Josie into her cabin and she, screaming and shrieking as she runs for her life, then proceeds to leaves the door open for Cole to follow her into the cabin.

The Rich Man's wife had a great cast but doesn't seem to care if the audience buys any of what is happening on screen. If it's purpose is just to entertain fine but to do that more effectively, it should have dropped some of the clichés and melodrama.

If I find out this was meant to be a comedy I will change my vote from 3 to 6 or maybe even 7. But as of right now, my vote stands at three. The main positives were the fact it really didn't bore all that much, AND Clea Lewis as the bitter ex wife of Josie's lover. She was so funny! What a great performance. It's almost worth it to see the movie just for her.

Rich Man's wife also almost crosses into that "so bad it's good" category. But it doesn't quite make it. It had to much potential to go in to many really interesting directions. Some of the characters' dialog were as over the top as the plot twists. Also, Halle's hysteria got a bit tiresome after awhile, though she's a great actress I am a bit tired of her always playing roles where she's hysterical. All the scenes of Josie running for her life-oh man, I think I started to lose count.

And I will agree with so many others-the "twist" is completely over the top, a complete rip off from Usual suspects and, rather then thinking "Clever movie" at the end, as with suspects, one just feels a bit ripped off. The "twist" changes the meaning of virtually everything and makes every scene in the movie meaningless, one has no idea what the real story is and it's completely unnecessary because that twist, as with many other, (actually most) things in the movie, is just one more letdown. (I also think this movie had a bit of "Mortal Thoughts" in it as well as Suspects.) So while I wasn't bored, loved the cast, and thought the premise had potential I am giving this a 3. But I am still not convinced this wasn't, at least in part a parody.Anyway, not the worst but could have been better.

Early Halle Berry and Clive Owen Neo-Noir

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 18 November 2012]

An early movie by three lead actors who would go on to super-stardom, well Peter Green is not a superstar but makes a super villain. This is a slightly above average movie pastime that is not bad, but is bogged down by some genre conventions that are, well, conventional. The twist ending was completely unnecessary and for that indulgence it can be faulted.

The supporting cast is good and the cinematography is excellent. There is one scene that stands out (in the park) for all those movie fans that recognize that hitting a moving target with a handgun is not as easy as it looks in most Hollywood products.

The camera loves Halle Berry and here she displays some acting chops that would prove that she was not just another (very) pretty girl. So this is an average to slightly above average Neo-Noir that can be enjoyed for the best of it.

Not great, worth it for Peter Greene

[NateWatchesCoolMovies · 4/10 · 3 April 2016]

The Rich Man's wife is an unabashedly trashy little Hitchcockian thriller with a young Halle Berry caught in a very dangerous situation that has spun wildly out of control. She discovers that her unpleasant and very wealthy husband (Christopher McDonald) has a hell of a prenuptial agreement looming over her. Over drinks with intense stranger Cole Wilson (Peter Greene), she offhandedly jokes that she should arrange his murder to speed up the process. Wilson turns out to be a grade A maniac and takes her comments seriously, setting forth some nasty events into motion that she never planned on. Berry is also getting side action from suave restauranteer Clive Owen, who ends up in way over his head trying to deal with murderous, unhinged Wilson who is attempting to frame Berry for her husband's death and generally causing problems for everyone. Berry is solid, Owen is restrained in an early career appearance. It's Greene however who earns brownie points, as he usually does. He makes Cole a fun psychopath who relishes in ruining lives and terrorizing people. A last minute, ludicrous and laughable twist ending solidifies the tawdry 90's vibe, showcasing amoral lunatics out to kill each other and pervert the American Dream. Standard thriller material, worth a watch simply to raise awareness of its existence, since it seems to have been buried in the two decades of time since its release.

Not a Bad Movie

[Bluesradio62 · 7/10 · 7 February 2020]

Not a bad role for Halle Berry who plays a woman who feels as if she is being neglected by our overly business minded husband, and makes a off handed comment that is overheard by a psycho who has his own plans of what to do and who to blame....The demise of the husband was a little over done to say the least and who is going to believe that a psycho is going to let the Gorgeous Halle off that easy.......While there are some points that are definitely way too manufactured, and the ending is weak to say the least, the film still has some redeeming qualities and the acting isn't too bad and you can see where the situation being presented could be a reality.........Worth at least checking out on Cable or Netflixs.....

More like The Boring Man's Wife

[blacklist-1 · 2/10 · 31 May 2010]

With big A-list stars like Halle Berry and British actor Clive Owen starring in a murder mystery, which on the package seemed intriguing and suspenseful and with promises of twists and turns I was really looking forward to this, but oh dear! You would have more fun staring at the walls in your bedroom for the whole length of this film then to watch it. The acting was horrible, Halle Berry as wife Josie Potenza gives a truly dreadful performance, her worst ever. She wasn't convincing in the slightest, the principal villain Cole Wilson played by Peter Greene has to be one of the worst portrayed villains in cinematic history,he was about as frightening as a piece of fruit that just sits on the shelf waiting to be eaten.

Any suspense and tension in the film, which is told in a flashback by Berry to the police who have arrested her, is none. It was so predictable when it came to the action. Director Amy Jones hasn't got a clue how to create tension in a murder mystery. Yes there are a couple of good twists, but I did see them coming just before they were revealed and I liked Clive Owen's acting as the character Jake, which is why I gave this a two star, but really the acting was so theatrical, it just had the air of a TV movie like you watch on channel four late one night! I'm not surprised by the very low rating of 5.0 on IMDb. Do yourself a favour and miss this unless your bored. It's one murder mystery that has no intrigue or tension and is just plain dull and dry like a soggy biscuit.

Scream...Scream Scream Scream ((Everly Brothers tune))

[Queen_Sindel · 6/10 · 8 June 2003]

Berry did put on a very nice performance, as well as the rest of the cast. Although, there is this one part where she is in a vehicle, and is screaming...screaming...screaming... It gets QUITE annoying.

Also, the encounters by the sliding door remind me a lot of Scream. I am not sure which movie ripped off who (I believe this one came out first), but the scenes are similar.

Overall, Jones wrote/directed an excellent thriller. You will experience many "WHY DID HE/SHE DO THAT" - "OMGs" - and a few "AWWs". The ending has such a neat twist, and even if this is not your type of movie...do watch it to see Peter Greene topless.

;)

Garbage

[Boyo-2 · 4/10 · 25 January 2003]

Sad to say but even someone as fantastic as Clive Owen can make a career mistake. This is one of his rare bad movies, but as someone once said, sometimes you just have to make a living too.

Story is older than mold. Rich man has unhappy wife. Unhappy wife is a dope and confides in a total stranger that she has fantasies about her husbands demise. Before you can say PREDICTABLE!, stranger decides her fantasies should become reality.

But wait, its all a set-up. Can't tell you more than that, but there is more than one twist, none of them particularly original or well thought-out.

I really like Clive and I like Peter Greene too. Christopher McDonald I liked from such classics as "Requiem for a Dream" and "Quiz Show" but his character here is sketchy, at best.

Oh yeah, Halle Berry is in it too, and SURPRISE SURPRISE, she cries. 4/10.

Rent It As Soon As You Can

[witchcraftpentagrams · 10/10 · 21 January 2008]

This was a bloody excellent movie. I would see this again and again and again. Very good cast selection and Halle Berry looks so different in 1996. This has got a couple of jumps and stuff in it and I was so thrilled by the suspense that i accidentally pierced my arm rest on my chair with my fingernails. Now over here in Australia, apparently this movie doesn't exist, but I saw a copy in a DVD store and luckily it was rated MA so i got it straight away and i was so excited about it, i had to hit myself. Very good cast, direction, acting, sets and if you live in Australia and you see a copy of this movie, get it straight away because it is extremely rare since it is only on video now and they have stopped all production of videos. If somebody says this is a chick flick, they have no idea what this movie is.

Entertaining lifetimey guilty pleasure

[rivertam26 · 7/10 · 21 April 2020]

Revisiting this lifetimey thriller I still enjoyed it if only for the films tense and surprising finale. Halle Berry (Monster's Ball) stars as a trophy wife who at the beginning is hauled into the police station after her husband is murder and she proceeds to them what happened. She tells of a troubled marriage and the meeting of a psychotic stranger who decides to murder her husband and blackmail her. Clive Owen (King Arthur) also stars as her secret boyfriend. But the movie iui s seriously stolen by a charismatic Clea Lewis as Owen's trashy ex wife. The movies plot is stolen from better films but executed in a guilty pleasure, melodramatic hitchcockian way. And despite a few unintentional laughs because of Berrys over dramatic performance the movie does end up quite thrilling if all too familiar.

Box Office: $9m

3.5/5

Over Plotting to Kill

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 4 August 2013]

Beautiful young Halle Berry (as Josie) is married to ultra-rich older PBC-TV network executive Christopher McDonald (as Tony Potenza). Her job is to look beautiful and dress sexy. His job is to review TV pilots and the fall line-up. They love each other, really, but each are having extracurricular sex. She is getting hers from British restaurateur Clive Owen (as Jake Golden). He has various dalliances. Because Ms. Berry loves her husband, really, she is concerned with his drinking problem and preoccupation with work. Berry feels neglected and believes their marriage may be on the rocks...

To help repair the marriage, Berry arranges for the couple to spend some time in a small romantic cabin. Alas, her husband drinks too much and falls asleep. They give up on sex and he leaves. She decides to stay and check out local action in a dive bar. Arriving solo and looking to arouse, Berry has a drink and catches the eye of pool-playing Peter Greene (as Cole Wilson). Possibly turned-off by his creepy eye make-up, Berry leaves without a pick-up. Alas, her jeep dies. Stalled on a dark and rainy night, Berry is now a damsel in distress. No problem, as Mr. Greene happens by to drive her home...

Berry insists she loves her husband and declines Greene's sexual invitations. They portend rape, but Berry decided to date Greene anyway. They discuss her failing marriage. Berry was an innocent 17-year-old poor girl, swept off her feet. Greene believes Berry is asking him to kill her husband, but she disagrees. That's the set-up. "The Rich Man's Wife" begins with Berry's arrest. Then, she tells her story. It doesn't make a lot of sense, but can be followed. However, a final scene strains credulity to the breaking point. Cinematography (by Haskell Wexler) and support (like Clea Lewis) help.

***** The Rich Man's Wife (9/13/96) Amy Holden Jones ~ Halle Berry, Peter Greene, Clive Owen, Clea Lewis

It was ok.

[April_TX2004 · 29 September 2003]

I watched this movie around 3 o'clock in the morning and I wasnt really impressed.

First of all, How can you trust a guy like Peter Greene(Cole Wilson)?

This film was predictable in many parts and the lighting was really bad.However,Halle Berry was very pretty in this movie and yes she actually does cry.

Just dont make the same mistake I did and stay up til' 3 o'clock in the morning.But what the heck I was bored.

To wrap this comment up I give it a 6/10 *

A Marriage in Trouble

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 4 April 2016]

Suffering from a bad childhood, "Josie Potenza" (Halle Berry) marries at an early age to a wealthy real estate developer named "Tony Potenza" (Christopher McDonald) in order to essentially escape from a life of poverty. However, after seven years she realizes that her marriage is in trouble and in order to attempt to patch things up suggests that the two of them get away for a week to a cottage in the woods. Unfortunately, once there Tony gets a call from the office and has to go back. Needless to say, Josie isn't very happy with this sudden turn of events and rather than go back with him chooses to stay at this isolated location. Not long afterward she meets a man named "Cole Wilson" (Peter Greene) and subsequently tells him about her rich husband and the marital problems she is currently having. Unfortunately, Cole has some serious issues of his own and mistakenly concludes that she wants him to kill Tony. To make things worse, he then becomes quite agitated when she refuses his companionship and attempts to rape Josie--only to flee when she fires at him with a small pistol. After this Josie's problems really begin. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I was somewhat disappointed with this movie. The main reason for this was because, although this film had drama, it seemed to lack the passion or suspense often necessary for a movie of this type. Likewise, I thought that the surprise twist at the end was especially pedestrian. Be that as it may, Halle Berry put in a fine performance and because of that this movie wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. In any case, while it certainly could have been better, I suppose it was okay for the most part and because of that I have rated it as about average.

For a smart woman, she was pretty stupid

[tsmith417 · 3/10 · 5 May 2008]

When I start talking to the characters on the screen, I know it's a bad movie. I should've turned this one off after 30 minutes but I kept watching it to see if it would get any better, which it didn't, and, not only did the ending leave me scratching my head as one poster said, but it left me dope-slapping myself for wasting so much of my time.

Plot holes? Too many to count. Logic? Nowhere to be seen.

A woman tells some jerk she just met in a bar that sometimes she wishes her husband was dead -- and show me one woman who hasn't said that at least once in her married life -- and just like that he says, "I'll kill him for you," and she doesn't say to herself, "Uh, could this guy be a psychopath by any chance?" and make some excuse to get the hell out of there and put as much distance as possible between them? The jerk, who later really murders her husband, threatens to tell the cops she paid him to do it BEFORE he demands that she give him $30,000. Here is where I was talking to the screen, saying, go ahead, tell them that, because there's nothing to prove it, no paper trail, no bank withdrawals, nothing.

And while the guy is acting wild and crazy and making his demands for money he casually goes over to the dresser and opens the drawer and takes out a clean shirt. I might have missed something that happened before, but why does anyone keep his shirts folded in a drawer instead of hanging in the closet and how did this guy know that's where they were? And why are there dress shirts in the drawer of a vacation house to begin with? And tell me how the shirt is not hanging off him, seeing as how the husband was shorter and weighed about 50 pounds more than him?

Halle Berry's character is smart enough to double-cross the guy who plotted to kill her husband, but she doesn't take the time to make sure at least some of her husband's assets are in her name. So now that he's dead, not only does she have to wait for his estate to be probated, which could take more than a year, during which time she would have no income whatsoever, but the man's whole family could now claim a share in the estate, conceivably leaving her with about ten bucks when all is said and done. I'll grant you that we don't know how large a family the man had, or if he even had a family at all, but logic dictates he would have at least a cousin or two somewhere who would definitely make a claim against a multi-million dollar estate.

What I love most about murder movies is the funerals themselves. Here the man who runs a broadcasting company of all things gets killed and there are what, 22 people at the funeral? No cameras and no news teams to cover such a terrible tragedy, not even from his own company! And the killer comes up to the widow and nobody stops to ask who this man is, since he's obviously not dressed appropriately for the occasion and seems to be causing the widow to be upset and angry.

The ending was stupidest of all because Halle Berry and her lover's ex-wife drive off, acting smug, when all they have is 30 grand between them to last them for who knows how long, and with their lifestyles you know it won't get them very far ... and they're saying men are idiots?

I'm the real idiot, for having wasted my time on this silly movie, so learn from my mistake and watch something else.

Just a bad movie!!!

[rbknibb · 2/10 · 26 April 2003]

This is a perfect example of bad writing. Yes . . . Halle Berry is beautiful, but that doesn't up for mediocre acting and an overall weak movie. I saw this piece of crap on cable and the guide gave it *1/2 (out of 4*). They were being generous! I give it 2* (out of 10*)

One of the worst chick flicks ever!

[arosser-1 · 2/10 · 1 June 2004]

Watch closely to the first 40 minutes. Chris McDonald (always portrayed as the nemesis of good people everywhere, and does a good job of it) is assumed to be a total jerk. Not so, he's got a cliché drinking problem, he's a workaholic, and is having an affair, reciprocated by his wife. And this makes him evil? Watch her closely! Little naive, working class GOLD-DIGGER! The best part of the those first 40 minutes is the waitress's reaction to her bs when she's "confiding" with the bad boy.

Who wrote this crap? It's like a romance novel with an IQ of 27, give or take 26.

Don't even bother unless you have some very, very delicate (don't hurt her feelings) axe (arse) to grind.

See ya.

The Ending Really Did It For Me

[Bob-45 · 8/10 · 18 June 2006]

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"

Bad Movie

[Polo · 2/10 · 27 February 1999]

This movie is very stupid. Jumps back and forth too much. The plot lacks any interest at all. You get the feeling that she is telling the story, but there are scenes that she is not in, so how can she tell us what is going on in scenes where she isn't present. This is very sorry film making.

*

Bad Writing, Poor direction.

[Unbreakable27 · 27 August 2005]

My problem with this movie is that it tries too hard.

It is neither thriller no suspenseful as it intended to be.

Can you say predictable?? It tries to take twists and turns but any intelligent viewer has figured them out before the movie actually gets to them.

1. Halle Berry's character says she doesn't need to speak with an attorney.

Only an idiot would make a remark like that sitting in jail facing a murder one rap.

2. Plot hole.

We see Halle Berry in one scene playing with the gun that would eventually kill her husband. Now if she had nothing to do with it as she claimed, how did Peter Greene's character get the exact same gun? I'm not even a cop and I could have figured that one out.

When Berry's Jeep breaks down in the middle of nowhere, there is no other car behind her. Greene just shows up out of the blue. Come on!!? Mainly the conversation between Cole Wilson (Greene) and Jake Golden (Clive Owen) How can Berry's character tell the story for scenes she wasn't even in? We learn that supposedly Golden hired Cole to do a simple hit and not even talk to Josie (Berry), but he became attracted to her.

How can she tell how the murder occurred if she was not there or had nothing to do with it? And when Berry discovers Jake's involvement, this is no surprise as we already knew this! Jake's ex-wife had something to do with it obviously because she was always taking up for Josie.

This movie just has bad pot holes and flaws.

If you're going to do a murder-for-hire "Don't be seen with the killer in public" Dumb writing, even dumber acting.

And this cast is generally a very talented set of actors, too bad they had to follow this piece of crap of a script.

One of the worst chick flicks ever!

[arosser-1 · 2/10 · 2 June 2004]

Watch closely to the first 40 minutes. Chris McDonald (always portrayed as the nemesis of good people everywhere, and does a good job of it) is assumed to be a total jerk. Not so, he's got a cliché drinking problem, he's a workaholic, and is having an affair, reciprocated by his wife. And this makes him evil? Watch her closely! Little naive, working class GOLD-DIGGER! The best part of the those first 40 minutes is the waitress's reaction to her bs when she's "confiding" with the bad boy.

Who wrote this crap? It's like a romance novel with an IQ of 27, give or take 26.

Don't even bother unless you have some very, very delicate (don't hurt her feelings) axe (arse) to grind.

See ya.

Spoiler...

[gridoon · 5/10 · 22 February 2004]

Halle Berry's beauty is ALMOST reason enough to sit through any film, and here she's surrounded by a good supporting cast. But this glossy thriller (great cinematography by Haskell Wexler) spins a familiar tale, and in the end turns out to be a blatant rip-off of "The Usual Suspects" (even using pretty much the same closing shot). The trick that "Suspects" pulled on the audience was quite unique, and this picture came out too soon afterwards not to be accused of plagiarism. (**)

Halle Berry Delivers a Compelling Performance in This Well Done Crafty Mystery Movie The Rich Man's Wife.

[mrs-61102 · 3/10 · 22 May 2021]

When a Wife Of a Wealthy Bussiness Man is Found Murdered And She's About To Be Framed For His Murder While The Real Murderer Gets Away Unless She Comes Up With Money To Give To The Murderer Before He Goes To The Police And Turned Her in. This Film is Directed By Amy Holden Jones Who Did The First Cult Slasher 80's Film "The Slumber Party Massacre" Now Directes The Rich Man's Wife Which i Was Surprised That This is The Same Woman Director Of The Slumber Party Massacre Film it Was Good That Amy Holden Jones Directed This Suspense Mystery Film This Movie Not Only Feature Halle Berry Before She Became a Big Time Actress To Do in Other Feature Films, Also Starring in This Film Are Peter Greene Who Played The Villian in The Jim Carrey Comedy Film "The Mask" And Who Appeared in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" Where He Plays a Character Named "Zed" Now Here in This Movie He Plays Yet Again Another Villian, Clive Owen, Christopher McDonald And Charles Hallahan Who Played The Character Of "Norris" in John Carpenter's "The Thing" The Rich Man's Wife is One Great Halle Berry Movie From The 90's Packed With Edge Of Your Seat Moments And i Thought it Was Good Suspense Film.