Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.0

The Other Man Blu-ray Movie Review

A top-tier cast gets squandered in this uninspired excuse for a thriller.

Reviewed by Casey Broadwater December 21, 2009

The Other Man gets off on withholding. It’s fully apparent less than twenty minutes into the film that something is awry, that some key piece of information is being clandestinely tucked away for the climactic, game-changing reveal. Now, I don’t mind a twist ending providing that it’s smart, integral to the narrative, and properly surprising. The trouble here is not only that the big a-ha moment almost unbearably predictable—which it is, even if you’re lightly dozing through the film, a natural reaction—but also that it seems needlessly manipulative, overly machinated, and worse still, incredibly condescending to the audience. Director Richard Eyre, best known for his Dame Judi Dench vehicles, Iris and Notes on a Scandal, must think we’re all new to the thriller genre and easily hoodwinked. And admittedly, he does fool us at least once, by casting three top-tier actors as his leads and making us think, at least for the first twenty minutes of the film, that The Other Man might actually be a decent, erotically charged thriller. If only it were so.

What...to...order...

Peter (Liam Neeson) and Lisa (Laura Linney) are something of an upper class power couple. He’s the CEO of a successful software company, and she’s a famed designer of women’s shoes. During a post-fashion show dinner at an upscale restaurant, Lisa pops the dreaded question: “Do you think two people can live together all of their lives?” Obliviously, Peter assumes Lisa is talking about their daughter Abigail (Romola Garai), who has recently taken up with George (Craig Parkinson), a stonemason who isn’t exactly Peter’s first choice for his daughter. Soon, the narrative skips unexpectedly forward and Lisa has left Peter mysteriously, even leaving her cell phone and laptop behind. She’s also left some clues. Inside her favorite pair of pumps, Peter finds a scrap of paper inscribed with “Lake Como” in all-caps. Naturally, this turns out to be the password to a locked folder on her computer that contains tasteful semi-nude photos of Lisa with —gasp—the other man. “I want to meet him. I want to kill him,” Peter ridiculously confides to an employee—who inexplicably agrees to help—and through some technological trickery, Peter tracks down Ralph (Antonio Banderas), a self-professed “cosmopolitan” who lives in Milan.

If it sounds like the premise for a cliché-riddled tale of infidelity and woe, that’s exactly what it is, despite the film persistently beating us over the head with the fact that it has a secret in its pocket, a narrative ace up its sleeve. Once Peter journeys to Italy to confront his wife’s lover, The Other Man coagulates into a tepid cinematic Euro-pudding of indescribable blandness. With a murderous glint in his eyes, Peter tails the dashing Ralph—pronounced Rafe, of course—to the back room of a café, where he challenges the blissfully unaware lothario to a game of chess. And this drags on for about a week, with the two meeting daily to battle on the checkered board while Peter wheedles out of the loquacious Ralph all the juicy details of the Latin lover’s sultry affair with Lisa. You could call it a cat-and-mouse game of taunting if it weren’t so tension-free and filled with unbelievably stunted and overwrought dialogue. Plus, Ralph must be a top of the line ignoramus, because he fails to see Peter’s passive- aggressive inquests as anything more than friendly banter. The film strains credulity at every overly orchestrated twist and turn. By the time The Other Man drops its not-so-stealthily delivered bomb—some two thirds of the way through the film—we’ve either already pieced together the mystery or we’re simply too drained of empathy for the unlikable characters to even care.

After the secret is revealed, the film doles out one dreary, histrionic flashback after another, filling us in on the details that have been hitherto withheld, purposefully but to little dramatic effect. It’s sloppy storytelling, but the sustained tone of self-satisfied gravity seems to suggest that The Other Man mistakenly thinks it possesses true emotional resonance and suspense. In reality, the material seems cheap and maudlin. How The Other Man attracted such a fantastic cast is indeed a shoulder-shrugging mystery, but it’s as clear as day that the dour script has kept the actors from performing at their usual best. Laura Linney is absent for most of the film, but her intermittent appearances are marked with passionless disinterest. Likewise, Liam Neeson’s anger fails to engage, though he storms about convincingly. It’s Antonio Banderas, however, who gets hit hardest by the script, as his character provides a near endless supply of unintentional hilarity. A Romantic-with-a-capital-R dandy who strains to maintain an illusion of wealth, class, and connections, Banderas’ Ralph slips into self-parody near the middle of The Other Man and never quite recovers. And this is symptomatic of a film that tries much too hard to wring mystery and tension out of a dry rag of a plot.

The Other Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Other Man strolls onto Blu-ray with a solid 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that's far more impressive than its uninspired narrative, but not quite enough to elevate the overall glum experience of watching the film. There are a couple of soft shots throughout the film, but more often than not the image is tight and crisp, with fine textures apparent in close-ups, and an abundance of background detail. You'll be able to make out, for example, all the lines and pores on Liam Neeson's face, the beads of water on Antonio Banderas' rain coat, and the fine weft of Romala Garai's knit cap. The film's color scheme is understandably restrained—relying on a depressive color cast—so you won't see too many vivid, eye-popping hues here. Still, what colors there are seem substantially deep, with no wash-out or instability, though skin tones have a tendency to skew toward yellow at times. Black levels are more than adequate, and contrast is just right. The only anomaly I noticed was some slight banding and blotchiness in some harsh blue highlights when Liam and Laura are in bed together. Grain is fine and unobtrusive, the print is clean, and there are no other issues to report.

The Other Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Likewise, The Other Man's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is surprisingly adept, though, once again, it doesn't really do anything to improve the film itself. Stephen Warbeck's score carries the tone with appropriate moodiness, giving us thoughtfully plinked piano keys and a variety of orchestral elements, all sounding detailed and full, with ample bass and a nice spread across the channels. Unexpectedly, the rear speakers get a fair amount of activity throughout the film. This isn't Transformers 2 or anything, but there's nearly always some kind of environmental, place-establishing ambience being broadcast, from city street sounds and lapping waves to pouring rain and rolling thunder. The sound design is quite subtle, but it is effective. There are a few scenes toward the beginning of the film when dialogue seems somewhat low in the mix, but this quickly remedies itself and I really didn't have to touch my remote at all while the film went on, and on, and on. Seriously, this a long 87 minutes.

The Other Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Interviews (SD, 24:10)
Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Romala Garai, Antonio Banderas, and director Richard Eyre all get a chance to wax one another's cars, so to speak, in these lengthy but rather dull interviews. Each actor gets to say a few words about his or her character and fellow actors, while Richard Eyre tackles all the usual casting and thematic questions.

Commentary by Director Richard Eyre
Dry and somewhat over-informative, Eyre's commentary seems sadly delusional about the greatness of The Other Man. Your appreciation of the film will likely determine the value you place on this track, but I'd say Eyre's insights aren't enough to make it worth the time and effort to sit through the movie twice.

Theatrical Trailer (SD, 1:46)

The Other Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Unless you want your intelligence insulted and your money robbed, stay away from The Other Man and look elsewhere for mystery and suspense. It's hard to believe how glum and uninspired this film is, but it's even harder to believe that Linney, Neeson, and Banderas signed on for it. While the film has been given a decent audio/video presentation on Blu-ray, I can't even bring myself to recommend The Other Man as a rental.