Journalism and espionage meet with Perfect Stranger

By Jen Colletta
Collegian Editor
April 18, 2007

Sex, lies and betrayal. And drugs. And murder. And copious amounts of alcohol. These are the basic ideas that underlie the plot for Halle Berry’s latest flick, Perfect Stranger, directed by James Foley. While the film is nowhere near perfect, the suspense and mystery that propel the action of the movie make for an intriguing, albeit occasionally confusing, moviegoing experience.

Berry plays New York Times investigative journalist Rowena Price, whose penchant for chasing down leads lands her in a very dangerous position. After Rowena learns of the mysterious and brutal murder of a childhood friend, Grace, she becomes obsessed with discovering the murderer’s identity.

Before Grace died, she confessed to Rowena that she had been having an affair with a man she met in an online chat room, the well-known business tycoon Harrison Hill, played by Bruce Willis. With no other leads to go on, Rowena infiltrates Harrison’s company, using sex appeal and her quick wit to stay close to him.

Rowena is aided in her investigation by fellow Times staffer Miles, played by Giovanni Ribisi. Miles is a typical computer geek whose obsession with Rowena convinces him to take the opportunity to work closely with her to uncover the murderer. The investigation, which entails Rowena assuming several different identities, dating Harrison and even having an online relationship with him, eventually leads her to the killer.

Perfect Stranger is dubbed as a psychological thriller, and it certainly lives up to that genre. There is a surprise around every corner, many of which deviate from the cliché twists and turns in most suspenseful movies. The many facets to each character, however, are even more intriguing than the main plotline.

The basic theme of the movie is that nothing is as it really seems on the surface, and the gradual development of the characters perfectly illustrates this idea. The audience’s initial conception of all of the main characters slowly begins to break down throughout the movie, as more and more psychological layers are added to each person.

The one drawback of the film, however, is that the plot is, at times, a bit convoluted. The director will be leading the audience down one path, and then suddenly whips the storyline around in another direction, leading to confusion and an overall sense of a lack of unity in the film. This may, however, be a product of the fact that the film was shot with several different endings, all of which had a different person as Grace’s killer.

The acting, for the most part, was impressive. Berry delivers a top-notch performance, easily slipping into the role of the savvy and clever Rowena. Ribisi also was perfectly cast as the somewhat endearing, somewhat creepy, Miles; his infatuation with Rowena was cleverly revealed through Ribisi’s expertly executed facial expressions and mannerisms.

Willis’ portrayal of Harrison Hill, however, was one of the drawbacks of the film. This role would have been better suited for someone younger, as Harrison was the archetypical ladies’ man, who had women all around his office swooning over him. There was also a definite lack of chemistry between Willis and Berry, something that would have enhanced the overall feel of the movie.

Perfect Stranger is definitely worth the price of the movie ticket. It’s not just a typical car-chase-and-scary-music-thriller; the depth and originality that each character possesses adds an extra and very integral element to the movie. It’s a captivating and intriguing psychological thriller with a perfectly killer ending.

collettaj1@lasalle.edu