The Other Man [Import]

Contrary to the way the disc jacket advertises this film - there is almost no suspense here. So don't get it thinking you'll see anything Hitchcockian, any psychological thriller, or even any pale shadow of suspense.

But more than that, "The Other Man" suffers from terrible editing. It seems to be made up of footage haphazardly collected from the cutting room floor. The movie is supposed to be based on a respected novel - but something apparently got lost in translation from one medium to the other.

For one thing, you might soon find yourself wondering what Antonio Banderas' character is supposed to be. Is he a gigolo - a janitor - a petty moocher - a hospital orderly - an international sophisticate - or a true romantic? This disjointed multiplicity doesn't reflect any intelligent complication of character. No, it's a simple lapse into messiness. We see Banderas' character flash from one of these personas to the next without any adequate segue.

In a director's commentary that is more intelligent and interesting than the film itself, there is still no adequate explanation of these abridgements.

Finally, the central performance in this mishmash, Liam Neeson's portrayal of a jealous husband, is emotionally inauthentic. I myself felt like walking out on this character and this film and cheating with some real thriller.

Just watched this film last night and feel the same as other reviewers. I watched the first part again to figure out if I had dropped off and missed how/when the Linney character disappeared. It could have been a great film but they either cut corners, or thought the very subtle segue to the husband throwing out the wife's clothes would be enough to tell us what the hell was going on. The story would have been much better if we had clearly known what happened to her and that the husband was then on a postmortem mission to find the lover. Disappointed

Even though I love watching movies, I do not usually write reviews about them, as that task itself could easily consume most of my available free time.
Usually I am also quite forgiving about potential weaknesses in lot of the films, as there are always some highlights and redeeming points to be found.
However after seeing this irritating, poorly executed attempt at intelligent movie, I felt like warning potential viewers about this so called "thriller" would be appropriate....
So here it goes...

The other reviewers pretty much summed up my sentiments:

(let me borrow some quotes)
Tepid domestic drama with glaring inconsistencies in time and location
...
Neeson and Linney's considerable talents are totally wasted here
...
Very slow start, with memory flashes makes this movie dragging and very slow.
The script is a total waste. ... I wonder if (the actors) saw the final edit, and what was their opinion.
...
Suffers from terrible editing. It seems to be made up of footage haphazardly collected from the cutting room floor.
...
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
...
This disjointed multiplicity doesn't reflect any intelligent complication of character. No, it's a simple lapse into messiness
..
And so on...
(end of quotes)

Yet despite all these major flaws, there still might be a time and place, when I could be in mood for even an insipid story like that... watching Liam Neeson with his impressive screen presence is a treat after all, no matter how bad script he is given.
BUT I NEED TO BE WARNED or at least PREPARED for what is ahead.

And that's where my major complaint comes from.
The blurb on the jacket of the movie is completely misleading and the author of that description either never saw the movie in the first place, or was under some heavy influence, while s/he was watching.

Here is what it says:
"In this gripping suspense thriller Peter (Liam Neeson) is a man obsessed with uncovering the truth surrounding his wife's disappearance.
In a shocking twist of events he discovers a labyrinth of secrets."

So I am naturally expecting an adroit, sharply put together drama that skillfully builds up suspense (the caliber of really great Memento with brilliant Guy Pierce, The Usual Suspects with astonishing Kevin Spacey and other Maestros, Prestige with Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale etc. or even couple of notches down The Game with Michael Douglas, Identity with Ray Liotta and Amanda Peet, Lucky Number Slevin with superb cast including Ben Kingsley and Bruce Willis, Flight Plan with Jodi Foster or such)... YEAH, RIGHT!!!

First of all, there is NO shocking twist of events and no clever suspense to be had. NONE. Period. (see the comments above).
But the claim about mysterious disappearance is what really got me... yes, very early into the movie, we watch the wife leaving the door, and that's when we last see her (except the haphazard flashbacks), so the stage for the suspense is set...

SPOILER ALERT!!
It's not till about two thirds into the movie, when (in another flashback) we witness the wife actually dying of either cancer or brain tumor (forgot which, not worth remembering) while the husband sits by her side...
Which could be, once again, a shocking twist of events, if the movie is conceived and executed thoughtfully and has some sort of direction or design...
In this sloppy, disjointed storytelling disaster, it insults your intelligence, and leaves you with the head shaking in sheer disbelief, not to mention the intense after-taste of annoyance and irritation.