I know Paul did a terrible thing for hooking up with Connie despite knowing she was married, but I did feel bad when he was murdered. Of course Edward murdered him out of pure anger and I did feel bad for Edward as well. Connie is the most guilty of the 3 and it costs the other 2 men everything.
shareI did feel bad for Paul though judging by some posts I've seen on this board a lot of people will say he got what he deserved. He was clearly a deeply selfish man but he didn't do anything as bad as killing anyone so while I believe he deserved some karmic retribution he did not deserve to die.
I feel bad for Edward too but I would say he was the most guilty of the three as he's the only one who murdered anyone.
Paul was certainly no choir boy, he was a sexually immoral player and predator and no one is going to vote him man of the year or be anyone's pick to pastor a church......... but I do agree he didn't deserve to die. I don't think he was an evil person, when Edward look sick in his apartment he looks genuinely concerned and then winds up dead. The whole thing was more Connie's fault than his. She was the one who was married and should have known better.
shareFirst of all, Edward shouldnt have killed Paul, if he wanted to kill someone it should've been Connie, its her fault, she's the married woman cheating on her husband. Paul probably knew Connie was married but why should he care? He's simply getting his pleasure..Connie was a terrible wife.
There are guys out there who needs to put their egos on check because I've seen situations where girls cheats on their boyfriend/husband and then they want to fight or kill the innocent other guy when they should be put their flame in their place..
if i caught my wife/girlfriend cheating i would not make a bad situation worst. i would confront her and say if this what you want so be it but i'm out no matter what. but if given a choice to wipe one off the earth i'd chose him
shareHe did not mean to kill the lover, it was a freakish accident.
sharehe was a sexually immoral player and predator
Agreed,,,plus I liked your description of the twirling of the mustache ,,lol
share"There's no such thing as a mistake. There is what you do, and what you don't do."
That didn't age very well. Fucking someone else's spouse carries some risks , and getting killed is one of them.
Feel bad? No. Did he deserve to die? No. He didn't rape anyone. He seduced Connie and others, but they have free will as well. Feel bad? Still no.
shareI felt really bad for him!
First of all, he knew Connie was married but she acted like she was extremely unhappy. So in his mind he probably thought it was a bad marriage and that's why he continue to pursue the relationship. He was married before (if I remember correctly) and him and his ex wife were separated, so he could of easily thought that she was in a unhappy marriage or on the verge of separating. They didn't really seem to discuss her life that much and she was so ungrateful and such a spoiled brat that I doubt she really told him how amazing her life really was.
Second, just because he is a playboy and because he seduced Connie doesn't make him a bad person. He could of really liked her and that could of been his personality. He didn't deserve to die because of that cheating skank.
Third, Connie is a cheating slut bag. I am not one to call a woman a slut or put down any women in that way but she was a really discussing character that made all women look bad. She was so ungrateful, so spoiled, so conniving and I know women like her. Her husband was giving her everything, if she was so unhappy then why didn't she talk about it with her husband? Her husband had no clue that she was unhappy. That French guy got sucked into her mess and it caused him his life. She didn't feel sorry for him, her husband didn't feel sorry for him, he lived alone and it seemed like no one cared that he died.
He didn't deserve it. It is Connie that deserved to be banged on the head with a snow globe, then wrapped in a rug where no one could find her.
Paul didn't deserve to die but I don't agree he did nothing wrong. He knew she was married with a child and obviously didn't care about the pain he would cause her family. He deserved to have someone cheat on him and cause him that kind of pain but he did not deserve to die.
Connie actions were worse than Paul's as she made a commitment and broke it but she didn't kill anybody so I don't agree Edward should have killed her. She deserved to lose her husband and to be hurt like he was. I also disagree she seemed unhappy. There's nothing in the film so suggest that.
Are you a guy? You're feeling sorry for Connie. Don't let girls like that make you feel sorry for them. Its not Paul fault that she cheated. CONNIE was the one who obviously didn't care for the pain she caused her family. SHE is the one who knew her husband, knew her son and still didn't care about hurting them. Paul didn't know them, he didn't really know the situation. It didn't really go too much into detail about who he was or what type of guy he was. He is single and he can do whatever he want, its Connie the one who takes all the blame for the affair.
Connie is the one who made vows, not Paul. Connie can't just go to the divorce court and go "oh, Paul made me do it! Its not just my fault, its Paul fault too!" They would look at her like she's crazy. It was her decision, it was her choice, it's her marriage. I walk into guys houses all the time and I don't start randomly having sex with them. Wtf type of sh** is that? Psh.
Nobody in this thread said they felt sorry for Connie so I don't know what you're referring to. Connie was more to blame that's not been disputed by anyone. Paul behaved very selfishly as well. He wasn't as bad for the reasons you say but he still should have stayed away from her knowing she had a husband and child.
shareAre you kidding me? A lot of people have said they felt sorry for Connie. I read a lot of boards on this and I wasn't saying this thread specifically.
I still think my opinion is valid.
Go elsewhere with yours.
I've been on this board a lot and I've only seen 2 people saying they felt sorry for her. I have seen lots of people saying she deserved to die, which is ridiculous.
sharePaul did not deserve to be killed for what he did. Intellectually, I know that. He was an absolute pr**k with no thought to anything other than his own selfish pleasure. But, he did not deserve to die for his actions.
Emotionally, however, in the context of this movie (that part is important), I felt worse for Edward for having to deal with what he did than I felt for Paul. Just being honest even though it probably makes me look like a terrible human being. In a few seconds of rage after he discovered the snow globe, he destroyed a lifetime as a good man. Had he not discovered the snow globe, he probably would have left without any confrontation.
As for Connie, my biggest disappointment in the movie was that she never really had to answer for her actions. There was abrief scene where Edward yelled at her for a few seconds, but by that time, what he had done was a much bigger issue than what she did. I truly wanted her to have to answer to Edward for what she did. Perhaps I'm vindictive. I think it speaks to the power of the movie and Diane Lane's performance that I truly despised her character yet came away feeling great admiration for the actress.
By the way, the movie makers have gone out of their way to point out that she really had no reason to cheat. They meant to present her as a woman who lived a happy and fulfilled life with a near-perfect husband and family. She wasn't bored, mistreated or sexually frustrated. She had no reason to cheat. She just did it anyway. I find that even more disturbing. I'm sure there are people who have it all but find a way to destroy it by being weak and selfish in pursuit of momentary pleasure. Connie seems to be one of those people.
Last Movie Watched: Riaru: Kanzen naru kubinagaryû no hi (2013)
In a few seconds of rage after he discovered the snow globe, he (Edward) destroyed a lifetime as a good man. Had he not discovered the snow globe, he probably would have left without any confrontation.
She wasn't bored, mistreated or sexually frustrated. She had no reason to cheat. She just did it anyway. I find that even more disturbing.
There are guys out there who needs to put their egos on check because I've seen situations where girls cheats on their boyfriend/husband and then they want to fight or kill the innocent other guy when they should be put their flame in their place..
A guy who trifles with married women or someone else's mate is not innocent. I'm assuming you are female, you might never truly understand what that's like for a guy. Having your wife or girlfriend taken to bed by another man is emasculating and psychologically terrible. Of course, I know its no picnic for a woman if she is cheated on either, but probably for a lot of different reasons.
Don't get me wrong I think a guy should be damned angry with his girlfriend for cheating, she is just as guilty. But you can't act like a guy is innocent.
She didn't feel sorry for him, her husband didn't feel sorry for him, he lived alone and it seemed like no one cared that he died.
Ironic isn't it? A womanizer and something of a playboy yet apparently no one truly cared about him. A subtle jab at living that kind of life?
Interesting opinions here. Since this story is as old as mankind, what is intriguing is that nothing is really resolved, as there is no resolution to this type of situation. Connie has absolutely everything a straight woman is supposed to want: gorgeous home, health & beauty, handsome husband who adores her, loving child & money in the bank. Why would a woman like this cheat? Because somehow, humans tend to believe there is always more "out there" somewhere. Of course Lyne cast swarthy raven-haired Olivier Martinez as the guy no flesh & blood woman could possibly resist replete with stubble, antique tea pots, wooden statue of a stallion w/flared nostrils, rugged thick looped knit sweaters, heavy zig-zag tweed overcoats, French accent & a large black leather punching bag just hanging there waiting for women looking for a heavily backlit romantic fantasy date.
Listen folks. Edward was wrong to kill Paul. Paul was wrong, but he knew this gorgeous bored woman from the 'burbs was easy pickings, and he could not resist. Connie was a low-life all the way around. She even got Chad Lowe's character fired from his job because he happened to see her & Frenchy frenching in a restaurant during the lunch rush. Chad Lowe was working his a&& off, whilst Connie & Paul were dithering away the day fornicating on stacks of Kahlil Gibran & Jack London books & watching artsy Jacques Tati movies [Claude Chabrol co-wrote the script & you can't get more Gallic high art than that].
Connie goes from Madonna to whore within the first hour of the script. She gets down 'n' dirty with Paul in a public rest room while her friends from Westport sip macchiati & admire Olivier's studliness not knowing he has Connie's scent all over him & she's shagged him a hundred different ways from Sunday. Connie comes full circle at this point, pun intended. All her fantasies have come true, but by the time Uncle Junior Soprano comes around w/ incriminating photos, Connie's weary of keeping track of her lies, and her game is just about played out.
Then everything goes sour like the cream on a New York blini. Connie is so busy grinding in Soho she forgets to pick up her kid at school. She knows she's gonna get caught soon, but like any good romantic fantasy, she sets herself up for tragedy. She catches Paul in the library w/a young chippie & feels the humiliation & rage of betrayal. The tables have turned. She decides then and there she won't be Anna Karenina and throw herself in front of a train. She's gonna have to throw Paul under the locomotive named Edward that is inevitably going to come roaring down the tracks.
If I were Richard Gere, I would have begged Adrian Lyne to let Edward kill them both. Edward could have walked in on them doing it doggie style in the hallway of the Mercer Street bldg, run into Paul's apartment while they tried to untangle themselves, grabbed the snow globe and bashed them both. I know it would have been illogical since it would be two against one & Edward isn't a dilettante boxer like Paul. However, it would have been more fair. Connie definitely deserved to die more than Paul, but if Edward's going down for murder, he might as well make it a twofer special.
Another obvious solution is to have Junior Soprano wack them both.
gioconda91423, that's my favorite post on this movie yet.
Last Movie Watched: How Do You Know (2010)
Paul knew the woman was married with kid, but he went for it anyway. If you wreck a family, you better be prepared to get wrecked as well.
So, I didn't feel bad at all. Things couldn't have ended better...well maybe if he was tortured before getting his skull bashed in.
And it wouldn't be a mistake for the husband to hurt this guy in the worst way imaginable. After all, "there's just what you do and don't do." No right or wrong.
That would have completely destroyed the complexity of the movie, which was the whole point.
After the murder, there's all the discovery by Connie of what Edward did and that he knows what she did. There's Edward's revealing to her that what she's afraid of == that he killed Paul -- is true. There are those great scenes with the two detectives, who know that both Edward and Connie are lying. Will they let it go, thinking they can never prove it? I highly doubt it. And so do Connie and Edwards, which is why they fantasize about disappearing to Mexico.
Subtlety is the difference between a movie that makes people think and one that just is about bashing somebody's head in.
She even got Chad Lowe's character fired from his job because he happened to see her & Frenchy frenching in a restaurant during the lunch rush
L.O. Freaking L!
sharePaul was an amoral dog, and got off too easy. Instead of having his skull bashed in, he should have been castrated and left to bleed out. His genitals should have been flushed down the toilet, and Edward could have offered him a glass of Vodka, keeping him company......Until the bitter end.
Live by it, and you die by it.
'Did anyone feel bad for Paul?'
Not at all. He is living in NYC where he can and does have his pick of single hotties to seduce. While that isn't shown it's implied. He seduces Connie for no other reason than he can. That's it.
When Edward confronts him, he invites him in his apartment! What was he thinking ?!?!?! That he can bs his way out of this?
Sorry getting his head crushed in is too good for him.
I didn't feel bad for him. He was a jerk.
"It wasn't me who was murdered, was it?"
The total disgust Paul had for family life rendered him clueless for his actions with Connie and what it might do to her family. With zero loyalty to anyone but himself he had no clue the situation could boil over. It's like a fool who stands on the end of a tree limb while sawing it off. Paul's cockiness and reckless behavior caught up to him. The scene with Paul and Edward is outstanding. Edward flabbergasted Connie was *beep* a man/child and Paul laughing inside at Edward like he was the town fool!! Paul soon found out Edward was not going to play the part of the fool.
shareDidn't feel the least bit sorry for him. He was a creep and partly to blame for destroying a marriage and family.
shareNo one deserves to be murdered. However, he seemed too calmed in that scene. Didn't he think EDWARD would at least punch him? Maybe he saw it coming but didn't care? Could it be related to the fact that he's separated and sleeping with at least 2 women?
shareHe was young and in shape and trained as a boxer. (Remember the punching bag in his apartment and small talk with Connie when she was first there?)
And Edward was acting very non-threatening when he first arrived - and even right up until he just suddenly struck out. Not even a boxer's reflexes helped Paul at that point.
But I didn't like Paul because he actually bullied Connie throughout the movie - from his initial almost rape seduction - quickly discovering Connie's own undoubtedly hidden (even from herself) need to be physically and powerfully dominated, and then capitalizing on her kinkiness and obsession with him as a sadist lover. Taking her "in public" when HE wanted too (the restaurant bathroom and movie theater scenes), kissing and fondling her in the restaurant after she indicated she did NOT want to risk that, right up until the last semi-rape in the (again semi-public) hallway outside his apartment. I saw zero indication Paul thought Connie was in any way "special" to him, other than a kinky submissive sexual partner. I wonder if Connie ever realized that - she, herself, was much more obsessed with him and certainly liked him more than her own husband in that "special" sexual fulfillment way - than Paul ever actually felt about her? Probably she did start to realize it when she saw him with that other girl.
I only feel sorry for Paul because his murder will have lasting consequences for Edward - one way or another - and Edward does not deserve that.
But I didn't like Paul because he actually bullied Connie throughout the movie
Taking her "in public" when HE wanted too
Never played a little rough, sweety? That wasn't bullying. If she didn't like his 'style' she most certainly didn't have to keep going back for more.
Paul probably had been in that situation before so he was somewhat blase about it. He was also European and had a different attitude about it, perhaps.
It certainly took chutzpah and he paid for it. I can speak from some experience. My ex wife left me for another man. I have not tracked him down, though I know who he is. He has been smart enough never to be around when I interact with her.
There is almost this myth that "Europeans" have an "easier" time with infidelity.
I've seen an awful lot of movies that would seem to indicate otherwise. (Well, mainstream and not just "cuckold" porn, of course or merely comical farces ;-)
"Unfaithful" is actually a remake of "La Femme Infidel" - French and the basic murder plot remains the same.
Also checkout "Le Secret" and "Une Femme Francaise" and "The Big Picture" (American author and original story set in the USA but made with a French cast and European setting by French Production.)