Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I love this movie and feel that I must write a review to clear up a few things in a description on a couple of other sites. The person who wrote the description says Chance is out for revenge because he blames his best friend Michael for his wife's death. This is true, but the reason given is incorrect and just stupid. It says Chance believes Michael somehow plotted to kill his wife in a freak accident. The reviewer says that Chance believed that Michael planned the scenario because Michael knows Chance had an affair with his wife, Lauren. That is not what happens in this movie. Not only is this information they're disseminating too simplistic, it's incorrect and makes a quality movie sound silly. Even Chance, as irrational as he gets, doesn't make this dumb accusation (especially since Roberta is the one whom dictates the circumstances in the situation). He blames Michael simply because he can, and it is easier then blaming himself. It makes me wonder did the person writing the description for these sites really watch the movie. I don't know why they didn't do what Amazon has done and just use the synopsis on the back of the DVD. Nice job Amazon! You just give the pertinent statistics and back cover synopsis and let people decide for themselves, and they should decide to buy this movie.
To begin, this movie is so engrossing. I initially only saw the last 30 minutes or so, and I had to make sure that the next time it came on cable my husband and I would watch it. It was better and much more complicated than I thought. This movie is everything the description on the back of the DVD builds it up to be. Michael Beach, Debbi Morgan, and Blair Underwood are all extraordinary actors and Tim Reid is an extraordinary director. So I really shouldn't have expected anything less. The fact that Tim Reid undertook this project says a great deal. He is known for making sure that quality material, which otherwise would be overlooked by Hollywood, gets out for us to enjoy. The director and actors really have created an excellent work of suspense, passion, and deception. Even though all of this great drama and suspense is going on, you can get a peek at the inner components of Michael and Lauren's marriage. Most movies -- in order to make the dichotomy in a situation of infidelity more concrete -- only juxtapose a "BAD" spouse with a "GOOD" spouse. Almost forcing the audience to identify and empathize with the spouse being cheated on. In Asunder, you get a glimpse of how complicated the inner dynamics of a marriage can get; how everything can't be broken down into good versus bad; and how often there is a breakdown in the marriage before there is infidelity. It is not a mere spin or retelling of Fatal Attraction; it is much more complicated. There is a wicked dynamic between the three main characters, but it is not a typical love triangle situation. Neither of the three is an angel, but you become attached and feel for them. They are truly round, multidimensional characters.
While Chance is recovering at Michael's home from an injury he suffers during the accident that killed his pregnant wife, old feelings he has for Lauren resurface. The trauma and grief compounded with his feelings for her makes him totally irrational and obsessed. Chance is beyond grief-stricken, he is suffering from some form of post-traumatic stress disorder. His character and understanding progressively deteriorate to where he has no rationale at all. It is not about revenge because revenge is a rational act and Chance is clearly not a rational being. He doesn't know or care if Michael knows about his affair with Lauren. Michael is almost irrelevant to him. He wants what he wants and nothing will stand in his way, not the memory of Roberta, his best friend Michael, or Lauren herself. I won't say any more because I don't want to spoil it for others as some reviews do. I tried not to mention anything not in other reviews or not in the first ten minutes. It is an excellent movie with great music, most of it done by Lionel Cole. Too bad there was no soundtrack. I had to own this DVD. IT'S A MUST HAVE!
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Asunder (1998)
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