Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Joseph Ruben

Writers (WGA):

Nancy Price (novel)
Ronald Bass (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 February 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

She is a stranger in a small town. She changed her name. Her looks. Her life. All to escape the most dangerous man she's ever met. Her husband.

Plot:

Laura and Martin have been married for four years. They seem to be the perfect, happiest and most successful couple...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Flight | Deception | Betrayal | New Identity

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Oct. 9	8:00 PM	AMC
Fri. Oct. 10	1:45 PM	AMC
Sun. Oct. 19	5:00 PM	AMC

Cast

Julia Roberts	...	Laura Burney
Patrick Bergin	...	Martin Burney
Kevin Anderson	...	Ben Woodward
Elizabeth Lawrence	...	Chloe Williams
Kyle Secor	...	Fleishman
Claudette Nevins	...	Dr. Rissner
Tony Abatemarco	...	Locke
Marita Geraghty	...	Julie
Harley Venton	...	Garber
Nancy Fish	...	Woman on Bus
Sandi Shackelford	...	Edna
Bonnie Johnson	...	Mrs. Nepper (as Bonnie Cook)
Graham Harrington	...	Minister
John Ward	...	Theater Student (as John David Ward)
Sharon J. Robinson	...	Sharon (the Nurse)

MPAA:

Rated R for wife abuse terror and a sex scene.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Spain:13 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Abbeville, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Features haunting music from Hector Berlioz' "Symphonie Fantastique".

Goofs:

Factual errors: Right before Sara's boat ride, she breaks the light in front of her house. When she escapes and swims back to the house, the light is unbroken and on.

Quotes:

Martin: You sneaked off inexplicably, need I remind you how I worried?
Laura: No. You reminded me enough the night I came back.
Martin: You're not suggesting I enjoyed that?
Laura: God, no. That would make you a monster.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Frasier: Sleeping with the Enemy (#3.6)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

MY GIRL

Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique will never sound the same again!.

Laura marries Martin Burney who appears to be the perfect man, he is handsome and successful, yet the dream of the perfect man becomes a nightmare as Martin is a control freak who abuses her both physically and mentally. Once she decides enough is enough she plots her escape by way of faking her own death by drowning, a new life beckons, but she will always be looking over her shoulder to see if Martin finds out the truth and tracks her down.

Thus the vehicle for Julia Roberts pans out as your just above average thriller. It has some decent moments that keep it from drifting into tedium, the set up perfectly portrays the double life that some people lead, on the social circuit it appears the couple are happy and at one with each other, yet behind their own walls there is violence and the crushing of the spirit. The final third of the film is also well worthy of the word thriller, for the tension is nigh on unbearable as we slowly come to the conclusion, whilst Julia Roberts as Laura does a very tidy job as this sort of modern day princess escaping the evil clutches of her keeper. Must mention the great use of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, it's eerie and impacts hard for the scenes it is used for.

Patrick Bergin plays his role well enough, it's just that his villainy is never fully realised, we see enough to know that what he does is wrong, yet it feels a bit too polished. Whilst a sequence that sees Laura dress up as a man is clearly the low point of the film, it really does stretch the viewers patience, and sadly insults their respective intelligence. It's a mixed bag that isn't quite a waste of time, it just doesn't leave you with anything other than a feeling of being semi fulfilled, shame as it could have been brilliant with a bit more bravery and brains in the script, 6/10.