Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)

Excellent, smart action film.

Admirable film.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Julia Roberts was good in this pretty standard 90s thriller. The start of this film was great, until Patrick Burgin's acting became intolerable, and the obvious continuity errors reached double digits. Whilst trying to affect an American accent, Patrick Burgin starts shouting Laura in an Irish accent - so obvious I had to google him immediately to see where in the Uk/Ireland he was from. Pretty poor.. In his defence, the actor who played Ben was nearly as shocking! He's supposed to be the knight in shining armour, yet he just comes across as leechy and clingy, and throws her around like a rag doll when they're dancing, despite knowing about her past. Then at the final scene, he's absolutely useless! The errors are also so ridiculous it's confusing that this wasn't a comedy! Julia Roberts cuts her hair at her shoulders to run away to Iowa...but by the time she reaches Iowa her hair is back the way it was, and stays this way for the rest of the movie. Safe Haven is a rip off of this movie, but at least it's good. Just watch that instead

Sleeping With The Enemy is one of the best atmospheric thrillers of the early 90's. Anyone who checks it out thinking they'll get a serious, thought provoking look at domestic abuse should think again. It's more of a dark, impressionistic fairytale than anything else, with logic giving way to a nightmarish chase piece. Julia Roberts plays Laura, a naive young bride to Martin (Patrick Bergin), a wealthy advertisement executive who adores her and gives her everything she wants. Unfortunately part of that package involves him kicking the living crap out of her at the drop of a hat. The early scenes have a nerve wracking sense of awaiting disaster, and indeed when things get really bad, Laura escapes by the skin of her teeth, travels by night to a small town in a distant corner of the country, and attempts to start anew. Martin, big bad wolf that he is, pursues her in selfish psychopathic rage, leading to a tense, wicked showdown. This is a misunderstood film. It's not meant as a serious minded piece, but rather an allegory for the way humans prey on one another, relatable to the dark storybooks of our childhood, but manifested in a very adult, mature setting. It's set almost like a horror film, with an ominous score, moody, gaunt locations and an ambiance that sets it just outside reality. Roberts is equal parts resilient and vulnerable as a damsel in distress who ends up rescuing herself, which is as good a character arc as any. Bergin owns, with a towering portrayal of tyrannical, senseless evil. He stalks the film's gorgeous cinematography with a virile madness and relentless sadism that seems one dimensional, until you accept that he isn't meant to be a fleshed out human, but rather an archetype of the bad that human beings are capable of. Crackling thriller.

Julia Roberts is great in Pretty Woman and Steel Magnolias.In this film,she plays Laura,a wife who finds herself tied to Martin(Patrick Bergin) a wife-beater;Martin is controlling,and Laura only sees his behavior worsening.The drama unfolds,when they're on a friend's boat. Laura uses the storm to escape her misfortune.Martin gets a call from a friend,who suddenly makes him realize he was lied to.Laura moves away and relaxes after a time.She then meets a sweet friend who helps her get over the misery. Martin goes to the university and checks out a friend of Laura's.When he learns of her location,Martin hunts her down; Laura then realizes things "mysteriously" change position and the pace moves faster.The ending comes,when the two are by the stairway.Laura finally finds the guts to shoot her stalker dead.

This contains spoilers. I am a woman. I like this movie. However, something struck me when I watched it for the first time in years, last night. While I understand that it's supposed to be empowering to abused women, Julia Robert's character is a cowardly liar. She's depicted as a poor, beautiful princess being imprisoned by a cruel domineering man. So why didn't she leave him before the first bruises faded? She obviously married someone she didn't really know (who DOES that, by the way?) and from the looks of their setup, she married him for the money. Instead, she lies to him about her mother's death, creates an elaborate scheme to run away from her problems, rather than facing them, endangers her mother, endangers her new boyfriend (adultery anyone?), is lying to the federal government... the list goes on. But she's supposed to be a strong female character?? Then, when her husband, who obviously is suffering from OCD, or some similar mental illness, comes hunting her down, she provokes him, then murders him. I think it's safe to say that this movie fails as a feminist piece (just because her husband was a mean bastard and she kills him, does not justify her lack of integrity), but is, nevertheless an entertaining bit of Hollywood fluff.Cheers.