Fatal Attraction (1987) * * *

 

Directed by:  Adrian Lyne

Starring:  Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, Anne Archer, Stuart Pankin, Ellen Foley, Fred Gwynne, Ellen Hamilton Latzen

Fatal Attraction likely caused a temporary decrease in marital infidelity at the time of its release.  I am quite certain Fatal Attraction's "hero" Dan Gallagher (Douglas) would be one who swore off cheating on his spouse, especially after being terrorized and traumatized by Alex Forrest (Close), the jilted woman who had a one-night stand with Dan and wasn't content with that arrangement.   Alex spends the rest of Fatal Attraction dropping in unexpectedly on Dan at his office, calling him late at night, stalking him, turning up at his apartment under the pretense of being a prospective buyer, pouring acid on his car, kidnapping his daughter, and soon the family's new pet rabbit meets a sad fate.   Fatal Attraction is slick filmmaking which makes us feel the noose tightening around Dan's neck and his world crumbling around him as he attempts to keep his affair a secret from his loving wife Beth (Archer) and daughter Ellen (Latzen).  

Dan is a happily married New York attorney with a five-year-old daughter who decides to walk on the wild side one weekend while his wife and daughter are visiting her parents.  Dan meets book editor Alex at a work meeting, sparks flew, and following dinner they are having sex on the kitchen counter, in an elevator, and anywhere but a bed.  They spend a happy weekend together, but when Dan tells Alex this is one-time fling, Alex slices her wrists in despair, which only temporarily prevents Dan from leaving.   

Dan seemingly returns to his life, but Alex soon besieges his office with calls and unexpected visits.  Dan politely tells Alex to get lost, but Alex soon is calling Dan at home and later escalates her obsession to dangerous levels.   Oh, and Alex also breaks the news to Dan that she's pregnant.  Is this true or is it part of her plan to trap Dan?  This is never fully established, although the doubts are planted early when Alex lies about her father during a day in the park.  

Fatal Attraction is, at its heart, a thriller with an ending which rivals that of Halloween and Friday the 13th in which the villain is seemingly killed, but comes back again and again.   The final act doesn't provide as much satisfaction as the first two-thirds, but Fatal Attraction is held together with striking performances, especially by Close, whose Alex absolutely believes she is justified in her actions because, hey, Dan doesn't want her and that's reason enough for her.   

There has been debate over the years as to whether Alex is a diabolical villain or in the grips of mental illness.   The answer to both is yes.   Dan was surely in the wrong by cheating on his wife, but Alex also knew the score going in and realistically has no cause to feel wronged.  But emotions get in the way of logic, and without them, Fatal Attraction has no story or forward thrust.   Alex's actions cement her as the antagonist and that's that, and Fatal Attraction works on that level.