Looking at the cast of "The Other Man" you could consider in buying this film: Liam Nesson, Antonio Banderas, Laura Linney and Romola Garai. The movie delivers? Yes. All that much? No. And if you consider that this was directed by Richard Eyre who directed great ensemble casts in "Iris" and "Notes on a Scandal" there are things that makes of "The Other Man" an inferior film than this two examples.

Neeson plays Peter, a man married with a beautiful wife (Linney),that discover that she hides from him a long affair with Ralph (pronunced Rafe, played by Banderas). What Peter does? Tracks down this man in Italy and tries to see who he really is and what his wife saw in that men. His first idea is to kill this guy but he's always reluctant, so he keeps on playing games with his guy who seems to love Peter's wife very much.

The whole drama pretending to be a thriller goes well, it makes the story interesting until the ending which is quite disappointing and a little bit unexpected. But if you think I can buy the idea that these two guys reveal part of their lives to each other during chess games matches, well I did not buy it. And if they were drunk maybe but that was not the case. Two unknown figures sharing their romantic passages of their lives (with the same woman) is something unbelievable (or perhaps it's just me who likes to play the mysterious guy in front of other people so it's very difficult to make me really share something of this kind of nature). This scenes were great, interesting dialog, except for some angered reaction of Neeson throwing the pieces away after losing a match.

It's a very psychological work about how one can deal with adultery, different reactions might come from the audience, it's very interesting the way Peter does that, changing his persona all the way through this chase after his wife's lover. It's a great material for passionate people who can't forget a betrayal and feel a need to do something about it. This film will make that kind of people think again just like Peter changed his mind in the course of the story.

The acting is decent, the cast is at their best considering the material they were giving. More complexity, more realism and more thrilling moments instead of some bits here and there would make this film better. 7/10

The Other Man was a movie that had intrigued me for a while due to its story lines, and the two main actors, considering I love both Liam Neeson and Banderas, but I avoided due to the critical reviews I read about it. Needless to say this is a movie that proves once more, that I tend to enjoy movies that critics seem to tear apart. I was absolutely fascinated by Liam Neeson's growing obsession of getting revenge on Banderas for having an affair with his widowed wife, it was intense and quite thrilling. But what I loved even more was the face to face sequences that Neeson and Banders had, they were heartfelt and emotional. This movie goes to show us how dangerous and hurtful affairs can be, and how the hurt one receives from it, can lead you into an obsession of darkness.

Performances. Liam Neeson is utterly brilliant here. He was a man on a mission, and his intense performance had me on the edge of my seat, it's one of my favorite performances of his. Antonio Banderas is equally as good as the slick, yet caring character who wants Neeson's wife's heart, his charisma and charm is hard to beat. Laura Linney is great in her screen time as the widowed wife, I felt for her, even if she was wrong.

Bottom line. The Other Man will stay with you for a while when it's all over. Don't be fooled by the somewhat lowish rating, this is an excellent movie on all accounts, and I classify it as a must watch!.

8 1/2 /10

Successful shoe designer Lisa (Laura Linney) dies from cancer leaving her husband Peter (Liam Neeson) and her daughter Abigail (Romola Garai). Peter is a successful software entrepreneur. He discovers a voice message from a mystery man looking for his late wife and he cracks her password for a hidden cache of love pics. His security team uncovers her lover as Ralph Cortez. He goes to Milan and befriends Ralph without acknowledging his wife. Abigail begs him to stop his angry obsession.

This is a great cast but the drama isn't there. There is no tension. There is a possibility of a dramatic turn but it goes in the opposite direction. There is a surprising reveal but it doesn't add to the drama. There is a message here as long as the audience is awake to see it. This is a short movie and yet it feels overly long.