I find it interesting that Adrian Lyne has made a career out of making movies that have virtually the same themes running throughout. Love, sex, and infidelity are all key elements in his pictures (9 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction, Indecent Proposal, and the Lolita remake). Of all his pictures, only Jacob's Ladder (my favorite of his films) really seemed to go in a different direction. Surprisingly, I really liked Unfaithful, despite going in and expecting to hate it.

In Unfaithful, Diane Lane plays a married woman who finds herself involved in a heated affair, despite being in a very happy marriage. Things become complicated when her husband (Richard Gere) suspects something and begins poking around.

First and foremost, Diane Lane is a revelation. This fine actress has been around for years, but this is the performance of her career. She plays this confused woman with absolute conviction. This is no easy part. This is a character with many layers, and Lane is always up to the challenge giving a turn that is both uninhibited and gutsy. Gere is not always up to the dramatic challenge, but I found it interesting that back in the day, he would have been the young stud enticing the married woman. The stud here is played by OIiver Martinez and he does nothing special but try to look good which is fine, because the picture really isn't about him.

Unfaithful is quite often painful to watch. After all, this isn't a film about a battered woman escaping into the arms of another man. This picture is much more complicated than that. We're talking about someone who's in a good relationship but, for whatever reason, is compelled to risk everything. This is a movie full of startling confessions and bold, seemingly nonsensical choices made. While I wouldn't put Unfaithful in the same league as In the Bedroom or Eyes Wide Shut, it does have the same kind of sensibility.

Adrian Lyne is one of the few film makers out there who can make explicit sexual situations not come across as gratuitous. While Unfaithful is extremely erotic it is not pornographic. In a way, sex is the co-star of this film. Lyne also does a good job keeping the movie from falling into obvious traps. At moments, it looks as if Unfaithful will take the easy way out, but then it takes an unexpected turn. It is a mystery that unfolds in a manner that one might expect. It all concludes in what I felt was a surprising and open book ending.

Unfaithful does have moments that don't work. There is a pivotal scene in which two central characters confront each other. This sequence isn't nearly as dramatic as it wants to be. Still, for every scene that doesn't work, is a scene that does. Besides, Unfaithful has the brilliant Lane in a performance that I will never forget.