Perfect Stranger, directed by James Foley, stars Halle Berry and Bruce Willis. Sounds promising? Well, keep your expectations low.

 

Hotshot journalist Rowena Price (Halle Berry) and computer geek friend Miles (Giovanni Ribisi) are finishing up a scandal on a very conservative senator who’s a bit too fond of young men. The editor of the newspaper rejects it when the senator’s former assistant, whose word is main proof, pulls out at the last minute.

 

Rowena is furious and quits her job. On her way home, Grace, a childhood friend, catches up with her and tells her she’s had a wild affair with Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis), head of his own advertising company. Hill has now shut Grace out completely, but Grace–not the kind of girl you mess with–has started blackmailing him.

Rowena reluctantly takes the file of emails and pictures Grace offers her. The next day Grace is found brutally murdered, and Rowena and Miles investigate Hill for connections to the murder.

The story is competent, with several surprising twists and a surprise ending. But everything could have been done so much better. You can’t tell whether to like or dislike Rowena, Miles, and Hill, because they all lack personality. Nothing in their eyes and body language gives you that little extra to get carried away.

Besides awful acting, the film has zippo to put you in a cold sweat or make you bite your nails. You sit there for one and a half hours, things happen, the end. ‘Aahaa, time to put on my jacket,’ you notice and then go home. Next day you’ve forgotten about Perfect Stranger, because it doesn’t make you feel anything.

Even the most exciting story in the world can be ruined by bad storytelling.