A Perfect Murder

Question: Is it important for the storyline of the movie that Emily (Gwyneth Paltrow) can understand the policeman, when he is speaking Arabic to his wife on the phone?

Answer: Not really. She being a linguist and able to speak the detective's language seems to create a bond of trust and understanding between them.

raywest

Question: Why did Michael Douglas expect David to spend 2 hours in the back stairwell between entering the building at 8 p.m. and attacking Gweneth at 10 p.m. after the phone rings? He'd be sitting in the stairwell where anyone could see him, with or without his black ski mask.

Answer: It is unknown what Douglas' entire thinking was behind the plan, but if someone had spotted David in the stairwell, it would only help to support Douglas' alibi and point the finger at a stranger breaking into the apartment and killing his wife.

raywest

Answer: Good point. If a resident in an upscale apartment building like that were to see a suspicious-looking man loitering in the stairwell, he would tell the doorman, who would either investigate or call the police, or both.

Question: I've seen this movie and there's still one thing I can't figure out. Why did Steven want to kill his wife?

Answer: Steven needed money and his wife was worth a lot of money. She was already having an affair and was planning on leaving him. If she left, Steven could be left with nothing and still in financial troubles. By killing her before she divorces him, he'd be entitled to her wealth, plus the money from her life insurance policy.

Bishop73

Answer: Along with the answers by Bishop73 and ChristmasJonesFan, I think Steven also wanted to kill Emily before she could leave him. She complained to her friend that "every single thing always has to be on his terms." As a controlling person, he would not tolerate her leaving him. This is implied during their fight at the end, when he says "I'll tell you when it's over."

Answer: Also, Emily never signed a prenup so if she dies, he gets like a hundred million bucks.

ChristmasJonesfan

Question: How would killing Emily have helped Steven right away? He needed money quickly, and her hundreds of millions were in a trust fund. Could he even receive all the money right after she died?

Answer: He wouldn't be able to access it immediately, but if his creditors knew he was inheriting a large fortune, they'd likely be willing to work out a deal. Also, as Steven said, he would just go onto to something else to make more money.

raywest

Another thing, there was probably a life insurance policy on Emily.

Question: Near the beginning of the movie, why does Steven call the museum event an "inbred" soiree?

Answer: I took it to mean that Steven was insulting the attendees as being a rich, snobbish in-crowd who only socialize among themselves at exclusive events.

raywest

Answer: The way I always thought that it was Steven's way of putting David at ease, by making a joke.

ChristmasJonesfan

I was curious about the meaning/definition of his wording, though. What did he mean by calling the event an "inbred soiree"?

This was Steven's way of being incredibly rude and offensive whilst knowing that he'd be sure to get away with it. Likely, he didn't much care for the attendees and he wasn't being shy about expressing this.

ChristmasJonesfan

Continuity mistake: Emily's hair scrunchie appears in her hair as she is answering the phone and seems to have fallen out during the struggle but reappears and disappears several times throughout the attack.

More mistakes in A Perfect Murder

Steven: How's that for wet work?

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