Part of Romance Is Dead
Dan Gallagher (Michael Douglas) has a picture perfect life. He is on the rise at his New York law firm, is happily married to his wife, Beth (Anne Archer), and has a loving daughter. But after a casual affair with a sultry book editor named Alex (Glenn Close), everything changes. Jilted by Dan, Alex becomes unstable, her behavior escalating from aggressive pursuit to obsessive stalking. Dan realizes that his main problem is not hiding his affair, but rather saving himself and his family.
“The screws are tightened expertly in this suspenseful meller about a flipped-out femme who makes life hell for the married man who scorns her.” —Variety (Dec 31, 1986)
“Two absolutely riveting performances and a smart reversal of the usual male-female stalker scenario leave behind a nasty taste and an unforgettable cinema experience.” —Angie Errigo, Empire Magazine
“Mr. Lyne takes a brilliantly manipulative approach to what might have been a humdrum subject and shapes a soap opera of exceptional power…. It's perfect for an age in which appearances are all, in which visceral responses count for more than considered ones, and in which a hint of dissatisfaction is beginning to make itself felt. And Mr. Lyne, on the evidence of FATAL ATTRACTION, is its master.” —Janet Maslin, New York Times (Sep 27, 1987)