A Perfect Murder is a 1998 American crime thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Viggo Mortensen. It is a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film Dial M for Murder, though the characters' names have been changed and much of the plot has been rewritten and altered from its original form. Loosely based on the play by Frederick Knott, the screenplay was written by Patrick Smith Kelly.

Plot

Steven Taylor is a Wall Street financier married to a much younger wife, Emily. When his risky personal investments start unraveling, he intends to access Emily's personal fortune of $100 million to cover his losses. Meanwhile, Emily considers leaving Steven while having an affair with painter David Shaw. Steven arrives at David's studio the next day. He reveals that he knows about the affair, and used his influence to investigate David's real identity as Winston Lagrange, an ex-convict who cons rich women out of their money. Steven pressures David into murdering Emily for $500,000.