I only watched this because I think Patrick Wilson is an appealing lead. There is something so All-American about him, yet he plays characters faced with potentially compromising situations.
First off, some reviewer from Belgium who hates America (big surprise there)said, "Who cares what politicians do in their personal lives?" Sorry pal, but this guy did not have an affair. He was using prostitutes. That's against the law and he works in the U.S. Attorney's office. Do you understand? The dialog here is excellent. I never expected that in what I thought would be a routine infidelity drama. There is a great speech when the main guy is talking to some college students and he explains that you cannot be anything you want, despite that clichéd speech staple. You can only be what you have the aptitude for.
There is another moment of dialog where an FBI agent speaks about guys who cheat on their wives. Nice job. Writing rarely gets enough credit. In this case, the Writer was also the Director and a woman.
This picture is set in the South, yet we never hear which state and the main guy is the only one with a strong accent. That was awkward. I'll assume it was Baton Rouge.
The acting was outstanding. I have never seen Wilson show that kind of range. The wife character was perfectly cast. She looked like someone who may have been attractive years ago, but was well past her prime.
What I got from this story was that men never stop craving young women. Once their wives go past 36, the men start craving younger options. It's just the way things are in a world where we live to such old ages.
The sex scenes were more tastefully done than I have ever seen in any such film.
Like some other reviewer mentioned, there was a key scene where our protagonist shows his humanity, but still can't stop his need to indulge his addiction. Nicely done. The girl involved flashed a brief and subtle look of disappointment that spoke a thousand words.
The picture is a tad slow. That was my only complaint. I gave it a 6 because the plot is not original and the pacing dragged. But it's worth watching for sure.
