Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)

I don't think about it much, and I don't think a lot of people do which is why this type of movie isn't as popular now, but the early 1990s had a lot of suspense thrillers.  Not psychological horror, not slashers, but somewhat neo-noir or neo-Hitchcockian films.  These would have the killer known from the beginning, things would escalate, and along the way any aid that the protagonist would get would be rendered moot or just whittled down to where they had to defend themselves against overwhelming odds.  I've never looked into where or why this was so popular at the time, other than it provided a simple plot device for "erotic thrillers" on cable to string along a series of softcore sex scenes.

Sleeping with the Enemy is definitely not that despite the fact that an early scene in the movie had to be toned down to get the movie an R rating.  It is more like a big budget Lifetime movie and was based on the 1987 novel by Nancy Price.  It was the movie that dethroned Home Alone from the number one spot in the weekly movie ratings after that film spent 11 weeks at the top and was a big sensation at the time, lauded by many for showing a more realistic version of spousal abuse than many of the more sensational made for television films.  

Laura Burney (Julia Roberts) is the wife of successful businessman Martin Burney (Patrick Bergin).  Though a seemingly happy couple he controls every aspect of her life, "reminding" her when she does things wrong and becoming physically abusive when jealous or provoked.  Longing to leave him, Laura seizes the chance when they are out sailing with a neighbor near their summer home, going overboard during a storm.  Though Martin believes she can't swim she has been taking lessons and looking for the opportunity to escape. 

Her escape leads to changing her name to Sarah Waters and moving to Cedar Falls, Iowa.  There she meets Ben (Kevin Anderson), a drama professor whom she reluctantly begins to have feelings for.  Martin, however, gets wind that she is still alive and, using the means at his disposal, begins to search for her so he can bring her back. 

The reason I say this doesn't sensationalize the abuse like other shows is it only shows her being physically assaulted by him once.  Director Joseph Ruben knew this got the point across without having to watch her being brutalized on a regular basis.  Many battered women films seem to focus on the physical abuse to the point where it almost becomes fetishistic and not the controlling aspect of an abuser.  Though exaggerated a bit for dramatic purposes Martin is portrayed as narcissistic sociopath, erasing any sympathy of a bad childhood and such.  Laura is just another possession to him. 

Julia Roberts doesn't get enough credit for her range as an actor since she was a major celebrity at the time.  It is why I ignored many of the movies she was in.  However, her performance here is believable, with her holding back many of her reactions in a way someone afraid to act out would.  There is no point she goes into hysterics but, when scared, she freezes up like she has been trained to do though the three years of abuse she has suffered at Martin's hands.  It's a role where one gets why she was so popular.  The weak part is her romance with Ben.  Though Kevin Anderson does a passable job, and Ben isn't perfect by any means, he is still a bit too idealized as a good guy to contrast with Martin.  

A little bit of fat could have been trimmed from this but it is still an engaging if slight thriller after all these years.  Though it has a good story and good performances throughout it doesn't do anything to stand above many of the other movies from the time that were similar, and this type of thriller has fallen out of style to the point where nostalgia has missed it.  It is a lot better than I remembered at the time and the final confrontation is one of the best.

Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)

Time: 99 minutes

Starring: Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergen, Kevin Anderson

Director: Joseph Ruben