An Affair To Die For does pretty much what it says on the tin. It's a thriller about two people who have an affair but things go very wrong very quickly. The movie starts with Holly (Claire Forlani) driving in the car, talking to her husband. Holly is on the way to a work retreat, or so she says. She isn't. She's on her way to a hotel for a weekend getaway with the guy she's cheating with.
At the hotel, there's some small talk with the porter before Holly discovers that her lover has quite the evening in store. Fast forward through the bubble bath and soon Holly is blindfolded, handcuffed to the bed and ready for Everett (the lover) to arrive. Three knocks on the door later and soon Holly is having a great time – until she isn't. And that's when the penny drops for the viewer. Everett (Jake Abel) isn't the man in the bed, he's tied up in the living room. It's actually Holly's husband Russell – but she doesn't know that.
And then we get to the thriller bit! Russell (Titus Welliver) clearly knows about the affair and to get revenge, has kidnapped Everett's wife and child. He tells Everett that if he can keep Holly in the hotel suite until the following day, he will let them go. But Holly thinks she has been assaulted by him and doesn't want to stay. She then gets a call from Russell who tells that he knows about the affair but that Everett is very dangerous so she needs to get immediately. So what we have is two people trapped in a hotel room. One needs them to stay and the other needs to get away. Awkward!
What An Affair To Die For has going for it is that the plot is quite clever. The problem is that it absolutely races through a series of convoluted scenarios with neither person even trying to work out what is really going on. The intention to raise the drama and thrill stakes fails as nothing is ever given enough time to fester. There is no real resolution or explanation for anything. That said, there is still plenty of suspense and a few twists and turns so it's watchable. But if you're going to create a movie in one single setting with limited characters, the script better be amazing to hold attention. Unfortunately for An Affair To Die For, it isn't.
