Christoph Waltz plays a complex, eccentric character who seduces a prominent political DC socialite (Vanessa Redgrave). After they’re married, he starts scamming her and her government official friends, while her daughter (Annette Bening) has doubts about his  motives. The narrative moves from crucial past landmarks to present day events that lead up to the investigation into the wife’s murder. Waltz’s character is certainly enigmatic, but his inscrutable character never evolves. Meanwhile, Redgrave’s every moment is compelling. As a director, Waltz manages to tell the story with simple skill, never building any tension with the increasingly implicating events. Even though it’s based on actual events, the ending is never fully resolved, but the unique situations and involving performances make it interesting. (3 / 5)

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