THE OTHER MAN/ANOTHER AWARD WINNER

Surely this is to be another great British film title. How could it be otherwise with clever Richard (Notes On A Scandal) Eyre directing the commanding Liam Neeson?

***************************

Neeson (main picture, settling a score) is joined by Romola (Atonement) Garai (pictured, above), Laura Linney and, for exotic effect, Antonio Banderas in the tale of a singularly unhappy family.

Why unhappy? Because of the "other" man, of course.

Specifically, London-based Neeson is going through an uneasy patch with his wife, Linney, when he discovers the alarming information that she has been receiving mysterious billet d'oux - those devilish emails and text messages - from a man he has never even heard of? In romantic Milan, of all places!!!

Who is this bastard? he wonders, not surprisingly. Or, at least, who is this "other" man? And, being Neeson, he means to get answers.

Estranged daughter Garai is made of cooler metal and advises Neeson to let it go but, adding to the family tensions, he flies to the Italian hotspot to dig out the mysterious "other", namely Banderas, and the truth about these extramarital shenanigans.

Neeson and Linney should have no trouble convincing as husband and wife, having grown comfortable together recently while heading up Eyre’s triumphant version of The Crucible on Broadway.

The script was written by Richard Eyre and his Iris co-writer Charles Wood, based on a short story, and shoots from February 14th on locations in London, Milan and Lake Como, as well as indoors at Ealing Studios.

Filed January 18, 2008.

*******************