Chloe - The Power of Words  
| Chloe is undeniably Atom Egoyan; it oozes everything about him. If I hadn't known that he directed it, I would have assumed it was him anyways. Even the music reminded me of him (Mychael Danna has composed music for all of Atom's films). And guess what, even the way the film flowed through the camera - all the work of frequent director of photography collaborator Paul Sarossy. I'm not saying these are bad things. I like that you can easily identify ones work, especially when it is done so well.
Chloe starts off with a doctor (Julianne Moore) suspecting her husband (Liam Neeson) of having an affair. After a chance encounter with an escort (Amanda Seyfried) the doctor concocts a plan to see if the escort can seduce her husband to see if he is in fact having some sort of affair. How could this possibly go right?
The story is very engaging although they almost ruin it in the beginning. **SPOILER ALERT** At the start of the movie, our escort does a voice over (a trademark of Atom Egoyan) explaining how she likes words and knows how to use them. Well, it becomes painfully obvious that she is using these "words" to her advantage over the doctor. When the revelations comes out that she hasn't actually been seducing him, no one should really be shocked. The right words can be used as a deadly weapon against anyone vulnerable enough and that is clearly what happened to Julianne Moore's character. **END OF SPOILER** I keep going over the end in my head because when I first saw it, I thought it was a little ludicrous but then I thought to myself "how else can a movie like this end?" I have no idea how something like this (if it were to really happen) would really end in real life. The ending is definitely growing on me; that's for sure.
I thought the two lead performances were excellent. I have never seen this side of Amanda Seyfreid and I think I like it. Her character seems sweet and innocent but as the movie progresses, you quickly come to find that not is all as it seems. The part when she is walking out of the doctors office after their special night when she just stares at the camera gets under your skin; it was so creepy and well played. This is easily her best role to date. I can't wait to see what she does next. Julianne Moore was equally as good. She is confused yet turned on by her husbands actions. How bizarre is she to feel that way?
Chloe features a strong script by Erin Cressida Wilson (who wrote the uber sexy Secretary with Maggie Gyllenhaal). I think that in the hands of a less professional and established director, this movie could have been something completely different; more along the lines of a porno. The sexual tension was well played and the sex scenes were done tastefully.
A number of elements all add together to make Chloe a film well worth seeing at least once. It doesn't have to be in theatres as it is more of a film that could be better enjoyed in a more intimate surrounding. The script, the story, the acting, the music, the cinematography - all of these things are great and fit very well together. *note* - Chloe is a remake of a French film called Nathalie.
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