Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) Review

Julia Roberts swaps her box office smile to take on the role of Laura Burney a woman who is emotionally and physically abused by her controlling husband Martin. Even faking her own death in an attempt to start a new life away from him.

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You cannot really imagine being in the situation Laura finds herself, a young woman terrified to well do anything. Watching you want to think that you wouldn’t let that happen to yourself. But the way Martin behaves really shows that she did not have a choice at all. He was possessive and did everything to find her again and go well over the top.

Just as Laura has started again met Ben and trying to be well normal again that is when everything is about to come crashing down in the worst way possible. The tension is pretty good in terms of building it up, with you know the standard music to make you on edge. It all fits together in a decent way but the film really does lack that final punch to become a good one in this genre.

I always feel I am biased towards Julia Roberts, but she does have a much better range than everyone gives her credit for and this was a good example of that. Trying to change her image slightly with a more serious role. The only problem is though is that she is much better when she is smiling. We do get a brief moment with the incredible ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ song over it and that does for a few minutes change the tone of the film, just when you think that she is sorted with her new life. But she really does shine in a different way than she normally does in this rather gritty role, the terrified woman to then living again. Trying to take care of her mother and build herself back up, the ending really does have such a thrill and strange happiness.

The film highlights just how crazy someone can be as well, claiming that they fully own their partner and everything they do must be for them. It really made me think and well feel sorry for anyone who ends up in that type of relationship. Knowing that it still will happen does make for tough viewing at times, we don’t want to accept that this happens and people treat each other in this way. So if a film like this can help anyone out of that life then I guess that is a very positive thing. Also that a film from 1991 can still have messages for today!

I have now watched this film a few times and in all honesty I kinda forget the ending, I know that seems strange but I am sure we all have those films that do that for whatever reason. I won’t be telling you to rush out and see this one, but I am curious if you have seen this one what your thoughts were on it?