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The End of the Affair (1999)

tomatometer

67

Average Rating: 6.6/10
Reviews Counted: 66
Fresh: 44 | Rotten: 22

Neil Jordan has good direction with solid performances from Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore.

56

Average Rating: 6.5/10
Critic Reviews: 16
Fresh: 9 | Rotten: 7

Neil Jordan has good direction with solid performances from Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore.

audience

71

liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 9,445

My Rating

Movie Info

Based on the novel by Graham Greene, this romantic drama stars Ralph Fiennes as Maurice Bendrix, a novelist who, during World War II, had an affair with Sarah Miles (Julianne Moore), the wife of his best friend Henry (Stephen Rea). Sarah abruptly broke off the romance in 1944, but two years later, after Maurice runs into Henry, he becomes obsessed with the affair and hires a man to investigate Sarah. He reads her diary of their forbidden romance in the midst of the London Blitz and discovers

R,

Drama, Romance

Neil Jordan

May 16, 2000

Columbia Pictures - Official Site External Icon

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Cast

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All Critics (90) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (23) | DVD (15)

For all its obvious psychoanalytic implications, [Jordan's] wacky romantic triangle lost me long before it crawled to its spiritualist conclusion.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Village Voice
Village Voice
Top Critic IconTop Critic

An effective love story that's intensely old-fashioned.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: CNN.com
CNN.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The whole thing is beyond purple and yet so careful and reverent you can't even enjoy it as camp.

November 19, 2005 Full Review Source: Blogcritics.org
Blogcritics.org

What a sad and melancholy piece of work. ... Fiennes basically reprises his English Patient role as the heroic destroyer of covenants and promises.

December 6, 2004
Looking Closer

Writer/director Neil Jordan takes the right approach to the material. Instead of trying to spruce it up, he simply moves in closer.

March 27, 2003 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid
Combustible Celluloid

Neil Jordan's film captures an unyielding sense, even almost to a fault, of romantic realism and its often underlying sadness.

January 7, 2003 Full Review Source: Entertainment Today
Entertainment Today

Audience Reviews for The End of the Affair

Based on a novel by Graham Greene, this is a romantic drama set during World War II that is in many ways a standard love triangle involving a guy, his best friend, and the best friend's wife. There's lies, deception, and a torrid affair. Some of this is compelling, but overall the basic plot isn't all that unique or interesting, and this isn't the best variation on a theme.

However, the period details, costumes, sets, etc are well done, and the acting is what ultimately makes this a good film worth watching. Stephen Rea is good as the nervous, henecked husband, Ralph Fiennes is great as the stuffy 40s intellectual madly in love with his friend's wife, and Julianne Moore is sublime as the wife, giving a very nuanced performance. It's also a plus that this is one of several films where she shows her willingness to do love scenes and show the goods, especially a memorabele scene where bombs literally go off during the heat of the moment.

All in all, this is a fine enough period drama, even if it's not the most compelling or memorable. Neil jordan knows how to stage these things, and the acting is ultiamtely what makes it worth a recommendation.
January 7, 2012
cosmo313
Chris Weber

Super Reviewer

This is propably the most sophisticated film from director Neil Jordan. It is not among the best work he has done, but it holds your attention with very well written screenplay. Acting is powerhouse all around.
January 7, 2012
emilkakko

Super Reviewer

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Foreign Titles

  • End of the Affair (UK)
  • La Fin d'une liaison (FR)
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