While an unfaithful criminal lawyer considers killing his wife, his spouse develops some schemes of her own.
Criminal defense attorney Arthur Jamison (Sir Anthony Hopkins) wants to get a divorce from his wife Louise Jamison (Blythe Danner). He knows that the downside would be the hefty alimony payments his wife would receive from him. Instead of facing this monetary dilemma, he comes up with an imaginary alter ego to help him plan the perfect murder of his wife.—mts77
Arthur Jamison is a very successful ruthless lawyer. He wants to bump off his wife and spends most of the movie talking to an imaginary alter-ego, protrayed by Anthony Hopkins also. He goes though several ideas and plans while each is disected and foiled by this alter-ego in court like cross examination. The biggest problem in the plans is finding a solid alibi (latin for being elsewhere according to Arthur). All his ideas so far have too many loopholes that he cannot close during cross (I mean self) examination.
Arthur has had countless affairs and he has decided to get out of his marriage by doing in Louise (played by Blythe Danner), his wife.
Only one problem, Louise has done a little homework on her own and has discovered that Arthur has pulled some pretty shady deals that could get him arrested and/or disbarred if brought to light. She has gathered her own evidence and put it in a safe deposit box in the bank. So Louise decides to blackmail Arthur because she sign a prenup where she would get nothing in the course of a normal divorce.
Arthur thinks about faking a robbery, suicide, accidents and all kinds of olther scenarios to take care of Louise. Each has it problems and Arthur discards them.
In the midst of this planning, right after Arthur returns from Houston, his girlfriend Jackie (Swoozie Kurtz), pops in and pretends she knows neither Arthur nor Louise.
As it turns out, Jackie knows them both. In fact she has discovered, that Arthur has yet another girlfriend, Gail, and Jackie also knows Louise, who she met two weeks earlier and filled Louise in all of Arthur's plans.
So Louise and Jackie and devise a plan to do away with Arthur before he gets Louise and they confront Arthur with Louise holding a gun. But Arthur manages to reason his way out of the situation.
Jackie says she is actually aware of Arthur's other girlfriend and offers to help Louise take care of Arthur. The only course, she says, is to kill him and set up an alibi for Louise.
It turns out that all the action so far, has strictly been in Arthur's mind, and in fact, at the end of the movie, he is just now returning from his Houston trip. He comes into the house, then Louise enters the house and gives him a kiss, as she goes into the kitchen for a drink, Arthur phones Gail and tells her to meet him later.
As Arthur begin to climb the stairs, Louise shoots him. She then gets on the phone and calls-----Jackie. At the end Louise tells Jackie it was surprisingly easy. Her last line is, "Now remember, I've been with you for the last two hours."
