The Perfect Guy

Any movie that contains the word "perfect" is certain to be a thriller, a cautionary story. The Perfect Guy is Tyger Williams’ first screenplay since 1993’s hit Menace II Society, and, I must say, the story is well done. Leah (Sanaa Lathan) has been dating Dave (Morris Chestnut) for nearly two years, but he has no desire to start a family yet. Let down by the way their relationship is heading, Leah decides it’s time to move on. At a restaurant, she is more than flattered when handsome stranger Carter (Michael Ealy) saves her from the annoying pick-me-up lines of a pushy man.

But it isn’t long before we start to question Carter’s motives. She should trust her instinct, for example, when he takes her down a dangerous back alley and into an underground dance club on their first date. Instead, she gives in to the intensity and fast-pace of their sudden relationship. From there, we are led down a quickly accelerating series of Carter’s concerning behavior.

Ealy is very eerie in his role as villain. He is schematically methodical and frightening mechanical in his interactions with others. The essence of his character is more terrifying than anything else because he’s wholly evil.

Director David M. Rosenthal takes us on a visceral experience in this thriller that explores the dangers of trusting the wrong person. What is particularly impressive about Rosenthal’s direction is the way he tunes the tension—he times it just right. There is one scene, for instance, where the music stops, magnifying the suspense. And the settings are visually engaging and they help stage this unremitting tension throughout the film.

Another attractive facet is the stimulating plot. There are unexpected elements that make you wonder how the story could possibly continue. But it’s good. Really good. The character involvement, the plot surprises, the building suspense, all of it put together into a “perfect” blend of thrill.

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