Dangerous Liaisons

Set in 18th-century France, Stephen Frears’ “Dangerous Liaisons” pivots on the manipulative game played by the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont. De Merteuil tasks Valmont with seducing the intended bride of another former lover in exchange for a night of passion. Their intricate web of revenge and desire unravels predictably but with a vicious elegance that underscores the moral corruption of the aristocracy. The film is a sharp, incisive critique of class and libertinism, rendered in sumptuous period detail and elevated by the acidic wit of its leads.