You might think that a timely suspense film starring two-time Hilary Swank would be a pretty good bet — but you would be wrong. This slowly-paced thriller contains very few thrills, not enough sexual heat, red herring scenes of violence and what may be the stupidest protagonist to ever grace a movie screen. This movie is a mess, although it looks slick and polished.

Deon Taylor’s film is centered on Derrick (Michael Ealy), the married co-owner of a sports representation company, whose life falls apart after an unwise trip to Las Vegas and a romp with single Valerie (Hilary Swank). Soon he is battling business troubles, marital discord and a home invasion that may have been an attempt to kill him. And things get worse from there. As a premise goes, it’s pretty solid, especially after his mother tells him to straighten up and clear his name.

But Derrick is as stupid a character as I have ever seen. As played by Michael Ealy (mainly be furrowing his forehead), Derrick is supposed to be racked with doubt and guilt, even when he is innocent. The truth is that the script saddles him with one dumb decision after another, even while raising issues like the home invasion that may have been a hit without addressing it at all after the fact. When the premise turns toward Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train development, it becomes a lost cause.

Director Taylor had the same issues with his 2019 melodrama The Intruder, which also made Michael Ealy look rich and foolish much of the time. That film wasn’t suspenseful, scary or sexy enough either, so he is still making the same mistakes, only worse. The Intruder was disappointing, but was at least watchable all the way through. Fatale wastes its stars, its fancy house and cool cars and doesn’t answer half the questions it raises about its fully cardboard characters. It’s obnoxious. ☆ 1/2. 23 December 2020.