Have you ever received something in the mail telling you how important its contents are, only to open it up and find that it´s nothing exciting at all? I get nervous when films advertise their plot twists or curve balls because it´s a really similar principle.

"The Other Man," a pretty decent and somewhat strong Image Entertainment release, somehow got away with it. Either that, or I´m not paying enough attention to my mailbox and DVD cases.

It´s a pretty simple plot you´ve likely heard before, and unfortunately may have experienced, either directly or indirectly.

Peter (Liam Neeson) and his wife Lisa (Laura Linney) are pretty well off in a wealthy London, England. He runs a computer software firm (and apparently knows Bill Gates), while she designs really expensive shoes. They´ve been married nearly twenty-five years, and have everything they could ever want: a nice home, fancy cars, a successful daughter Abigail (Romola Garai) and confidence in each other. Peter isn´t the biggest shoe fan out there, and Lisa´s computer knowledge consists of how to upload pictures and send email. Yet, they coexist and sustain one another´s love.

During dinner one evening, Lisa asks Peter if he´s ever wanted to sleep with someone else. He scuffs at the idea, and professes his love for his wife. She continues to pry, and he becomes unsurprisingly suspicious. You can smell the foreshadowing a mile away, and soon after that meal, Lisa disappears without a trace. We see Peter removing her clothes and other personal items from their home, almost as though he´s accepted his wife´s impromptu exit. It´s here that he opens her MacBook and unearths some pretty racy emails and photos depicting Lisa with another man.

The film takes a slight nosedive at this moment. Everything begins flowing with little difficulty as Peter´s desire to find his wife becomes an obsession and tailspin into despair. He´s able to track emails from a man named Ralph (Antonio Banderas) who lives in Milan, and the very same night hops on a flight to confront him. He follows Ralph without being noticed, and after confirming he is the man writing to and photographed with Lisa, befriends him. The two play chess and share life stories over time, with Ralph revealing some intricate details about a woman he met and has been seeing over a decade. Peter´s frustration builds, and his desire to take revenge eventually boils over.

If you looked at the case´s backside, you´d think Neeson was playing a stalker or serial killer. There´s an image with his back turned to you, but a hammer hangs in his hand at his side. He looks possessed and drenched in madness in another shot, and stares down Banderas in a third. You´ll have to read the brief description if you want to understand who´s who and what´s what, illustrating that looks can indeed be deceiving.

Speaking of the cast, they´re responsible for taking "The Other Man" as far as it can go. Linney is sensual and seductive. She´s got that girl next-door look and persona, but gives off a signal or two that there´s much more beneath the surface. Her character is the woman so genuine you want to take her home and introduce her to your parents, yet so attractive you want to fall in love with her immediately. It´s no surprise that Banderas developed something for her at first glance. He´s got another side to him I won´t reveal here, but just know he´s charming and fun throughout. Ralph is easy to talk to, well dressed and can chat up just about anyone, but he´s also greasy enough you know there´s more to his story than meets the eye. Banderas embodies a cultured character interested in a different and better existence, yet doesn´t want to accept the fact that pursuing it with a married woman will bring some unexpected opportunity costs.

Neeson really does anchor the trio, however. If you saw "Taken," then you saw him over acting just a tad. Here, his performance is more natural. That same passion exists and motivates his character, but it doesn´t take over to the point where you´re tired of seeing it by the film´s end. He delivers lines and moves through scenes with extreme ease. Rarely do performances feel so close to reality, but Neeson had me going without debate.